Isle of Bears

• Designer: Daisy Yi-Ching Chen 
• Publisher: Heybye Gaming
• Players: 2
• Age: 8+
• Time: 15 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Isle of Bears is a two-player card-driven abstract strategy game set in the summer of 2050, when Arctic sea ice has nearly disappeared. A group of homeless white bears drifts across the ocean in search of a new home and reaches a group of islands already occupied by black bears.  Every summer may be the coolest summer of the rest of your life. How will we survive?

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Always a Bridesmaid

• Designer: Jimic
• Publisher: Kado Games
• Players: 2-5
• Age: 10+
• Time: 20 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Always a Bridesmaid is a simultaneous card game about trying to shine just enough — but never too much. Over three rounds, each player plays accessory cards face down, then reveals them at the same time to build a visible total. The twist is that the highest total is not the best position: players score by timing their exit and aiming to be the most flattering runner-up rather than stealing the spotlight.

Each round, players may play their HOLD BACK card to stop playing for the round. The first players to hold back may secretly set aside one final accessory card, which is revealed during scoring and added to their total. Negative cards can help a player avoid the top position, but using them may flip that player to their WILD side, creating an end-game penalty.

After each round, scored cards are displayed and removed from future hands, while reserved cards enter the game between rounds. As the card pool changes, players must read each other’s timing, totals, and appetite for risk to finish in exactly the right place.

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Syzygy

• Designer: Asuka, IKE
• Publisher: EmperorS4
• Players: 3-6
• Age: 6+
• Time: 15 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

The solar system we live in exists thanks to a miraculous arrangement of planets.
Even for a god, recreating the same miracle twice would be impossible… right?

…Huh? You say it’s easy?

You “gods” must work together to return the scattered planets to their proper order.
The only hint is the involuntary phrase that slips from your lips: “OH MY GOD.”

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Upside Town

• Designer: Quentin Quek
• Publisher: PlayByDesign
• Players: 1-4
• Age: 12+
• Time: 25-40 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

In Upside Town, buildings rise rapidly from modular pre-fabricated units, but constructing the skyline is no simple task. Single-level units can be stacked freely but they are slow to build. Double and triple-level units, however, obey strict rules: they (magnetically) repel units of their own kind, above or below. These unique constraints create a constant puzzle of balance and strategy as players rush to fulfill and chain multiple city contracts to shape the skyline of Upside Town.  

Upside Town is the first-ever boardgame to feature a new Magnetic Polarity game mechanic, where the orientation and polarity of building units matter. Throughout the game, players need to plan and build based on how units magnetically attract or repel each other. With immaculately well-designed and produced game components, Upside Town is a tactile and refreshing gaming experience for families, casual and serious gamers alike.

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The Amazing Journey

• Designers: Lorenzo Silva, Hjalmar Hach 
• Publisher: Horrible Guild
• Players: 2-4
• Age: 8+
• Time: 60 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

The Amazing Journey is a globe-trotting game for 2 to 4 travelers. Check which transport vehicles are available in each date, then plan accordingly to make sure you can keep on moving without losing time. Gather Experiences to have an amazing story to tell back home and meet other players at checkpoints: the destination is as important as the memories you made along the way! 

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