Mezen

• Designer: Hikita Sorokin
• Publisher: Arcane Wonders / Hobby World
• Players: 1-5
• Age: 12+
• Time: 30 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4iWcCVK
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

In the far far north, in the land of dark days and white nights, flows the river Mezen. From meadows and forest edges, horses gallop towards it, birds flock to it, foxes run to it. Not even the man could resist this river. The man walked to it and stayed for centuries. The nature of Mezen amazed the man so much that he decided to commemorate it. He gathered soot, black as the night itself, and clay, red as the sun, picked up a brush and started creating. That is how the famous Mezen painting came about — the style upon which this game is based. 

In Mezen, you take on the role of a northern craftsman, creating intricate ornamental paintings to order. Combine symbols and flip tiles to accomplish goals and earn points. Each turn, players choose a group of adjacent identical symbols to remove from their “painting” and slide down the tiles above to fill the empty spots. After that, they flip the removed tiles to their opposite side — from white to black — and place them in the newly empty spots. By changing the placement of symbols this way, the players try to accomplish goals and score. Whoever has the most points after ten rounds wins.

Continue reading →

Galileo Galilei

• Designer: Tomas Holek
• Publisher: Pink Troubador
• Players: 1-4
• Age: 13+
• Time: 60 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4oOPwDd
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

“And yet it moves”, he said.

Galileo Galilei is a Euro-style game in which you take on the role of an astronomer who will discover new planets, find unknown star systems, develop their telescope, and make a scientific breakthrough in the difficult ages of obscurantism.

Use your telescope to select one of the five actions available, with you being able to evolve these actions into better ones. Collect cards of different planets and star systems. Collect lenses of the three main colors to make a discovery. Be wary of inquisitors as they might arrive unwelcomed and ruin your fame in no time. Better find a way to profit from their visit instead.

Continue reading →

Polaris

• Designer: Simone Luciani and Andrea Mainini
• Publisher: Fractal Juegos
• Players: 2-4
• Age: 8+
• Time: 40-50 min
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Looking north, you see a bright star that doesn’t change its position as the night goes on… It’s the star at the north pole: Polaris.  In Polaris, you’ll have to position your Stars in the night sky to form constellations and accomplish the game’s objectives. 5 scoring phases will be played, which will get shorter and shorter, where the different moon phases will be vital to know where you can place your stars in each of them. On your turn, you’ll only have to perform one of three possible actions: Draw Cards, Play Cards, or Take Shooting Stars. Whoever earns the most Victory Points at the end of the game will win. Contemplation of the night sky has been an essential part of our culture on this planet. Its constellations have brought us together since our dawn to tell the great stories that define us.

Continue reading →