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Game Reviews

Blooming Sea

Reiner Knizia has designed many excellent games. A considerable number of his designs combine simple rules with one small idea that makes the gameplay much more interesting than it might initially appear. “Blooming Sea”, published in Poland by Red Square Games, is no exception.

This time, our task is to restore a coral reef. By placing tiles, we will connect corals into increasingly large groups and create habitats for the fish swimming among them. Beneath the calm and colorful theme, however, lies an engaging competition for points and space on a shared board.

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Game Reviews

Nemi: The Strawberry Festival

Nemi is a small Italian town in the hills near Rome, overlooking a lake of the same name. It is best known for its wild strawberries and the Strawberry Festival, which has been held there since 1922. During the event, the streets fill with flowers, music, and market stalls, while women dressed in traditional costumes, known as Fragolare, hand out fruit to visitors.

This colorful festival became the theme of Nemi: The Strawberry Festival, a game designed by Valeria Cavasin and Edoardo Elbenstein and published by Fiammingo Games. As participants in the preparations, we will gather fruit and other ingredients, make strawberry desserts, and decorate the town. The player who contributes the most to the event’s success will receive the Golden Strawberry.

We received a pre-release copy of the game for testing. How did this sweet trip to sunny Italy turn out?

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Game Reviews

Pigeon Explosion

Pigeon Explosion is a new party-style card game from Muduko in which we feed our birds, sneak food onto other players’ pigeons and try to make ours happy while making theirs… explode. It sounds like a fast and intense game with a solid dose of negative interaction, but does it have to be that way?

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Game Reviews

Pacific

Pacific is a game by Donald X. Vaccarino, best known as the designer of Dominion, which already suggests a straightforward game that still leaves players room for various strategic moves. This time, players invest in tourism, industry, transport, and nature, while the game gives them space for some light business-minded scheming, wrapping the whole thing in a neat card-and-board puzzle for 2–5 players. Let’s take a closer look at what it is all about.

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Game Reviews

Bandido Alcatraz

The iconic escapee Bandido returns in a special edition prepared for the 10th anniversary of the original game’s release. This time, the stakes are higher, and the walls of Alcatraz prison are much harder to overcome. Bandido Alcatraz is not just the same game with a different theme. The roles have reversed: this time, you are trying to provide Bandido with an escape route, and you will face additional challenges along the way.

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Game Reviews

Habitats

Rezerwat (eng. Habitats), published by Allplay, is a board game in which players take on the role of wildlife reserve managers. The goal is to create a thriving ecosystem filled with animals, suitable habitats, and attractions for visiting tourists.

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Game Reviews

Rebirth

After a series of catastrophes, the world begins to rebuild in harmony with nature. In Rebirth, we take on the roles of clan leaders striving to gain control over the lands of Scotland or Ireland. This tile-laying board game designed by Reiner Knizia is intended for 2–4 players and offers two fully developed versions of play on a double-sided board.

Both variants share the same core system, yet differ in key scoring elements and additional mechanisms. As a result, the box delivers two distinct takes on the same design, each emphasizing slightly different aspects of competition.

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Game Reviews

Prapuszcza: Ostatnie starcie

Muduko returns with another game from its series about warring animals—once again built on a design by Reiner Knizia and enhanced with distinctive illustrations by Piotr Sokołowski. The title Prapuszcza: Ostatnie starcie suggests a climactic entry in this line, although whether it truly marks the end remains to be seen. 😉

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Game Reviews

Removal

Removal is a title you can find on your table thanks to Albi. Designed by Michał Reszka, this game lets you step into the shoes of a moving company employee and feel the weight of all those boxes—and some rather unusual objects too (people really do collect the strangest things!). 🏠🚚 Let’s get moving with our review!

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Game Reviews

Whispering Woods

Whispering Woods, published by Muduko, is a title that many board gamers following the international market have been eagerly awaiting. Created by Cristian Bustos and Bernardo Vásquez, this engaging abstract game puts you in the role of animal guardians of the forest, expanding it while fulfilling goals whispered to you by the trees.