The Family Gamers - Reviews

Tiny Towns: A Miniature Masterpiece!

9/10

May 6, 2019 Updated: November 12th, 2020 Andrew Smith Reviews

We have loved Tiny Towns since the moment we laid eyes on it. The simple mechanics of the game left us to wonder how it was possible a game like this hadn’t already existed. Place wooden cubes in configurations to collapse into a building – so simple, our 4-year-old can play, but a surprising amount of depth and strategy as well.

Visitor in Blackwood Grove: An Alien Assumption

8.5/10

April 29, 2019 Updated: March 13th, 2025 Anitra Smith Reviews

An alien ship has crash-landed in the forest outside of town. Agents have been tracking the craft and rush to the scene, hoping to dissect the Visitor and seize its craft. But a local Kid has also ridden her bike out to the wreck to save the Visitor. Who will make it through the ship’s force field first?

If you’re up for an unusual deduction game with asymmetric roles that accommodate many skill levels, we highly recommend Visitor in Blackwood Grove.

SNAP Review – Supertall: The Sky’s the Limit!

April 27, 2019 Updated: December 5th, 2022 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a skyscraper! Build the tallest and best buildings in Supertall, a micro game designed by Nat Levan and published by Button Shy Games.

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2 players, 3 players, Anitra, audio, build, Button Shy Games, Card Game, city building, Nat Levan

ShutterBug: Snap Some Sensational Cryptids

6.5/10

April 23, 2019 Updated: November 12th, 2020 Anitra Smith Reviews

In ShutterBug from Mike Elliott and Calliope Games, play the role of a freelance photographer, traveling the country to find mythical creatures and snap pictures of them. Pursue tips and hope you can get high quality pictures – complete your assignment and some side jobs and become a world-renowned photographer!

Professor Treasure’s Secret Sky Castle: Reclaiming Riches!

7/10

April 16, 2019 Updated: November 12th, 2020 Nick Martinelli Reviews

In Professor Treasure’s Secret Sky Castle, players compete over three rounds to earn the most points by collecting stolen treasures from the Professor’s Castle. It’s a puzzle-y game where you’ll need to outwit your opponent by sending adventures out with unique abilities to collect these priceless treasures. Be wary as the other team will seek to thwart you every step of way.

Qwirkle: Colorful Strategy

7/10

April 8, 2019 Updated: November 12th, 2020 Guest Contributor Reviews

Do you Qwirkle? Lay tiles in lines of color and shape!

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Family Games, Family Gaming, Kids, Mindware, Natalie, Tabletop, tile laying

SNAP Review – Tiny Ninjas

April 5, 2019 Updated: November 12th, 2020 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

Duel to the death with a cast of unlikely-looking ninjas in Tiny Ninjas, a portable game of cards and dice by Ryan Leininger.

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2 players, Anitra, Asher, audio, battle, card games, dice, ninja

My First Castle Panic: So Easy a Child Can Do It!

7.5/10

April 2, 2019 Updated: November 29th, 2020 Andrew Smith Reviews

Playing Castle Panic (a fantastic game) with my 4-year-old felt more like giving instructions to an unwilling robot. He wasn’t enjoying himself, and I wasn’t enjoying him not enjoying himself. Would My First Castle Panic be different?

My First Castle Panic is a cooperative tower (castle) defense game for 1-4 players ages 4+ that plays in just 20 minutes. Team up and protect the castle from monsters coming to knock it down! Throw the monsters in jail and save the castle!

SNAP Review – Fluff: Liar’s Dice for Cunning Critters

March 29, 2019 Updated: March 31st, 2024 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

Fluff, from Bananagrams, is actually the two-hundred-year-old game Liar’s Dice, with adorable but shady looking critters and clever dice cups. Claire tells you why we like it.

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2 players, 3 players, 4 players, animals, Anitra, audio, Bananagrams, bluffing, Claire, dice

Hanamikoji: Elegant Choices

8/10

March 25, 2019 Updated: November 12th, 2020 Nick Martinelli Reviews

Hanamikoji is a beautiful compact game for two players from Deep Water Games. Win the favor of geisha by playing their favored items, but choose carefully! You’ll also have to give cards away to your opponent.

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2 players, Card Game, Deep Water Games, EmperorS4, Nick

SNAP Review – Shikoku: The Middle Path

March 22, 2019 Updated: March 4th, 2023 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

In Shikoku, you learn that coming in first isn’t always the best. We try to tackle this game with rules that are easy to learn, but hard to explain, in about 8 minutes of audio.

Palm Island: A Game in Hand is Worth Two on the Table

8/10

March 18, 2019 Updated: March 4th, 2023 Anitra Smith Reviews

Palm Island is a 17-card game designed and illustrated by Jon Mietling, published by Portal Dragon Games. It needs no flat surface at all; the entire game is played in one hand.

Spell Smashers: Crushing Expectations

9/10

March 11, 2019 Updated: November 13th, 2020 Andrew Smith Reviews

You’re the most capable heroes in the land. Squash terrifying creatures, disintegrate their wills, and splinter their ranks. But how do you do it? With words, of course. Words like Bravery! Like Righteous! Like… Hamster? Spell Smashers, from Renegade Game Studios, supports 1-5 players, ages 12+, for 60 minutes of word-building (and world-building) fun.

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5 players, Andrew, fantasy, monster, Renegade, solo, word games

SNAP Review – Get the MacGuffin

March 8, 2019 Updated: January 23rd, 2025 Anitra Smith Hall of Fame Reviews, SNAP Reviews

Get the MacGuffin from Looney Labs is a fast-playing game of player elimination. It’s silly and incredibly quick, even at the maximum of 11 players. Can we find the MacGuffin or were we disappointed?

Poetry Slam: A Boardgame for Beatniks

7.5/10

March 5, 2019 Updated: February 15th, 2025 Anitra Smith Reviews

We’d recommend Poetry Slam to any hep cat. It’s fun for strategy gamers as well as fans of more casual word games.

SNAP Review – Bad Doctor: Chronic Chaos

March 1, 2019 Updated: November 13th, 2020 Corey Lagunowich SNAP Reviews

Bad Doctor from Mayday games gets our prescription for a fast and fun tile-laying game with easy-to-learn rules. The humor is slightly coarse, so you might want to stick with the recommended 10+ age.

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audio, cartoon, Corey, Ian, Kids, Mayday Games, medical, tile laying

Caverna: Cave vs. Cave – Hidden Treasure

8/10

February 25, 2019 Updated: November 13th, 2020 Andrew Smith Reviews

The constant push and pull to acquire the right resources and rooms to ratchet up your victory point and gold total is a fascinating puzzle for me. If you enjoy the careful balance of tight resource management games you will enjoy Cave vs Cave.

SNAP Review – Sparkle*Kitty: Powerful Princesses in Peril

February 22, 2019 Updated: September 19th, 2022 Anitra Smith Hall of Fame Reviews, SNAP Reviews

Be a pretty princess and save yourself with sweet spells in Sparkle Kitty, a silly word game from Breaking Games. Hear our thoughts in 5 minutes with this audio review.