Our staff reviews games to help your family find new games to play that are worth your time and money! Please see our review policy for more information.
(No spoilers!) Despite a few shortcomings, all the Trekkies in our family enjoyed Star Trek: Cryptic. The story combined with the puzzles really makes me feel like I get to step into Starfleet for an hour or so.
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In Starry Night Sky, you get the chance to explore a completely new night sky, full of fabulous constellations with inventive names. The further afield you search, the more chances you have for points; but you’ll want to collaborate with other astronomers to complete the constellations so everyone can enjoy them.
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I’ve tried other space-exploration games, but they never capture the same wonder, excitement, and humanity that I really wanted. Starship Captains pays homage to my favorite sci-fi and makes exploring the universe interesting.
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In episode 80, The Family Gamers explored games that are pure fun. Not necessarily the “best” or “most mechanically sound” game, but games that are just plain fun to play. This week we have a game that absolutely fits that mold. We will look at a new game designed by Théo Riviére and published by Iello, Sticky Chameleons.
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This game is just elegantly smooth in how it plays. Simple mechanics, easy to learn, and so much fun to deduce where the thief is.
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Stories: The Path of Destinies is a video game that blends traditional action-RPG with choose-your-own-adventure style. This makes for a game that you must play through multiple times in order to “win”.
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You’re in the final semester of your magical degree. It’s time to acquire materials, complete your final projects, finish your Thesis, and graduate with your Masters degree in the Dark Arts. Studies in Sorcery is a card drafting, resource management game designed by Chris Glein and published by Weird Giraffe Games. Up to four players ages 10+ can compete to
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Sumer is a unique game. Neither fully a video game nor fully a board game, it meshes the best aspects of both for an engaging experience.
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Who doesn’t love ice cream? If I was serving up sundaes for the family, I would try to hold back some favorites for myself. But what if everyone else gets to choose their sundae first? How do I keep the family away from “my” favorites? That’s the concept behind Sundae Split.
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In Sunrise Lane, players compete to build the most lucrative and attractive neighborhoods. The higher their town rises, the more prestige they will enjoy. Certain city blocks are better investments than others, but timing is everything, and sometimes blocking a fellow builder from a great investment is the way to get ahead! The player with the most clever balance of both short-term scoring and long-term planning will surely rise to the top.
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A rare video-game review! Harmonix is known for rhythm-and-music video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. We love every game they have made (we regularly rave about Amplitude), so when they announced their new game for Switch, Super Beat Sports, we were intrigued. Sports in a music game? How could that work?
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“There’s a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it’s not about who’s got the most bullets. It’s about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think… it’s all about the information!” – Sneakers, 1992 For some of us, it’s quotes like these that are about as close to hacking as
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There is not a more recognizable image of video games in America than the Mario Brothers. Today we’ll take a look at a licensed board game featuring this iconic duo: Super Mario Level Up!, a 2017 game from USAopoly.
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Surf’s Up is all about timing – play your high-energy card right to catch the wave you want. Bid on ocean wave cards with energy and reputation, and avoid being stung by jellyfish!
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Sushi Dice is a fun, fast-paced dice-matching game for 2 to 6 players, designed by Henri Kermarrec. For this review, we heavily “kid-tested” the game, with good results, and it’s easy to learn, at any age.
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Sushi Roll is just as cute and fast-paced as the original. Overall, I’d recommend it for families who want to introduce drafting to non-reading children, or to families who love dice games. It’s a light, fast-moving game that will feel very familiar.
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Despite the length, we found this murder mystery series to be an excellent family experience.
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In Tajuto from Renier Knizia up to four players will construct pagodas to increase their Meditation and achieve Spirituality points. Tajuto is published by Super Meeple (Luma Imports distributes it in the US & Canada) and is best for players ages 10+. How to Play Your goal is to have the most Spirituality points when the fourth pagoda is completed.
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As you can imagine, we’re no stranger writing and stories here at The Family Gamers. Tall Tales lets us do exactly that.
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