PUBLISHED: 2016 DESIGNERS: Alexander Pfister ARTWORK: Andreas Resch PUBLISHER: eggertspiel, Stronghold Games PLAYERS: 2-4 TIME: 75-120+ minutes When I first started playing modern board games, each new box was an exploration that expanded my conception of what a game could be: “You mean players don’t have to be eliminated as we go along?” “You mean … Continue reading Board Game Review: Great Western Trail
Board Game Review: Mare Nostrum: Empires
PUBLISHED: 2016 DESIGNERS: Serge Laget ARTWORK: Jean-Marie Minguez PUBLISHER: Academy Games, Asyncron PLAYERS: 3-5 TIME: 90-120+ minutes As if it wasn't clear from my reviews thus far, I absolutely adore strategy board games. Whether it's marching my armies around a map or working to build up an economic engine, these games scratch an indelible itch. … Continue reading Board Game Review: Mare Nostrum: Empires
Video Game Review: Race the Sun
PC Release Date: August 19, 2013 Developer: Flippfly There is something alluring about the simplicity of racing video games. They are perhaps unique in that they are immediately accessible, yet endlessly engrossing. Drop a person with no video game experience into a racing game and, regardless of their ultimate success, they'll quickly get the gist. … Continue reading Video Game Review: Race the Sun
Board Game Review: Twilight Struggle
PUBLISHED: 2005 DESIGNERS: Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews ARTWORK: Viktor Csete, Rodger B. MacGowan, et al. PUBLISHER: GMT Games PLAYERS: 2 TIME: 180+ minutes The Cold War has proven to be a fertile period from which to draw artistic inspiration. Maybe it's the fact that those who came of age during the conflict's 40-odd years … Continue reading Board Game Review: Twilight Struggle
Board Game Review: Trajan
PUBLISHED: 2011 DESIGNERS: Stefan Feld ARTWORK: Jo Hartwig PUBLISHER: Ammonit Spiele PLAYERS: 2-4 TIME: 60-120 MINUTES Stefan Feld is one of those designers a lot of people have opinions about in the boardgaming world. On one hand, there is a great deal of respect for the way he gets gameplay mechanics to interlock. On the … Continue reading Board Game Review: Trajan
Video Game Review: Dungeon of the Endless
RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2014 LEAD DESIGNER: Amplitude Studios Dungeon-crawling has long been one of the central pillars of video gaming. Whether it is Adventure on the Atari 2600, or the Wizardry series and Moraff's World on the PC, the concept of exploration and interaction is perfectly suited to the video game format. Even games not traditionally … Continue reading Video Game Review: Dungeon of the Endless
Board Game Review: Santorini
PUBLISHED: 2017 DESIGNERS: Dr. Gordon Hamilton ARTWORK: Mr. Cuddington (i.e. David Forest & Lina Cossette) PUBLISHER: Roxley Game Laboratory PLAYERS: 2-4 TIME: 10-20 MINUTES For the past two weeks, I've been mired in a landscaping project. When I'm not at work, most of my waking life seems to revolve around digging out sod to expand our planting beds. 20 … Continue reading Board Game Review: Santorini
Video Game Review: The Witness
Release Date: January 26, 2016 Publisher: Thekla, Inc. Lead Designer: Jonathan Blow A high proportion of our reviews thus far on Indoor Archipelago have featured albums or games that somehow reference or incorporate islands. Merely coincidence, I promise. That said, the trend will continue with The Witness, as it is a video game that takes … Continue reading Video Game Review: The Witness
Board Game Review: Scythe
PUBLISHED: 2016 DESIGNERS: Jamey Stegmaier ARTWORK: Jakub Rozalski PUBLISHER: Stonemaier Games PLAYERS: 1-5 TIME: 115 MINUTES I’ve always had a fascination with propaganda art. Not so much “I really like what those posters are telling me,” but more “I appreciate that design aesthetic.” The artists putting Soviet propaganda together really knew how to capture a person’s … Continue reading Board Game Review: Scythe
Video Game Review: Curious Expedition
Release Date: September 2, 2016 Publisher: Maschinen-Mensch Primary Developers: Riad Djemili (code) and Johannes Kristmann (art) Over the past 10+ years, there has been a resurgence in pixel art in video games. Whether it's Minecraft, Shovel Knight, or Hotline Miami, all aim for a simpler, lower-resolution aesthetic. Some have written-off this trend as empty retro-ism, … Continue reading Video Game Review: Curious Expedition