Watch your Back: Week April 3 to 9
The bulk of April's crowdfunding releases has been scheduled for the middle of the month, so we can catch our breath for a few days. Here's what we have for next week.
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UBOOT: The Board Game is coming back with a reprint campaign on Kickstarter on April 4. This a 1-4 player real-time app-based cooperative worker placement game in which you have to manage the crew and equipment of your submarine, and carry out war operations.
The Kickstarter will be a straight reprint with additional missions for the app. Solo players have to control all four characters (the Captain, the First Officer, the Navigator, and the Chief Engineer), and the game promises an immersive experience.
Personal opinion: I never play either app-driven or real-time games, so this one is out of the question. I can see that it is thematic and would likely enjoy it but I can't be bothered to handle all the necessary components and tech.
PS. Zerbique informed me that a reprint of Race to the Rhine called Keep'em Rolling will also launch in the same Kickstarter campaign.
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Moving on to Legacy of Thracks: The Awakening: a 1-4 player adventure point salad game in which, as a hero, you have to reach the city of Dimara before it is consumed by the forces of darkness. Along the way, you will earn points by collecting resources, building roads, completing quests, and fighting other heroes. In the solo and co-op mode, you will play against the Shadow Hero AI. It is launching on Kickstarter on April 5.
Personal opinion: I am always wary of games that support all play modes, and this is one of them. It simply can't be equally good as a competitive, 1 vs. many, semi-co-op, solo, teams and co-op game. Just pick one mode and do it well, man. Don't be greedy.
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Futuristic pick-up-and-deliver game Maglev Metro is getting three new expansions: London & Paris, Mechs & Monorails, and Moonbases & Mars. Each expansion comes with new map boards and adds new mechanics to the game. In the Paris one, for example, "there are strikes scheduled constantly throughout the city at various stations" and you are tempted to become a strike breaker in order to save you time. It is launching on Kickstarter on April 5.
Personal opinion: I had been ogling Maglev Metro since its original release because of its fancy trains and translucent tiles. Sadly, it is more suited for multiplayer - solo play is against an AI. So this Kickstarter is not for me.
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Silicon Valley, which we mentioned in our previous overview, has been postponed for April 5.