top of page
Writer's pictureAthena

Watch your Back: Week February 13 to 19 (Part 2)

Second part in this week's overview (here is Part 1), and we continue with another three games.


***


Ark Nova was one of the hottest retail releases of 2021, rumoured to be as exciting to play as Terraforming Mars, or even surpassing it. I haven't had the chance to grab a copy yet, and eagerly await for it to become more readily available. In the meantime, I see that Earth may be scratching a similar engine building itch. It has beautiful nature pictures on the cards, and your goal is to build an ecosystem and score the most points.


On each turn, you select one out of four actions, and activate the cards in your tableau. There are personal and public objectives that can boost your score. The game ends when you complete a 4x4 grid of cards. In the solo mode, you compete against an AI called Gaia.

Image source: BGG

Personal opinion: I was certain I was going to back this game until I read the word AI. I don't like playing against artificial opponents and only enjoy games with a win condition/point target. That's fine, I'll stick with Ark Nova.


***


Moving on to a 2-4 player cooperative (and semi-co-op) game that first launched back in 2016 and is now returning with a 3rd, revised edition. I'm talking about Bloc by Bloc: Uprising, a game in which you play as a group of Workers/Students/Neighbours/Prisoners engaged in street fights and riots against the police. You will be occupying city districts, building barricades, gathering loot and liberating areas - until the arrival of the military. This new edition introduces elements like meetings and mutual aid centers, and makes the police smarter and stronger. Check out the Gamefound preview until the launch on February 15.

Image source: BGG

Personal opinion: I wanted to back the second edition of Bloc by Bloc back in 2018 but ordering it with the textile board was too expensive. I suspect this will be the case again, but this time I may bite.


***


The last game featured is Frozen Frontier by Russian publisher Cosmodrome Games, also planned to launch on February 15. This is a competitive sci-fi area control game in which players are settlers on an inhospitable planet trying to develop it within the time frame of three generations. You will be constructing buildings, producing resources, securing funds, and sending resources back to Earth. In each round, you will be moving your air carrier across the board, picking up a project card (if available), and then performing an action. Solo rules haven't been revealed yet.

Image source: BGG

Personal opinion: I like the theme but the game may be a bit too heavy for me. Let's see the solo mode first anyway.

279 views10 comments

Recent Posts

See All

10 Comments


JW
JW
Feb 15, 2022
•

Bloc by Bloc is live on Gamefound. Shipping of the upgrade pack is more than the pledge for the upgrade pack itself, and then there will be VAT over both 🤢 Oh well. Don't think they can help it.

Like
Zerbique
Zerbique
Feb 21, 2022
•
Replying to

It's unfortunately too late, and you might know of this website already, but Crowdfinder offers to partake in group pledges to ease up the total cost. Uprising was only 45€, shipping (to a pick-up point) and VAT included.


The discount on Astro Knights is also neat.


EDIT: I hadn't registered that you only wanted the upgrade pack, for which there was no such group pledges anyway.

Like

Zerbique
Zerbique
Feb 15, 2022
•

Crews of Eridanus is live on Kickstarter. Cadet Stimpy had mentioned it here but we have missed the release date nonetheless!

Like

SnowDragonka
SnowDragonka
Feb 14, 2022
•

Seems like so far this year won't tempt me. There's expansion next week that I'll be backing (for Unsettled), but otherwise my money and space won't take a hit it seems.

Like

Zerbique
Zerbique
Feb 13, 2022
•

Frozen Frontier has been postponed... Maybe to April or May. No sure date for now.


I'm pretty safe from all these complex Euros personally. But the Frozen Frontier box cover is truly impressive and exciting.

Like

Gloomknight
Gloomknight
Feb 13, 2022
•

Frozen Frontier definitely looks cool.

Like
bottom of page