Interesting that both the reviewers I vaguely follow are doing a combination video/podcast Essen review. I do like to see the games, though.
- Bouba Kiki - could have saved a lot of time by saying “and the gameplay is Dixit”. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, lots of people now haven’t burned out on or even played Dixit, but I think it’s fair to put it in context.
- Formidabel - yeah, feels a lot like Century Spice Road with prettier pictures.
- Bid Coin - I saw a couple of games at Essen 2024 which were vaguely cryptocurrency-themed, and I got the impression it was bad for them. It’s not about whether you’re pro or anti, it’s that most people just don’t want to hear or think about it any more. Also this feels like a rule sheet for a deck of cards, not a game.
My impression from both videos is nothing truly innovative or risk-taking; even the games that appeal are mostly developments of existing ideas. (And to be fair the same could be said of my shopping basket; the only one that maybe wouldn’t qualify is Map Masters.)