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Posted by Vincent on May 21, 2024
Imagine a world where NATO and the UN no longer exist and Superpowers are crippled beyond repair. Instead, in their place, exist regional alliances threatening world domination. In “Blitz Creed”, a game seeking funding through Kickstarter in April 2026, players will be taking on the role of these alliances and attempting to conquer the world one region at a time. Special thanks to Game Creator and Founder Taha for sending a prototype my way for coverage purposes. It’s important to stress that prototypes do not always reflect the finished product, so everything you see and read about here is subject to change. I’m also required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions remain my own. The only thing paid for here was my time and expertise.
If you’re a child of the 1980’s and enjoyed video games, you may be familiar with an incredibly frustrating NES game called “Top Gun”. At the end of your mission, you had to land your plane onto a carrier by following a set of on-screen prompts. Nine year old me could never get passed this landing sequence. Thankfully “Sky Team”, a cooperative game for two players, has a similar theme but is MUCH more enjoyable! Special thanks to the folks at Hachette Boardgames USA for sending me a copy for review purposes.
With the weather semi-warming up here in Pittsburgh, we decided to step away from the board game table to explore the wonderful world of brain failures. No, really…we visited the Museum of Illusions located on the North Shore, right in between PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium. The brain, despite all of its processing power and impressive array of functionality, still can’t discern certain certain color and/or light patterns being thrown at it. Today’s visit only verified what I already knew…the brain is far from perfect. Special thanks to PR Manager Pien Koopman and the staff at the Pittsburgh location for hosting Aidalee and me with their hospitality and free tickets.
“Skytear Horde”, released in 2023, is a lane-based card battler in which one or two players fight against the horde of monsters controlled by the game. It featured solo, competitive, and cooperative modes and supports up to three players. “Skytear Horde Campaigns”, released in 2025, is the standalone expansion which we’ll be talking about today. It supports one or two players in solo / co-op modes and takes about 20-30 minutes per game. Special thanks to the folks at Skytear Games for sending me a copy for review purposes.
Aidalee has made it her mission to level every character in “Heroes of the Storm” (our favored MOBA) to level 999 (or whatever the cap is). Needless to say, we’ve destroyed a lot of Nexuses (Nexi?) in our day. I was so happy to see that a tabletop MOBA existed that I reached out almost immediately and requested a copy. To that end, special thanks to Skytear Games for sending a copy for coverage / review purposes.
Fancy a little “Patchwork”? Or perhaps a little “Cascadia” or “Kingdomino”? “Wispwood”, a charming little game for 1-4 players, has a bit of all of those tabletop games with a nice, free scoring app to go along with it. In “Wispwood”, players will be drafting wisps of different colors and forming tetromino pieces to score the most points in their personal grids. Special thanks to the folks at CGE for providing a press copy of review purposes.
“All I Wanna Do…Is Play Mutant Clans…” That jingle has been living rent free in my head for the last several days, courtesy of the developer’s promotional video for the game, “Mutant Clans”. “Mutant Clans” is a 2-4 player card game that takes roughly 5-15 minutes to play. While the developer recommends an age requirement of 18+ due to depictions of combat, I’d feel comfortable lowering this to ages 12+ with parental supervision. Special thanks to Sam Soofi, Creator of Mutant Clans, for sending a copy. I’m also required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions remain my own. The only thing paid for here was my time and expertise.
Released in 1991, “Street Fighter 2” was probably one of my favorite arcade games, even when “Mortal Kombat” made its debut as a serious contender a year later in 1992. I had more of a connection with Ryu, Ken, Guile, and the others compared to Liu Kang, Kano, and etc. “Yomi” seems to have a relatively rich history, dating back to 2011 per BoardGameGeek. Admittedly, the “Yomi 2” products are my first adventure into tabletop / card fighting games in quite a while. On that note, special thanks to the Yomi 2 Marketing Team for reaching out and providing copies for coverage purposes.
Every time I attempted to come up with a way to start this dedication, I ended up going down a rabbit hole of memories and accomplished nothing. It’s incredibly frustrating, especially since I’m trying to come up with something perfect to honor her memory. Firstly, I realized that nothing I write here will be perfect. I then reasoned that memories are all I’ll have of my mother until the day comes that I too will pass on, so I suppose that approach is not to be dismissed, but embraced.
Sometimes, a popular board game will be followed up by some kind of stand-alone product that is both similar and different. “Settlers of Catan”, while having a ga-zillion expansions, had a Star Trek version that included a brand new card mechanic I had never seen before. “Carcassonne” has a Star Wars version as well as one that includes ghosts (“Mists Over Carcassonne”). In this case, “My Little Pony: Festival of Lanterns” is “Lanterns: A Harvest Festival” with a My Little Pony theme. Special thanks goes to Renegade Games for providing me with a copy for review purposes.
Believe it or not, the adult entertainment industry is valued at $72 Billion Dollars, assuming Google statistics are to be trusted. This fact doesn’t surprise me as I’ve seen quite a few adult-themed games over the last twenty years. “Work The Strip”, an adult-themed card game for 3-6 players, puts players in the role of a “Madam*” (or Madame) vying to get the most points by the end of the game. Before we begin I’d like to thank Game Creator David Kimlin for reaching out and providing a copy for review purposes. I’m also required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions remain my own. The only thing paid for here was my time and expertise.
*I admittedly had to look this up, but a Madam is typically the owner of a brothel.
WARNING: While I run a family-friendly network, I do on occasion cover adult-themed games. The cards herein mainly feature women in various articles of provocative “nightly apparel”. I will do my best to keep images “classy”, but only those 18 years and older should be reading this article or playing this game. Some of the cards in the game do contain full or partial nudity.
Thank goodness for games. They keep me relatively sane in these crazy times. Last year was incredibly difficult, to the point where I didn’t even have time to make a 2024 Board Game Awards video. I tend to use these awards to keep you all up to date but I’ll try to keep it brief.
I love “Warp’s Edge”, one of the many games you can find in the Renegade Games Solo Hero Series. While some might consider solo games a lonely venture, it’s easy to gather a friend or loved one and work on the game together. These aren’t your grandparents’ jigsaw puzzles though! “Unstoppable” will task either one or two players against one of three bosses, each with their own style and difficulty. Before we begin I want to thank Renegade Games for providing me a copy for review purposes.
Most rodents are nocturnal (mostly active at night) and while I’ve never had the pleasure of owning one, I’ve experienced the endless “squeak squeak” of the hamster wheel during overnight stays at a friend’s house back in grade school. I’ve not had a whole lot of experience with mice, aside from the cartoons I’ve seen on TV. Luckily, with “House Mouse”, a board game shipping 10/15/2025, no experience is necessary to jump in and start scavenging. Special thanks to the folks at Sodalite Games for providing me a copy for review purposes. I’m required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, but any and all opinions remain my own. As always, the only thing paid for here was my time and 15 years of experience.
Did you know that Heroscape dates back all the way to 2004? I didn’t. If the internet Wiki stuffs are to be trusted, it began with Milton Bradly (a subsidiary of Hasbro) and then shifted to Wizards of the Coast (another subsidiary) in 2008. Much later, in 2022, Avalon Hill (yet another subsidiary of Hasbro) announced “Heroscape: Age of Annihilation” with Renegade Games licensing this endeavour in 2023. Needless to say, there’s a LOT of history here. Renegade was kind enough to send the “Heroscape: Battle for the Wellspring Battle Box”, a beginner friendly set that can be played by itself or included with other Heroscape products.
You may have heard of card games like “Exploding Kittens”, “Doomlings”, and “Here to Slay”…they are typically fast paced and somewhat competitive. Enter “Combustible Penguin”, an upcoming Kickstarter project with similar themes. Designed by Kyle S. over at Agartha Games, “Combustible Penguin” supports 3-8 players and takes about 10-20 minutes to play. Special thanks to Kyle for sending a press copy / prototype for preview purposes. Prototypes are not typically reflective of the finished product, so what you’re about to see / read may be subject to change. I’m also required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions remain my own. The only thing paid for here was my time and expertise.