colorful Archives - The Board Game Family

3 Azul Board Games Compared

5 years ago, Next Move Games published a unique tile-laying game that made huge waves in the board game industry – Azul.

The game includes colorful and chunky tiles made of bakelite and it quickly jumped to the top of Hot Games lists all over the world. Because of its immediate success, it was very hard to find a copy of the game for months.

Due to the game’s popularity, it was quickly followed by 2 additional Azul games in 2018 and 2019–each delivering familiar elements mixed with novelty. And today we’re reviewing and comparing each of these sequel games:

* Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra
* Azul: Summer Pavilion

February 25, 2022 Trent 1 Comment 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Azul, colorful, luck, Next Move Games, strategy, tile-laying, tiles

Card Games Family Games Game Reviews

Fairy Season Card Game Review

Do you know how to catch a fairy?

Apparently, it’s pretty easy.

Sprinkle a little fairy lure around the jar and over the window sill. Carefully place a tiny piece of cake or pastry in your jar and wait. The fairy will be attracted to the shiny fairy lure and then fly into the jar to eat the treat. When it does, just pop the lid on as quick as you can!

Welcome to Fairy Season from Good Games Publishing.

In this 3-5 player game by Gavin Jenkins and Dan Fish, players will use traps and their wit to capture the best swarms.

March 22, 2021 Dane Trimble 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, colorful, Good Games Publishing, luck

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Photosynthesis: Under the Moonlight Board Game Review

Photosynthesis, from Blue Orange Games, is a beautiful and elegant game about using the sun’s power to grow majestic trees.

In the expansion, Photosynthesis: Under the Moonlight, players will not only be using the rays from the sun, but they’ll also harness the light from the moon to activate powers of their unique forest animals.

Photosynthesis: Under the Moonlight is actually 3 expansions in one; Forest Animals, Moonstones, and the The Great Elder Tree!

You can play all of them at once or À la carte, it’s up to you.

February 2, 2021February 4, 2021 Dane Trimble 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Blue Orange Games, colorful, strategy, theme

Card Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Chow Down on Pop-Tarts!

Do you prefer your Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts toasted or frozen?

If you’re like people we know, your immediate response may be, “you can eat them frozen?” Well, apparently you can.

And in Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Game, by Funko, you’ll be taking both toasted and frozen Pop-Tarts to score points and hopefully be the first to eat 30 points worth of the convenient snack.

Pop-Tarts is a simple and quick card game that up to 6 players can enjoy.

Just be warned that you’ll probably need some snacks nearby because you’re going to get hungry playing the game.

October 4, 2020 Trent 1 Comment 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, card, colorful, Funko, luck

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

Blinks Game System Review

There’s been a big meshing of digital and physical board games over the last decade.

Many physical board games have taken on digital form and can be a blast to play with friends at a distance. And other physical board games have incorporated a digital element that we love for extending the gameplay — such as the cooperative games Star Wars: Imperial Assault, Descent: Journeys in the Dark 2nd Edition, and Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition that we love using the app to play the bad side.

Well, today we’ve got something quite different from anything we’ve reviewed in the past. It’s actually a digitally-driven complete game system called Blinks!

But it doesn’t use any computers, mobile devices, or apps. All the game data and rules are stored in the hex game pieces themselves!

The cool thing is that each hex game piece, called a Blink, stores the information/rules of one game. And that Blink “teaches” the other Blinks the rules of the game and then they’re all in!

September 4, 2020September 8, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 10-player, 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, Blinks, colorful, digital, solo

Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews

Escape Rooms come to Puzzles!

We’ve reviewed a bunch of Escape Room type board games and even included a number of them in our 2019 Board Game Gift Guide.

Well, we’ve got a new twist on Escape Room games for you today — Escape Puzzles!

We first heard about Escape Puzzles from Ravensburger a few months ago and just attempted our first one last week. And I had a lot of fun doing it!

December 22, 2019December 22, 2019 Trent 4 Comments colorful, deduction, puzzle, Ravensburger, skill

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Layers family board game review

When you think of “layers” what do you think of?

If you’re a Shrek fan like us, you’ll immediately think of onions and ogres.

Of course, you might also think of cake, lasagna, Reese’s peanut butter cups, Adobe Photoshop, and the Earth.

Well, it’s also now a game!

April 12, 2019April 16, 2019 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Asmodee, colorful, Ludicorn, racing, solo

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Build your own galaxies in Cosmic Factory

How are your galaxy building skills?

Oh, you haven’t built a galaxy recently?

Well, maybe it’s time you give it a try.

In Cosmic Factory, players race to build personal galaxies in ways that will score them the most points. The catch is that they must do so in under 1 minute!

April 6, 2019April 8, 2019 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, colorful, Gigamic, tile-laying

Board Games Card Games Family Games Game Reviews

Oh, Captain! bluffing game review

Oh Captain is a quick bluffing game for a wide audience. In the game players try to keep the most valuable Loot for themselves by stealing coins, stealing cards, mutiny, and bluffing.

November 21, 2017July 19, 2018 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, Asmodee, bluffing, card, colorful, deduction, risk, theme, treasure

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Photosynthesis is more than just pretty trees

If you know someone who thinks board games are as fun as watching trees grow, how about challenging them to a new board game where you watch trees grow!

Ha – wouldn’t that be fun!

Board games come in all shapes and sizes and cover an unending array of themes. So having a game about growing trees isn’t really too surprising. But making such a game good is another matter.

We’re happy to report that Photosynthesis is a fantastic board game!