Game Info
Year
2023
Players
1-4
Age
14+
Playtime
90 min
Complexity
2.8/5
Collection
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description
Thematic cooperative game where adventurers try to bring peace between animalfolk nations using multi-use resource cards to thwart armies
Featured Videos
Ask a Rules Question
Images
GID0452232.jpg
GID0452232_thumb.jpg
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment:
pos 0 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video zrk8JhvtuLE
Top List at 0:03 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 69268 · mention_pk 165691
Click to watch at 0:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Creative concept for tackling the theme of war from a different angle.
- Interesting combat system with cascading effects and manipulation possibilities.
- Appealing visual design, gorgeous meeples, charming artwork, and great table presence.
- Good replayability due to six different scenarios and varied card play.
- Fresh take on the co-op genre.
- Sneaky things players can do.
Cons
- Can feel like you're not doing a lot, being a fly on the wall.
- Plotting at times with waits for the game to play out.
- Pacing can be weird with lulls in play.
- May not be suitable for impatient players.
- Can feel like a simulation of two automatons fighting each other.
Thematic elements
- Neutral party of woodland critters trying to intercept an ongoing war between different factions to demotivate them from continuing to fight.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action resolution — Armies have two decks that show what they do and the speed at which they do it, and these actions resolve after players play their cards.
- Card Driven — The game is described as card-driven, where players use cards for movement, barricading, spying, or utilizing unique abilities.
- cooperative play — The game is completely cooperative, with players working together as teammates.
- deck management — Players have decks of cards in their hand, and can manipulate cards by swapping them and putting them at the bottom of the deck.
- Initiative system — The speed at which armies act is important as certain events affect others, and players can tip factions to act faster.
- scenarios — The game includes six different scenarios with varying landscapes and factions.
- Variable objectives — Players win by demotivating factions to a certain parameter on a track, but if one faction gets demotivated too quickly, the other wins and players lose.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I like the concept I think more than I like the game itself
- I just want to be more involved on a personal level
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video W3Hp2fDL258
Allies Arena Enemies Review at 0:09 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 66052 · mention_pk 160557
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Unique peace-focused premise that differentiates it from typical war/co-op games
- Very high replayability with six independent scenarios and multiple difficulty levels
- Beautiful and distinctive animal-themed component design plus solid production
- Engaging card-driven puzzle with emphasis on timing and deck management
- Strong suitability for two players; thematically coherent and balanced in that mode
- Clear organization of components and maps; informative labeling and inserts
Cons
- Notoriously challenging; players should expect frequent losses until they learn the system
- Not ideal for players seeking fast-paced, high-action games
- Card sharing requires proximity (being in the same space), which can constrain coordination
- Four-player mode may feel awkward due to limited card distribution and movement options
- Injury/tracking discs can be easy to mix up if components are played close together
Thematic elements
- peace mediation during war; non-violent conflict resolution
- Galier world with anthropomorphic animal factions
- cooperative negotiation-focused play where players attempt to broker peace rather than fight
Comparison games
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Adjacency and card-sharing constraints — Most cards affect nearby spaces; sharing cards requires players to be in the same space, influencing coordination and positioning.
- Adventurer roles and bonuses — Four adventurers each grant minor bonuses and interact with deck/card usage, adding variety to play styles.
- Card-driven actions — Players play cards in any order to move, view army orders, fortify, delegate cards, or scheme via each card's special written effect.
- Horror card variety — A diverse stack of horror cards, including one-off and ongoing penalties that alter the game state across turns.
- Horror deck mechanic — When an army unit dies, a horror card is added to the player's deck, creating penalties whenever drawn.
- Motivation track and green zone win condition — Both sides' motivations must be in the green zone to win; lose if either hits zero or if a leader is killed, which resets the scenario.
- neighbor interaction — Most cards affect nearby spaces; sharing cards requires players to be in the same space, influencing coordination and positioning.
- Scenario-based modular maps — Six independent scenarios with different maps and rules, providing varied puzzles and high replay value.
- Turn pacing and long-horizon planning — Successful play relies on patient timing and reducing risk over many turns rather than quick, aggressive moves.
- Unique player powers — Four adventurers each grant minor bonuses and interact with deck/card usage, adding variety to play styles.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The premise is really interesting because usually when you see a lot of characters on a board and there is a war happening, usually you are part of that and you're trying to destroy different like factions or each other. But in this case, you're just like this solo person trying to talk to the different groups and broker a peace still.
- It's a really interesting puzzle.
- This is something that's actually different where you are these mediators mediating peace.
- This game is very difficult.
- You're going to lose a lot more than you're going to win.
- It is really a slow-paced game where you are understanding the cards.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–2 of 2