6 Quick Reviews with Joey Evans

0:00 Hey everybody, this is Joey Evans and today I'm doing a rapid-fire roundup. What a rapid-fire roundup is is where I get a chance to talk about some games that have been reviewed elsewhere on the channel, but I have not yet given my review and my number on those. So, what's cool is I'm actually trying to do some new games and some older games. Nothing too old, but that way kind of spread it out because, you know what? I like to get some off-the-shelf reviews and then off-the-press reviews. So, let's talk about some games.

0:32 Okay, so first I want to talk about a game called Shallow Sea. Shallow Sea is one that I've seen the cover for a while, have not had a chance to play it, finally did, and it did not disappoint. First off First off, this game is gorgeous. So, the game pretty much is a spatial puzzle game where you're all building this coral reef in the ecosystem underneath the ocean and all that stuff, and it all focuses on tile placement, pattern building, and creating like all these habitats for these different sea life. This game came across really well. It's got gorgeous table presence. The underwater The artwork, everything is just kind of relaxing. I don't like to use the word cozy game, but this is almost what it felt like. And for me, I think I may have liked this more than Aqua Garden. I think it's just because of theme is the reason I compare them both in my head, but uh my wife loves Aqua Garden, but this one I don't know I love that pattern building and you're trying to optimize your own board feeling. So, it's Sometimes it can feel some solitaire because you are kind of just worried about your board, but the drafting kind of adds that player interaction. So, that adds another element to this.

1:35 Some people may want more interaction, but I think that's just enough. Everyone's trying to get the best. You optimize your own board, you build those combos, those reef connections. It's got great production quality on this, very tactile. I enjoy this a lot. Can I'm coming in at a 7.5 on this. I can see it going up. This is definitely recommended if you've not tried it. It is on the lighter side, but I do enjoy this game a lot, so check it out. That is a shallow sea. Okay, so next I played Torchlit. Torchlit was a weird one because it's got this very dark fantasy cover, but it's a trick-taking game. So, pretty much this is a fantasy-themed trick-taking game where you are trying to Well, you're playing tricks and you are actually trying to position yourself You're fighting monsters, supposedly, but you're trying to position yourself right behind the right door to score the treasure. So, you're just moving back and forth along all of these doors and you want to position yourself at the end of the round where you can get the most treasure. This is a very interesting game. It's got really neat scoring incentives.

2:33 I mean, it's got the winning tricks helps you kind of advance deeper into the dungeon. It's got some very clever twists and trick-taking ideas and stuff beyond those normal trick-taking formula, which I think is one thing I did take from this. I enjoyed the fact that it does do something a little bit different. Every trick me is very meaningful because multiple things are happening at once, right? It'll move you on this board where you want to position yourself at the right door at the right time and you can also place those cards, add more treasure to certain doors. You wonder, can I get there or will someone else get there before me? There's a lot of thought that goes into it. Very interesting. Um the negative is it doesn't seem rule heavy, but it's more rule heavy than a lot of trick-taking games. So, you have to know that going in. And sometimes for me, the game can occasionally feel more clever than fun.

3:25 That's weird to say, but trick-taking I'm fine with the trick-takers. Um I don't know. I think I admire a lot about what Torchlit is trying to do more than I actually enjoy playing it. So, I think that's where I lie on this, but this I'm coming at a six. This is one that I would play again. I won't grab it off of the shelf, but if somebody wants to play it, I definitely would. This is one if you like trick-taking, this is a very unique perspective and take on it. It's trick-taking, but it's so much more than that. And I got to say it is very clever. So anyway, that is a sick for me. That is Torchlight. Okay, so this is a game that is a year or so probably a little over a year old but has an expansion out. I have not talked about it on the channel. It is in my top 100 but I thought you know what? Stone Spine Architects. This is one I've not reviewed on the channel.

4:11 Stone Spine Architects is a clever dungeon building game where you all design your little labyrinths and things and you're trying to get the best scoring again. So you're through your dungeon. So you're really kind of making a path from your entrance to your exit. I have probably topped this game more than any other game I own. This is one I teach to people in my game group, to people at conventions. It's such an extremely satisfying card drafting game. So you really are and then at the end you're like, "Wow, I built this." It feels so good. It's got a strong balance between strategy and it's very accessible. It's got a lot of replayability. I will definitely say get that little mini expansion, the shrines and fountains on this because it adds that extra element where you can then switch the tiles out. You're no longer locked into where you put them.

5:01 You can optionally, if you get the right card, be able to switch some things. That really adds just a little extra oomph. But I love the base. This is such such a great game. This is right here definitely check this out. I'm coming in at a nine on this. This is the seal of excellence for me because this is again, it's in my top 50 games of all time. This is definitely one to check out and I mention this because I think they're coming out with another another expansion but kind of a I guess a series two or something. So I don't I don't I know nothing about it. All that I'm excited about this. So if you've not played this Stone Spine Architects, definitely check this out because I think this is one of my biggest hits when I introduce it to people. They're like, "That was That was great." So many people want to go out and buy it again.

5:46 So, check this out. This is Stone Spine Architects. Okay, next. This is one that I had to play because I'm from down here in Fort Myers, and this is Sanibel. Sanibel is a kind of shell collecting game. It's all centered around collecting shells on Sanibel, which is what the island is all about, by the way. So, the whole thing is you are just collecting shells, and they're going into your bag, and you're trying to arrange them to get the most points. Again, this is This is gorgeous. It's very thematic. I mean, in just the shells, it talks about the shells, and also the way they fall into your bag. If you've ever gone looking for shells, that's exactly what they do. They go down. This has I don't know if it's a regional flair or what, but this is a really enjoyable game. Again, it's on the lighter side. This one we did play with my mother, who is not hugely into board games. She loves them, but nothing too deep. This one she really, really enjoyed. She ended up getting My aunt did, too. That's a really fun one to bring out if you have people like that.

6:46 Again, I like everything about this. The theme, like the whole thing about the wave, right? When the wave comes forward, it drops off more shells. It goes back and forth. There's so much theme in this to play. First off, I think every house in Southwest Florida should have this sitting right there on the shelf, because it just adds to the decor of it. But, this is one definitely to check out. I'm coming in at a 7.5 on this. I really enjoy this. Again, on the lighter side. So, if you're looking for something that fits that niche, check this out. It is Sanibel. Okay, this is another one that I was late to the party for. This has been a year or two old, I believe, but this is Regicide. They do have Regicide Legacy here, which I'm not talking about. I have not tried that, but I wanted to try Regicide. Everybody talks about this. This is pretty much a cooperative fantasy card game that's played using a standard deck of cards. And you kind of play you go to defeat the enemy royals by managing your hand combinations and all of this.

7:42 Here's the thing, it's a brilliant use of a standard deck of cards. It really is. It's portable, it's inexpensive, it's tense, it's challenging. It's got great design, minimal components, all of that. Here are the negatives on this. The difficulty can be brutally punishing. It's just insane how hard this game is. And I thought it was just me, but I was like really bad at poker, which I don't think so because I played cards my whole life, but it really is made to be just extremely extremely hard. And it's all random with those card draws, which I know poker is, but this right here the mitigation is there to an extent, but you can just get wailed on. So, repeated losses are going to frustrate a lot of people, and I think it did for me. I think this game is good. I think there are other games I'd rather go to. If you look for this, like um I'd rather go to if you look at deck of card games, I'd rather go to things like Flip Town or 52 Realms even. It's the kind of has a one print and play sheet that you play.

8:39 But then also if you're looking for a smaller game, there's a lot of other smaller games you can get. I think you can get Button Shy, you can get um Dark Tomb, all those different tin games. But that being said, with the deck of cards, it's good. I'm actually coming in at a six on this. I don't love Regicide. I think it's really hard. I think it's a very clever system though. But I am looking forward to trying Legacy because they take this one system that I really appreciate, but I don't know if I'd go back to, and they make it into a full-blown legacy game. I've heard people rave about that. So, that may be my next thing to take a look at. But anyway, so Regicide again, if you haven't played it, it's a deck of cards, man. You can try it and see how it plays. So, anyway, that is Regicide. Okay, so now I'm talking about a game called a Rattlesnake. Rattlesnake is a kind of a fast two-player card game that kind of feels supposed to feel like a big wild west shootout, right? So, you're each playing a hand of cards, and really all that matters is either either a run or you get the same card, two three of a kind, four of a kind. And then you get to play cards to kind of mitigate those. And it's very fast. The whole thing what this has going for it, it is a probably 10 or 15-minute game.

9:50 So, as you go through your deck, you can use different cards for their abilities. You have to discard those, you can then buy new cards, pull it in there. It's very quick, very random, too. This right here, it's I think it's got good energetic gameplay. The wildness theme does come through because of the tax on some of the cards, but again, this feels almost too chaotic for me in times. But because it's 10 minutes, that chaos is manageable really, because it is very quick. So, if you're wanting deep strategy, this probably isn't for you, but I played it because everybody else here at the studio has played it. They rave about it, they love it. Um this one right here, I did enjoy it. I would go back to it. I'm coming in at a seven on this. So, if you're looking for a game like this, it is very much I won't say on the lighter side, but it is a quicker game, right? So, this is something that fits right into that.

10:46 There's not a lot of tactical depth depth to it, but it's got a very good presentation, it's got great artwork. It's a good one more game into the night, let's run through Rattlesnake. So, one v one, that is why I am giving it a recommendation for me. It is a seven. So, look at this. Again, it's great. Rattlesnake, check it out. Woo! Okay, that was quick. Again, those full reviews are on the channel elsewhere. If you want to learn more about those games, but that is it for me. I'm Joey Evans, and I'll see you later on the channel.

11:22 Hey folks, thanks for joining us for that video. If you haven't yet, like the video, subscribe to the channel. And hey, make sure you check out What's Happening, where I'll cover an app on an iOS or a Switch device and you can check it out along with me. Thanks very much. You've been watching The Dice Tower.