Tend: Discussion

[music] [music] Some viewers may find the following video disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised. >> Hey everyone, welcome back to Board Games Unlocked and today I'm doing a discussion over Tend, the newest game by Ivy Studios. Now, this is a very interesting review for me because there's a couple things that this game kind of highlighted for me as a gamer overall.

And that is mainly I don't think I enjoy flippant rights or rolling rights or any I mean there are a few that I think are are like really good, but they have to pretty much have a ton of replay value. And I and I just feel that a lot of them don't. And whenever it comes to a game like Tend, there's nothing really wrong with it.

It's just that for me, it falls into another trope or the the the issue I have in the genre of I don't see many reasons to ever play it again. Um, and I have tried it at multiple player accounts multiple times because I wanted to give its due diligence just because it does have a lot going on in it.

Um, whenever you're playing tend, it gives very Stardew Valley vibes. Uh, overall for me and even though there is a lot going on, one, I kind of find this game weird to teach because it doesn't for me it didn't have like a natural flow of teaching things. But once you actually start playing it, it's like, "Oh, no.

This just makes the most sense in the world." So, it's a very clean, efficient game that has a lot on its sheet, on both sheets, but then whenever it comes down to it, it just kind of feels the same every single time you play. And that originally kept me from backing it because I was like, "Well, I don't know.

like these kind kinds of games always feel the same after like two plays. You're like, "Oh, okay. Well, that's that." But then it had like the gimmick of the scratchoffs. It had the gimmick of the unique markers. It had all the different season objectives, all the different tasks that can come out. So, I thought that was going to give it enough replay value to actually, you know, end up backing it and getting it.

And while yes, there are different tasks um that have special, you know, not necessarily abilities, but special conditions to meet and Oh, I thought I had to wait. Nope, it went away. Okay. And there are different objectives. Ultimately, for me, it just kind of ends up doing the same these same exact things just in a slightly different order [snorts] where you might have one objective that it's like, "Hey, you get so many points for energy bars." It's like, "Okay, yeah, well, you're probably going to do that anyway." Oh, get so many points for having something in your cargo manifest.

Okay, you're going to do that anyway. or the only one that seems to kind of really be a long-term objective is the season 3 objectives and that you may or may not do. But I don't know, like I find I find myself just looking at all the different actions and not really finding any of them interesting.

Like the tend action is literally, oh, okay, I'm going to till some soil in this grid and make some fences and maybe get some animals. that'll slowly tick up over the course of the game. And that's that. And and I hate being this guy that's like reductive about things because you can do this about literally any game.

People could literally do it about all of my favorite games. Um but it's like the the 10 action like you want to do everything in this game. You can't do everything. The game is both it it it's a game you don't want to end when it does because it only lasts 12 rounds, but you also don't want it to go on any longer cuz there's just not enough meat here.

Uh so the tend action, yeah, you could just build out a farm and have some animals in it that slowly tick up over time. The plant one makes the most sense just because you have an action that allows you to water it and and then you know you can get them quicker, but you have to replant them. Uh the fishing is the one that I always seem to gravitate towards and that's just a random roll of the dice.

You have a a white and a black dye that you roll that on this pond fishing you're like, "Oh, that's what I got." But then you want to unlock river fishing and then and then uh uh lake fishing and then grotto fishing just to give yourself more options, but that's still based off a die roll. Then you have the wood and mining, the chopping and mining actions that come off of these uh scratch off sheets.

This is a interesting gimmick, but as actually as I've played it kind of becomes annoying one kind of I really feel like any scratchoffs in any game is like oo and then you play and you're like this is stupid. Um but this has its own issues. Not counting the physical aspect, but the fact that when you're scratching it off, it's completely random to as to what resources you get.

So, it could be very frustrating when you work all the way towards getting towards the bottom utilizing, you know, multiple actions and you're like, "Okay, cool. I really, really hope I get a bone because that would allow me to get my seasoned explorer, whatever." And cool, another stump. Don't know what to do with that.

Guess I'll sell it, you know. So, it's random on what you find in the in the different sections. and because you're scratching it off. It's entirely possible that you accidentally scratch off into uh like the neighboring box. So then you like, "Oh, I can see kind of what that is." So I guess I'll uh I'll avoid that.

Now, they do have an app you can get that is this but in digital format, and that might be the route to go even though they give you a ton of those scratch offs. Um, but yeah, like the resources that you get, some of them are so obscure that it's definitely late game that you're going to work towards.

There are a few special actions you can get that give you like a pass. Like the buyback program for three coins lets you um scratch off a resource on one of your badges. So, that could be a route away uh around the actual like, oh, I really need to get, you know, get grotto fishing. so I can fish for these things if you're going the fishing route.

But I don't know, like the spatial awareness element of the cargo manifest is is too loose to make it even uh interesting to actually play for. The only rule is you can't have colors next to each other. Like I can't sell something for, you know, three purple and then you sell something for two purple and put them next to each other.

But it doesn't have to be at the bottom or anything. They can literally go anywhere. So you have you you're just able to put it wherever you want. So that's not really that interesting. And I think my overall issue is I wish this game diversified itself enough. Like every single sheet, all of these sheets right here on the on the person's on the on the player action thing is the exact same.

And I don't know why these companies do this. like it feels like this game would be a lot better for me if there was a different combination of resources. Now, obviously, it's a game, so the actions have to be the same, but it'd be awesome if the trellis didn't always require two wood and a and a coin.

If the animals I guess you just buy the animals, but if the lefto the the neighbor rewards, if those were different, so people are incentivized to do something a little bit, you know, different. if the mining and chopping rewards weren't the exact same where you're always going to get two coins for each upgrade.

[snorts] Um, if the the the pond fishing or the fishing in general was just a different configuration of where stuff was at, just something that differentiates you from other players. It just to make each game feel a little fresh. I will say that during the the woods in the mines, one of my very first games I played, I literally followed the next person because I wanted to see if these were different.

If they just didn't give you, you know, a thousand of these and they're the exact same. Luckily, they are not. But then you realize, oh, it's still just the same three resources up the top, just in a different configuration. So it even though they are different, it's still not that exciting to scratch off and reveal something and be like, "Ooh, okay." Um, so yeah, the only thing that's different between these two sheets is your cargo manifest and which like which resources don't get you any points.

So like the one that's in front of me is like, oh, any type of yellow, what do they call them? mining resource that's in the left side doesn't score you anything, but mining resources in the middle do. And uh farming goods don't get you anything. But even then, those being the way that they are is never an issue.

There's almost never a point where you are forced to put something in the spots that give you zero points. So, it's it it just feels like a whatever section. Uh, it'd be cool if the badges were a different configuration of resources. Now, it does not obviously it could still match what they need to be.

Uh, like basic mines needs, uh, five ore and four copper. What if it didn't? What if it needed a silver in there or something to just at least in a different different row? Or if it does have to be four copper and five ore, maybe the first row isn't always three ore. Not that I don't know if that would even make it that big of a difference, but still just something to make it different other than the cargo manifest.

Um, one thing I also find interesting about this game, not that I I like it, but is that you are given five task cards and everyone can always do them. Like, so right now the five I just have out is two chopping, two mining, and then you can get two coins. But it's all simultaneous. This game is completely simultaneous co-op uh or solitire competitive solitire.

I don't remember what what the term is. But if I go there's no first player or anything. So if I if it's my turn, I can pick mining. Everyone can pick mining because it's there to pick. I think this game would have been more interesting if you actually had a certain number of task cards out and there was a turn order thing so that if you wanted to go mining then I could only go mining if there was another mining option.

Like if I actually took this card and this is the action I'm taking. Um, otherwise, yeah, you're pretty much always going to get to do what you want in this game, unless the cards aren't out there. And the only time that task cards become interesting is whenever you actually have the season task cards come out, cuz these have conditions on them.

Like skilled fisher, you can go chopping or fishing. Uh, but if you have either fishing rod upgrade unlocked, then you get two coins. So, they're pretty much free resources or maybe another action if you meet a condition for the most part. I mean, yeah, you do get to see uh you know, there's a certain number of these and they're face up, so you get to see them before they eventually come down for the next round, but for the most part, you're not going to be able to do them and until they cycle through the the deck again.

And I don't know, I find that completely blah as well cuz it's like, oh, now I mean there are times where you you do get to do an action and that gets you like, oh man, if I go chopping that will give me the final re if I get lucky I get the re final resource I need to get the the fishing rod upgrade.

I really need the wood cuz I have all the all the coins done. Oh, sweet. I got the wood. So that gets that fishing rod upgrade done. Now I can get my two coins. There are moments where things can kind of compound on each other, but for me, none of that is really all that exciting. Um, so yeah, like I I think the task cards just are they're they're fine.

That's the thing is they're they're [laughter] there's this is a weird review cuz I can't really pinpoint anything here where I'm like, "This is bad. This is bad. This is bad." Cuz none of it's bad. I just think it's kind of everything you do here is boring. Um, the game looks way more complex than it actually is.

Uh, if you've played a game like Three Sisters, that game fell into the same issues for me where I played it and I'm like, "Yep, I have now played this game and I never want to again." Not because it was bad, but because I don't find it interesting at all. Uh they try to add some element of I guess of of camaraderie between all players with these neighbor cards.

And this is also just kind of a weird issue where it's like, okay, each person has a neighbor card for their left and their right neighbors. This is something you could spend a resource on. So, if I get the goldfish and and I don't want to use it for anything, I can give it to my neighbor because now it's a neighbor bonus one, which pops up my left neighbor reward up by one and that gets me a wood.

And I guess I'll use a wood over here. But there's also a pseudo competition where if I do more than that neighbor, if I give him more stuff than he gives me, then I get three points. Um, okay. like it's that's something that's in the game that is is there. So ultimately there's nothing really that this game provides in all of its actions that I find interesting and it mainly highlighted that if this game doesn't do it for me then this might just be a genre that I stay away from.

I have a few in my collection that I really enjoy. Uh, Dinosaur Island Roar and Wright, that one worked out really well for me, even though it's been a minute since I've played it. And then Cgraphers, and uh, I actually have played that game recently. And that one is is actually exciting to play. Uh, but yeah, which is a real shame because I really like the theme.

I think the the cover art and uh, everything about it is exciting. Um, even playing like Stardew Valley music while playing is a very nice peaceful atmosphere to jump into. But I think whenever all is said and done, it's just you're you're you you got it after a game, honestly. And before people go in the comments of like, well, you only played it once.

Nope. I gave this game multiple shots to try and see if it was player count, if it was just, you know, if it was just me. I wanted to ensure that like was it the game or was it just me with with like this genre of of board gaming? I mean, if I were to talk about all like negatives, my only actual negative of the game, besides the fact that everything is the same is is actually comes down to this.

I think that these get really annoying whenever you're like, "Okay, cool. I'm going to use an energy bar to give me an extra action to go mining so I can go underneath and I really would like one of these like whatever rainbows." I think it's I don't know what it's supposed to be, but I I really would like one of these rainbows, but I have no idea where it could possib possibly be.

And okay, cool. I didn't get it. I got a silver or an iron um and in the bottom row. So, that's cool because I could I could have gotten an iron up at the top. So, that's very annoying because that was my only action that had mining out. And I don't even know what to use the silver for cuz I already did my advanced mines.

I keep saying silver, the iron. I already did my advanced mines uh badge. So, I already have my upgraded pickaxe or whatever. So, I guess I'll put this resource over here. Now, obviously, if you could always sell him and be like, "Oh, hey, it's upside down." Uh, but oh, an iron only gives me one coin or one yellow dot.

So, cool. I guess I'll put it in here and that'll give me two points later. So, I I really don't like these as an actual option just because it's too random. Um, and I also don't necessarily like how the task cards are just like, "Everyone can do this. Chopping's there. Everyone go chopping." Uh, so I I would have liked it if there was more decision- making throughout the game, but there's not.

Um, yeah. So, on the scale of 1 to 10, what do I give 10? This is weird. just because I don't necessarily like the genre. Um, the game after multiple plays felt the same every single time except it was longer. That's actually another issue is the game feels like you get the same feel from other flipping rights in a short like in a shorter amount of time like or in a longer amount of time like other games in this genre give you the give you what 10 does just in a shorter amount of time.

So that's where I feel like, you know, Verban Wright games, that's where I feel they like their wheelhouse needs to be like 45 minutes or less because then you're not you're not stewing in in, you know, mediocrity almost. It's like uh once you're done, you're like, man, okay, that was that was a neat 30 minute game.

You might not see everything. you might get to play that game a little bit more and try different strategies in a 30 minute window versus an hour to an hour and a half. Uh so I think I'm going to give 10 to five. I think it's an average game. Production quality is really nice. Uh the markers I think are gimmicky.

There's two sides to these where it's like one is an actual stamp that you actually stamp in sections and then another is an actual like marker that you write on. Uh there is no point to these. These are definitely a a fantastic marketing tactic because uh there was no reason to have this. Like you could have easily had if it was just like you could have just had colored pencils.

Um, but the stamp is kind of the stamp is nice still. Like they I mean they work. They're good markers. Uh, except the black one, the one you mainly use to mark stuff off, has this weird fat ballpoint end that just I don't know what you're using it for. It completely bleeds through the paper. Uh, so you're using the the fine point side for everything.

That's what you're writing on and marking stuff out. So, I don't know why they even have it on the other colors, but these are completely unnecessary. Um, but yeah, I while I said I mean I I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with this game, I just find it to be as average as a ton of other flipping right games.

And I don't know. I don't know. I think I think this game has the the Oh, it's bigger. Like this game is bigger. There's It seems like there's more stuff. There's a ton of car. Not a ton, but there's a decent amount of cards. Oh, man. You have hundreds of these. This is This board or this this terror sheet here.

This is only one of four. It's like, wow, they give you a ton of stuff in this massive box. They do. And it plays just like any other uh flipping right. So, they definitely got the they they they they they got the the appeal of of a sexy big deep box, but it's just it's it's pretty shallow overall in my opinion.

But yeah, I'll give it a five out of 10. A five out of 10. I think that's enough. Uh so that's my thoughts on 10. Let me know what you think of it in the comments below. Other than that, like comment, share, and subscribe, and have a wonderful time.