Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. I’m still on my pseudo-hiatus for the Novel in November event, so this week’s Geek News will include board games and video games that released this past week. Let’s start this week’s Geek News with board game new releases.
Employee Disposal Program Launches on KickStarter
Who needs political correctness? Employee Disposal Program–awesome name by the way–offers a light, party game, which pokes fun at a corporation’s HR Department. Players begin with two sanity and five action cards. A player’s sanity is their health and once a player loses all their sanity, they’re eliminated from the game.
The above card, “Ethnic Confusion Effect,” is a good example of Employee Disposal Program’s politically incorrectness. Employee Disposal Program won’t be for everyone. I’m not the biggest fan of Take That (backstabby) party games, but Employee Disposal Program plays quickly, and if a card entitled “Karen From Human Resources” tickles your funny bone, Employee Disposal Program may be worth looking into. Pledges range from about $26 (publisher Pleiades Interactive is headquartered in Australia) to about $127. If you’re interested in Employee Disposal Program, check out its KickStarter page.
Zeit Heist Sneaks Onto KickStarter
Publisher Blue Rondo Games has released a couple of quirky, easy-to-learn board games, and Zeit Heist looks to continue that trend. Players build a heist team. The first one to successfully complete a victory condition wins. But Zeit Heist includes multiple victory conditions. You could sneak into the museum before it opens with the Scientist, the Spy, and Lockpicker. Or break into the museum after it opens with the Driver, Muscle, and an Inside Man. Or one could even sway the Police, Detective, and Undercover Cop to confiscate the Zeitnium in your name. Oh, yeah. The object you’re trying to steal is named Zeitnium. Nice!
In Zeit Heist, players can manipulate time. Speed up time. Slow it down. Or freeze it. Time is a Tool. Zeit Heist’s box looks intriguing. A timer comes included in the box lid. Zeit Heist’s production value looks great, and at a swift fifteen-minute playtime, Zeit Heist doesn’t outstay its welcome. If you’re interested in Zeit Heist, check out its KickStarter page.
Snowdonia: Grand Tour Chugs Onto GameFound
The original Snowdonia is a classic, 2012 board game, but many newer board gamers have yet to play Snowdonia. Snowdonia: Grand Tour may be the perfect place to first experience this game. Naylor Games has done a great job giving this dated game a facelift. While most reprints only focus on making the game look nice, Snowdonia: Grant Tour adds a range of scenarios and other game elements to make Snowdonia: Grand Tour enticing for long-time Snowdonia players.
Each scenario comes with its own map board. Snowdonia: Grand Tour streamlines the original’s setup. And there’s a compatibility pack just in case you own the original. What’s not to love? If you’ve ever been interested in this classic worker placement, railroad construction game, Snowdonia: Grand Tour may be perfect. If you’re interested in Snowdonia: Grand Tour, check out its GameFound page.
Restless Journeys Onto GameFound
We’ve seen a lot of roleplaying game in a boxes in recent years. Restless applies this idea to a storybook gameplay, and I’m here for it. Restless looks amazing. I love its idea of quick saves. While Restless plays out over three acts, gamers can save their game within the box and in between each act. Awesome!
Depending on your playstyle and the magical species you plan to play as, a gamer’s experience in Restless greatly varies. This gives me Harmonies vibes. Unlike Harmonies, Restless is semi-cooperative. I don’t know exactly how that works. I imagine players can help each other complete their individual storylines. If so, fun! Restless lasts forty-five minutes per player, per act. And it can be played as a solo experience. If you’re interested in Restless, check out its GameFound page.
Europa Universalis V Releases
The Europa Universalis game series is not for the faint of heart. Gamers guide their chosen country through world history. In the latest game of the series, Europa Universalis V, time spans from April 1, 1337, to January 1, 1837. Typically, Europa Universalis offers greater granular strategic choices than games in the Civilization series. While Civilization has streamlined its gameplay, allowing for a wider audience, Europa Universalis is more like “Git Gud.”
Choosing a starting nation is crucial in Europa Universalis V. Each nation has its own unique skills and benefits, and if you find one of the 314 nations that best suits your playstyle, you can conquer most–if not all–of Europe. Fortunately, Europa Universalis V offers more automation than previous titles in the series. Players can choose to focus on certain aspects of governing, while allowing the game’s AI to tackle parts that interest them less. I like this inclusion. Sometimes, I want to focus on trade over military, or the other way around. It’s great to have options.
One can get lost in the sheer volume of things they can control. Europa Universalis V makes Civilization look like Tic-Tac-Toe. Being able to focus on a couple of things, while automating the rest, is a godsend. I’ll say it again, great addition. Europa Universalis V has received great reviews and is available on PC. I will most likely pick up Europa Universalis V in the future (when it goes on sale), play on the easiest setting, and still find a way to finish in last place. I like this game series a lot, but I am not gud. Womp-womp.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Releases
The Warriors series is more my speed, and specifically, the Hyrule Warriors corner of the Warriors series is one of the strongest. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. I’ll have to wait until after I pick up a Switch 2. But look-it! Zelda is a playable character. What?
I love a good hack-and-slash video game, and that’s what the Hyrule Warriors series is. I can’t wait to fight hordes of enemies as Princess Zelda. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment has received favorable reviews. Sounds like a great time.
Unbeatable Releases Today on Multiple Platforms
I saved the most interesting video game for last. Unbeatable takes place in a world where music has been outlawed by a fascist agency known as H.A.R.M. (Harmonious Audio Reduction Maintenance). Nice! Gamers take the role of Beat, a mysterious vocalist who spends her time producing new songs and fighting the occasional cop. She plays in a band with guitarist Quaver, keyboardist Treble, and percussionist Clef. Unbeatable blends a rhythm game–naturally–with plenty of adventure.
I love Unbeatable’s aesthetics. We haven’t gotten a great rhythm game in years, so I can’t wait to get my hands on Unbeatable. The theme sounds cool. The graphics and gameplay look amazing. Unbeatable’s demo received great reviews. Rock Paper Shotgun may agree with me as they wrote in their review (of the demo), “Unbeatable has the best hook of any game ever.” Since Unbeatable is releasing the day of this post, we’ll have to wait for full reviews. This one’s a fresh, new game. Unbeatable is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
That’s all the news we have for you this week. I’m Geek News short during November. Novel in November has been a slow roll, but I’m making some progress with my edits from this past year’s book. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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