Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We’re still taking a break from headline Geek News (due to Kyra’s participation in Novel in November), but we have plenty of new releases for board games and video games to discuss. Let’s talk about this week’s lot of new board games and video games.
Through the Mountains Launches on KickStarter
From the award-winning game designer Reiner Knizia comes a game of strategy, patience, and cool plastic camels! The desert is still treacherous, mysterious, and without mercy. But for those willing to risk the dangers of the shifting, sun-baked sands, the desert holds riches beyond compare.
In Through the Desert, two to five players each control a tribe of nomads vying for control of the desert. By establishing caravans and taking over oases, the players gain points as their tribes increase in power.
Strategy is essential in deciding how and where to build your tribe’s caravans. There are multiple ways to gain points and several ways to win. Should you try to build the longest caravan? Or should you dominate the desert’s oases? Don’t forget to keep an eye on your opponents’ caravans, or you may find your own tribe cut off from valuable water holes.
Through the Desert is part of the so called Knizia tile-laying trilogy.
Thank you, Allplay Games, for the description. Honestly, I have yet to play the original Through the Desert. The game is a classic. It’s part of Days of Wonder’s classic run of board games in the 2000s. It’s a Knizia design and part of his tile-laying trilogy of games. And now after 28-years, Reiner Knizia himself has returned to Through the Desert to deliver a worthy follow-up, Through the Mountains. Allplay Games is a phenomenal publisher. They manage to pack high quality board games into smaller boxes. This reprint of Through the Desert and its sequel Through the Mountains looks amazing. Pledges range from $39 to $316. The larger pledges include modern classics like Triskel and the original Through the Desert. If you’re interested in Through the Mountains, check out its KickStarter page.
Fish Hatchery Launches on KickStarter
Fish Hatchery is a strategy deck-building game where you breed your fish, sabotage your opponents, and build out your aquariums to construct the perfect fish breeding business from the ground up.
Starting with the same basic cards, you and your opponents will collect increasingly rarer fish and enhance your decks strength over the course of 4 rounds. Item cards/aquarium supplies can also be purchased which act as static triggers, increasing the reach and effects of the fish cards you play.
Sabotage is a key component of the game, and there are many opportunities throughout the course of the rounds to undermine your opponents as they seek to race you to victory.
Throughout the game, players will compete to gain the most aquarist points. There are several ways to gain aquarist points including breeding fish, scoring master breeder cards, and purchasing round 4 fish who are difficult to keep but have powerful scoring abilities. At the end of 4 rounds, the player with the most aquarist points wins.
Thank you, Dufflepud Games, for the description. I love deck-building games. They scratch that itch of everyone starting off the same but ending with disparate decks. Fish Hatchery has a lot more going on than just deck-building. You can tell that from the picture above. Are those progress tracks? The artwork is stellar. Dufflepud Games spared no expense there as I believe this is a prototype and not even the final version of Fish Hatchery. Not gonna lie: I’m a little worried about sabotage playing a key role in Fish Hatchery. Typically, deck-building games offer little take-that elements and for good reason. At their core, deck-building games are engine builders. You don’t want someone messing with your engine.
But I’d like to see how Fish Hatchery incorporates take-that elements. I wouldn’t mind impeding my opponents’ progress on a track, while gaining a small advantage myself. That’s the other issue about take-that mechanisms: wasting a turn to screw with your opponent while skipping an opportunity to improve your own standing ends up as a net negative for both players. There’s a lot going on in Fish Hatchery. I could see the game balancing out its take-that mechanisms with the game’s other elements. I’ve been working on deck-building game with mild take-that mechanisms. Fish Hatchery suggests that take-that takes center stage. Cool! Fish Hatchery offers multiple pledges, ranging from $65 to $119. If you’re interested in Fish Hatchery, check out its KickStarter page.
Latitude Launches on KickStarter
Work with other players to create a map of the realm, but only the most accurate player will take the glory.
Latitude takes place on a blank map which slowly develops as the game goes. Each turn a player places a land tile (sea, plains or mountain), and places a marker showing how big they believe that region will be when the map is completed.
Each region is a contiguous group of the same land type, and regions cannot have the same value marker repeated. This leads to high level strategy, as regions get completed, blocked off and more, all in a simple to play game with clean efficient rules and beautiful original non-AI artwork.
Thank you, Radical 8 Games, for the description. Latitude sounds simple to play but difficult to master. I wonder what the range (in points) the round tokens have. That may inform when players will play a land tile of a different type; one region will score the highest point value, but the same value can’t be repeated. Clever. Again, this is easy to understand and factors into Latitude’s short play time (20-30 minutes). Latitude offers one pledge level of around $31 (prices are in Pounds). If you’re interested in Latitude, check out its KickStarter page.
Geek Together Launches on GameFound
Play More! GeekTogether.gg is the community platform built for tabletop gamers and gaming venues to find each other, schedule sessions, and connect — every day, everywhere, all the time. No need to wait for the next convention to schedule games, find players, or promote your venue. After all, what good are all those games, dice, minis, and cards if you can’t find the right people to play with?
We don’t typically cover launches like Geek Together, but we had to make an exception this week. This app looks amazing. Who doesn’t want to play more and Geek Together? I like the idea of friending people on a board game specific app. The same app can track my collection, my plays, and offer challenges to complete. Geek Together’s challenges are things like play a specific type of board game. If you’re anything like me, choosing a board game to play becomes as much of an activity as playing the actual board game. If you’re interested in Geek Together, check out its GameFound page.
Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia Launches on GameFound
Will you escape your unfounded paranoia? The neighborhood has gone quiet. You are sure something is coming. What it is depends on who you ask. The only thing that truly matters is reaching a bunker with enough supplies left to call yourself prepared
Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia is a competitive survival game for 2–4 players that combines tile placement, route building, supply management and direct player interaction. Preparing for a possible apocalypse, players build a shared road network, gather supplies and attempt to reach a bunker with the highest final Prepper Point score.
Thank you, Baseraider, for the description. Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia had me at competitive survival game. Throw in a post apocalyptic setting, and I’m hooked. Baseraider is new to the tabletop scene as a publisher, but Bug Out’s premise is solid, and I like what I’ve seen with the game’s components. The game looks like it has a good flow. I cut off the section about final scoring, but you’ll want to be the one with the most points at the end of the game. And I assume there are multiple paths for procuring points. I’m keeping an eye out for Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia. Pledges range from $49 to $169. If you’re interested in Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia, check out its GameFound page.
Fable Quest Launches on GameFound
Fable Quest is a story-driven, fully cooperative game set in the enchanting world of Arcadia Quest, taking place after the epic events of the beloved saga.
For the first time in Arcadia, players are not rival guilds competing for glory, you stand together. Through card-driven gameplay, a touch of deck-building, and meaningful narrative choices, you’ll explore the whimsical realms of Arcadia not as conquerors, but as participants in its unfolding story.
You’ll meet its people, you’ll face its dangers, and your decisions will shape how your adventure evolves – together.
Thank you, Tycoon Games, for the description. I’ve always loved Arcadia Quest. Season has the original game. I think she’ll want a co-op version of one of her favorite games. While Eric Lang didn’t return for this sequel (Fable Quest), the rest of the original Arcadia Quest design team returns (Guilherme Goulart and Fred Perret). Yes! I like the idea of a storybook. Fable Quest looks as charming as the original. The board is less complicated. Great! That will place more of an emphasis on the story, and yes, I’ve always wanted a story to go along with Arcadia Quest. Fable Quest looks like it delivers on that front. If you’re interested in Fable Quest, check out its GameFound page.
Junk ‘n Gems Launches on GameFound
In Junk ‘n Gems, players sift through an attic of forgotten treasures, building toward the perfect moment to empty their hand. But you can only do so after reaching the required number of points, turning each round into a tense race to be first!
On your turn, place a card into the attic, then take one or two cards worth up to twice that card’s value. Play sets to activate powerful effects, score points, and get closer to emptying your hand.
The stakes grow as the point threshold rises from round to round. Will your clever play be enough to claim victory?
Thank you, Passion Project GG, for the description. Junk ‘n Gems looks like it combines set collection with a race elements. Card shedding (like Uno) and some strong hand management mechanisms look to be at the forefront. I like what I’m hearing from Junk ‘n Gems. The only thing that gives me a little pause is Junk ‘n Gems’ longer playtime (40-60 minutes). My guess is that the game will play longer at higher player counts, but 60 minutes is on the long side for a card game like this. Junk ‘n Gems does sound like it has more going on under the hood. We’ll have to see. I like Junk ‘n Gems’ collection of game mechanisms and can’t wait to see how these elements work together. If you’re interested in Junk ‘n Gems, check out its GameFound page.
Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy Releases
Your daughter has been kidnapped. In the trilogy’s final chapter, enter a nightmare to save her, survive what hunts you, and uncover the Red Nun’s truth through retrocognition, mirror abilities and moth manipulation. A modern return to classic survival horror with an Italian neo-giallo twist.
I’ve yet to play any of the Remothered trilogy. I don’t know if one needs to play the first two games in the series (the original Remothered and Remothered: Broken Porcelain). While the previous games in the series received various reviews, Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy has received predominately good reviews. Set in the same universe as Clock Tower, Remothered is worthy inclusion in the survival horror genre. Honestly, this looks like a game for Skye. I like the idea of retrocognition. Not enough video games include this and it works well for a horror video game with plenty of flashbacks to fill in the Red Nun’s past. Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series S/X.
Virtue and a Sledgehammer Releases
Go back to your hometown and tear it down with a sledgehammer in this narrative exploration game. Confront your past in a devastating story about feeling like you no longer belong in the place you grew up.
Virtue and a Sledgehammer’s title is as subtle as a sledgehammer. LOL I had to say it. I like how Virtue and a Sledgehammer uses the titular sledgehammer as a metaphor. Your confronting your past. Searching for who you are in the world in this narrative exploration game. And I love character-driven games. Virtue and a Sledgehammer places its protagonist front and center. Yes! Virtue and a Sledgehammer is available on PC.
Anomalith Releases
ANOMALITH is a survival third-person shooter set in Japan, steeped in the atmosphere of liminal spaces and Showa-era retro aesthetics. To search for her missing friend, a girl steps into a world writhing with anomalies.
Hunh! A lot of video games with strong horror influences released this week. You’d think this was the week of Halloween or something. Anyway, I like ANOMALITH’s use of liminal spaces. I just finished watching The Backrooms (which will make my Watcha Watching for next month) and this style of horror interests me. ANOMALITH’s narrative structure reminds me of Staircase in the Woods in the best ways. ANOMALITH’s protagonist has a strong motivation for entering these liminal spaces and continuing their journey. ANOMALITH is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Phantom Blade Zero Releases
S-GAME presents Phantom Blade Zero, a fusion of classic Wuxia storytelling and exhilarating action powered by Unreal Engine 5. You play as Soul, a warrior with only sixty-six days left to live. Fend off assassins, unravel world-ending conspiracies, and defend your values with your life.
I knew little about Phantom Blade Zero before this week, but it looks amazing (those graphics are top-notch), and I like the Wuxia setting. Phantom Blade Zero looks action-packed. The premise of a warrior with only sixty-six days left to live is intriguing. I wonder how Phantom Blade Zero will incorporate this into its story. The reviews for Phantom Blade Zero (like all the other games on this week’s new releases) are good to great. This week was a good one for video games. Phantom Blade Zero is available on PC and PlayStation 5.
That’s all the Geek News we have for you this week. Which game looks the most interesting? Let us know in the comments. Thank for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
