planet

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Today, our writers share which games they’ve been playing over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been playing over the past month, too, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with the games I’ve been playing over the past month.

Kyra’s Board Games

Skye mentioned this game in last month’s Whatcha Playing; I just wanted to share a few thoughts on Planet. Of course, I love the idea of the planet component. The 3-D planet each player builds gives Planet a huge toy factor. Planet does do a few things to differentiate itself from a 3-D Cascadia. The array of animals you may attract to your planet makes players’ strategies evolve. If an animal (with a scoring mechanism) doesn’t score during a round, it gets moved to the next round. Brilliant!

The scoring mechanisms also prevent players from playing one specific way. I had the Arctic Planet role and wanted as many Ice spaces on my planet as possible. But there are scoring mechanisms that reward a player for having the largest collection of ice spaces, and another for the most unique instances of ice spaces. I’m constantly being pulled one direction or another great. This was fantastic. I will echo Skye’s complaint that the planets aren’t designed the best from a physical standpoint. It was too easy to break my planet. The tokens would consistently fall off as I was turning my planet over to score each animal scoring mechanism. It’s a small thing. I’d love to see Planet get an updated second edition.

Family visited us over the past month, so we played more party games than we usually do. I’ve covered some of these titles in the past (some may have reviews on the site), so I’ll try to keep these write-ups brief. Sixes is an interesting take on Scattergories. Given one or six categories (depending on the round), players alternate trying to match other players’ answers or come up with a unique answer. My brother-in-law shared that he liked how Sixes didn’t make him feel as inadequate as Scattergories. Switching from matching to unique answers matters. It makes Sixes more approachable.

I haven’t made a Just One review yet. Good to know. You may expect one early next year. Tee hee! Anyway, Just One has a simple concept. One player is the guesser. They choose a number between 1 and 5. There will be a single word clue that corresponds to that number. All the other players (the ones who aren’t the guesser) write one-word clues. Before the guesser can see these clues, the clue givers compare their clues. If they match, they erase their clues. After that’s done, the guesser tries to guess the clue word from the clues.

Woah! Deadlines is another game we don’t have a review for…yet. Love this one. It’s morbid in the best ways. Each card has a famous person listed on it. On the back, players will receive a clue as to who the person is. There are hundreds of famous people on these cards; you won’t know all of them. On the front, each card will say when the person was born, how long they lived, and when they died. The player must pick one of those three attributes and add their card to a growing timeline. Er, Deadline. If you get the Deadline wrong, you keep the card. It counts as a point. You don’t want points. As soon as a column reaches a certain number (it’s supposed to always be twelve, but I adjust the column length by the number of players), the column is finished. As soon as the final column is finished, whoever has the least points wins.

We’ve reached the one new-to-me board game on my list this month: Verdant. I liked this puzzly game. I only played it once, and I was worried about my car (it was in the shop at the time), but I’d like to play Verdant again. Soon. Players build a house in a 5×5 grid, alternating room cards and plant cards. Verdant has a supply line (a display) of five room cards and five plant cards. In between those two lines sit tiles. Some tiles give you abilities, like a watering can, while others are objects you can put on a room card. Each room card has space for one object. You’ll want to match colors (of objects and rooms), place plant cards beside room cards of the same color. It gets very puzzly.

Since room cards and plant cards are in pairs, whichever card wasn’t selected by a player receives a green thumb token. Green thumbs can be used for special abilities. Great! I don’t know how many times I picked up a room or plant that didn’t necessarily fit because two or three players passed on the card, and I received two or three green thumbs. Twenty-five turns (every player needs to build their 5×5 grid of cards) feels like it would take a long time, but Verdant has quick, snappy turns. I can’t wait to play it again. Maybe with fewer distractions next time.

Kyra’s Video Game

I knew Voidling Bound would make one of these Watcha Playing posts. I’m not the only one playing. I’m sure Season will have plenty to say about Voidling Bound. And Geekly may need to do a full video game review in the not-so-distant future. Voidling Bound is everything good and bad about classic Skylanders. Note: I enjoyed Skylanders. Instead of needing to collect toys, Voidling Bound opts for tech trees for each of its critters (voidlings). The gameplay loop is addictive. You can drop hours playing this game and not know where the time went. Voidling Bound is grindy in the best possible ways.

But let’s get back to the Skylanders comparison. Like Skylanders, Voidling Bound exploration levels use a three-star system. Complete the stage for one star, collect everything for a second star, and speed run the level for the third and final star. So, I found myself playing an exploration level slowly the first time (to collect everything), and I’ll complete it the second time as fast as I can. Rinse and repeat. It’s a fantastic gameplay loop. I also love the tech trees and want to unlock all the paths for each voidling.

My issues with this title begin with repetitive enemies. I have yet to beat Voidling Bound, but I’ve played for a while and have only encountered two types of enemies: oozes and robots. That’s not a deal breaker. Plenty of great video games offer a small variety in enemies: the original BioShock and the Kingdom Hearts series. My second issue: ranged voidlings are much better than melee voidlings. This was an issue with Skylanders; it’s an issue with Voidling Bound. Granted, one can grind long enough to make a voidling type viable, but some are innately better than others. This also isn’t a deal breaker for me; I could see it frustrate some gamers. My third issue: I’d also like some more variety in the stages. Again, I’m not done with the main game. I hope I get more control the area missions. Those were a nice twist on survival stages.

I’m writing this segment super early. I picked up Voidling Bound yesterday and played about ten hours, and I’m enjoying the ride. While I could see the game wear out its welcome, the adorable voidlings will bring me back. That tech tree and the Skylanders’ three-star system are a winning combination.

But how am I supposed to finish some of these levels in less than three minutes? I’m directionally challenged. Yikes! That’s all I have. Let’s check in with Season.

Season’s Video Games

I also have yet to beat Voidling Bound, but it’s a lot of fun unlocking the variations of voidlings in the trees and getting unique variants from gold eggs. Outside of getting three stars in exploration levels, Voidling Bound has fewer puzzles and unique ways of finishing levels, unlike Skylanders. Voidling Bound asks players to scour the entire map by jumping ridiculous heights to find collectibles. I don’t mind this, but this is the majority of exploration. There are a few doors that require players to defeat the surrounding enemies before they unlock, but I don’t consider that a puzzle.

I love the tech and evolution trees in Voidling Bound. There are so many things to unlock and, once an ability is unlocked for a species of voidling, it stays unlocked for every voidling of that species the player has.

I love time management games, and I used to play them alongside my mom when I was a kid. Cake Mania is one of those titles. Players bake cakes and serve them to customers before their mood meter runs out. Players get more money the higher the mood meter is and the more complex the cake. Upgrades for equipment are also available for purchase as players complete levels.

Cake Mania is a good time killer game and scratches that nostalgia itch.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. That’s what our writers have been playing this past month. What have you been playing? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Today, our writers share what they’ve been playing over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been playing. because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll start things off by sharing what I’ve been playing over the past month.

Kyra’s Board Games

We played the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game during the May Aftershock event. It went well, well enough for me to consider writing a simple module (for beginners). Hopefully, the module will be tested and ready by Comic-Con Nebraska in mid-August. I like there’s another purpose for my Marvel United minis. I’ve totally used them during this four-hour event. Four hours? Phew! The simple module I’m planning for Comic-Con Nebraska should last only two hours. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by.

We’ve covered Flamecraft a handful of times in the past (here’s our review of the original Flamecraft). Flamecraft Duals is a completely different game, and somehow, it manages to capture the original’s charm and vibe. For the most part, the dragon abilities follow the original game’s abilities. Toast dragons allow players to play another dragon; potion dragons swap dragons. Where it makes sense for a dragon to have a similar power, Flamecraft Duals gives the dragon that power. I love how Flamecraft Duals’s quick setup and look. Whether you own the standard or deluxe version of the game, it looks amazing on the table. And I love tokens.

Flamecraft will always be one of my go-to starter games, but Flamecraft Duals is easier to get to the table, it doesn’t take as long to play, and the game plays more like an abstract puzzle than the sometimes cutthroat original. I’ve found myself playing a lot more Flamecraft Duals. I have no regrets.

I’ve played a ton of solo Vantage. This board game may look ostentatious for a solo experience, but believe me, I prefer playing Vantage with fewer players. Vantage’s solo version plays no differently from the multiplayer version. This allows me to keep the rules fresh in my head for whenever I play the game with others. Speaking of playing Vantage with others, this board game reminded me of how much fun role-playing games can be. Players begin the game at various locations. They work together to accomplish a goal (mission). While I’ve heard the phrase “RPG in a box” to describe multiple board games in the past, Vantage may have come the closest.

During our multiplayer plays of Vantage, I served as the narrator, meaning I kept the box in order (something one player will need to do even if they decide to play), and I read all the storybook entries. Yes! Vantage has multiple storybooks for each action one can take at a Location card. Vantage can be fun. But I will advise that a smaller player counter is best. Turns can last three to five minutes. That’s not too long for a three-to-four player game, but if Vantage sees a max player count of six, players could wait a good twenty minutes or more for their turns. Every gamer at the table must be engaged in the story, and it doesn’t hurt if the players at the table love playing tabletop RPGs.

Kyra’s Video Games

I mentioned playing Balatro during October 2025’s Whatcha Playing. I’ve played the game on and off for the past several months, and just finished a run this past month. Woo hoo! Better late than never. Balatro is an excellent roguelite card battler. It takes a while to find the right combination of deck, joker, and chip abilities to finish a run. That or I’m just bad at the game. Balatro may have too many variables for winning to be a frequent occurrence. That makes finally winning a Balatro run all the more satisfying. I may not log onto the game for a while. Gotta soak in the winning vibes.

Honestly, I haven’t played too many video games this past month. I’ve been keeping up with my dailies in Honkai: Starrail and Apex Legends, but outside of that, I’ve been playing predominantly board games. Perhaps Skye has some cool video games they’ve been playing.

Skye’s Board Game

In Planet, players create a planet of their own that meets certain biome criteria to earn points, claim species, and ultimately win. While it’s a simple concept, it works especially well when paired with its tactile “game board,” which is a dodecahedron you place biome tiles. The biggest joy of Planet for me was the interactive game pieces, but I’ll admit that they weren’t perfect. Sometimes the tiles could slip off the planet’s faces if nudged incorrectly, which could be frustrating at times, but I suppose that is expected when creating a game like this. Overall, I’d say Planet was a calm and enjoyable experience.

On Tour is another simplistic concept with straightforward mechanics made into a fun yet devastating experience. How it works is that you’re a band going on tour either in the United States or Europe (in the base game). You write numbers on your board by rolling two d10’s to create a route, which you follow by counting from the smallest numbered location to the highest numbered location you can. In the end, you’ll hopefully end up with a long continuous route that gets you a lot of points, but it never works out for me. I’mma be real, I suck at On Tour. At this point, part of the fun for me is finding out new ways I’m going to screw myself over with my terrible sense of foresight.

Similar to Planet, Cascadia is a game that focuses on building ecosystems for the sake of earning points. The main difference is that Cascadia places a larger emphasis on biodiversity. While you can still earn points in Cascadia by manipulating your biomes well, you primarily earn points by picking the best animals to place on which biome tiles. Not to mention, each animal in Cascadia earns you points in its own unique way. When I played Cascadia last, I merely played the base game, but there are several expansions and alternative play methods which can really spice up the experience for seasoned players.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. That’s all our writers have for what they’ve been playing over the past month. Let us know what you’ve been playing in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Tag: planet

Whatcha Playing, Geekly: July 1, 2026

Kyra’s Board Games

Kyra’s Video Game

Season’s Video Games

Whatcha Playing? June 2026

Kyra’s Board Games

Kyra’s Video Games

Skye’s Board Game