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Blinks Game System Review

There’s been a big meshing of digital and physical board games over the last decade.

Many physical board games have taken on digital form and can be a blast to play with friends at a distance. And other physical board games have incorporated a digital element that we love for extending the gameplay — such as the cooperative games Star Wars: Imperial Assault, Descent: Journeys in the Dark 2nd Edition, and Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition that we love using the app to play the bad side.

Well, today we’ve got something quite different from anything we’ve reviewed in the past. It’s actually a digitally-driven complete game system called Blinks!

But it doesn’t use any computers, mobile devices, or apps. All the game data and rules are stored in the hex game pieces themselves!

The cool thing is that each hex game piece, called a Blink, stores the information/rules of one game. And that Blink “teaches” the other Blinks the rules of the game and then they’re all in!

September 4, 2020September 8, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 10-player, 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, Blinks, colorful, digital, solo

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

Gorilla Marketing party game review

My day job is in marketing.

That means 25 years in marketing.

As such, I’ve heard many times about “guerilla marketing”.

So when I saw the game Gorilla Marketing, designed by Adam Wyse and published by Roxley Games, I couldn’t wait to give it a try!

I was especially excited to play with my Marketing team at work. But as luck would have it, the game arrived the very day we all started working from home because of COVID. Major bummer – no more lunch break games of any sort at the office.

But that wouldn’t deter me from giving it a shot with my family. And I’m so glad I did — because it’s been an absolute hoot!

We have yet to play a game without busting a gut laughing. And we have yet to stop playing after just one game. There’s just too much fun to be had!

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, judging, party, Roxley Games

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

Decrypto board game review

It’s hard to believe it’s been over a month since we posted our last review. There have only a few periods of time over the past decade where we haven’t posted a board game review at least once a week. But we all know the past couple of months have been anything but normal.

But today we’re going to remedy that! (Not the world back to normal, but us back to posting a fun family game review.)

And to jump right back into things we’re reviewing a game we received from our BoardGameGeek.com Secret Santa for last Christmas. It’s also one of our most-played games since then – DECRYPTO!

Decrypto is a team game for up to 8 players of codebreaking and it’s addicting.

May 25, 2020June 8, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, Clue, code, guess, secret, strategy

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

Calling all creative detectives for Detective Club!

How good are your detective skills?

No, not like CSI skills. But rather, your powers of detecting the bluffer among you?

Detective Club, by Blue Orange Games, gives you a chance to find out!

When I look over the list of board games we’ve reviewed over the last 10 years, Blue Orange Games is second on the list of game publishers in quantity of our game reviews.

And there’s a very good reason for that — Blue Orange Games publishes fantastic board games for families!

We’re happy to report that Detective Club continues with that tradition.

March 4, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, art, Blue Orange Games, bluffing, Dixit, party, Spyfall

Game Reviews Party Games

Spyfall & Spyfall 2 Party Game Review

Do you love party games?
Do you love deduction games?
What about a game that combines both elements?

If so, you’re in luck because Spyfall is both a party game and a deduction game!

We included both Spyfall and Spyfall 2 in our annual Board Game Gift Guides in the past because they’re such fun games.

December 11, 2019 Trent 0 Comments 10-player, 11-player, 12-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, Cryptozoic, deduction, Hobby World, party

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback board game

Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback – game review

Doc Gnaw is a werewolf on the loose and your team of 2 to 8 players has 90 minutes to find clues, solve puzzles and crack codes in order to escape!

Solve 19 puzzles and unlock 4 real combination locks to construct a powerful amulet that holds the key to your freedom!

Such is the premise to one of the latest Escape Room style games to hit the market.

A lot of game companies have published escape room style games over the last few years and we’ve reviewed a number of them. This latest game is from a company you’ll know well – Mattel.

It’s time to unravel this mystery and share our thoughts on Escape Room in a Box: Flashback.

October 16, 2019 Trent 3 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, cooperative game, escape room, Mattel

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

Time for some fun Camel racing!

Have you ever bet on a camel race?

I doubt that most people readying our game reviews have.

Well, now’s your chance! Step up to the table in Camel Up and give it a shot!

Of course, there isn’t any real betting going on, but you are guessing which camels are going to be in the lead each leg and win the race in the end.

And with how these camels move in the race, you can never be quite sure how it’s going to finish.

So much fun!

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019 Trent 2 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, betting, camels, luck, racing, random, theme

Card Games Family Games Game Reviews

Fuji Flush is my most-played game of the year!

As the days tick down for 2018, I was glancing over my list of games played this year and noticed an injustice. I’ve neglected to post a review of my most-played game of the year!

It’s a shame really. But there’s still time to right that wrong.

It’s time for Fuji Flush to take its well-deserved place among the great family games we’ve reviewed!

(And letting you know about it in time to get it for your family for Christmas.)

December 17, 2018December 19, 2018 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, card, luck

Board Games Cooperative Games Game Reviews

You may not survive Hellapagos

In Hellapagos, you and your fellow castaways are shipwrecked on an island with an approaching hurricane in the distance. You must work together to have any hope of getting off the island before the hurricane strikes.

Or at least some of you may make it off the island alive…

Hellapagos is a semi-cooperative board game for up to 12 players that’s super challenging to all win together. But you have to try. Because if you don’t work together, no one will survive. By working together, there’s at least a chance you can make it.

Do you have what it takes to be one of the survivors?

September 23, 2018September 23, 2018 Trent 7 Comments 10-player, 11-player, 12-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, cooperative game, Gigamic, luck, player elimination, random

Top 10 Lists

33 games we’ll still be playing in 9 years

We’ve reviewed over 400 games, written over 350 other game and family-related articles, and our video reviews have close to 1.8 million views!

I’ve been reflecting about the games we’ve played the most over the past 9 years and trying to predict the games we’ll still be playing 9 years from now.

It’s interesting to think about. Because in 9 years, all our kids will be out of the house and we’ll most likely have grandkids in the mix (woah, that’s weird to think about). That means more 2-player and lighter games hitting the table for my wife and I. And it also means pulling out younger kid games again for grandkids. But I’ll also still have game nights with my boys, so games they love to play make the list as well.

So which games will we still be playing with regularity in 2027?