Top Ten Boardgames of May!
This month's top ten board games!
We are back again to tell the people what games have been getting the most action this past month.
It's still holding our number one spot. Play with other marine researchers as you raise schools of fish, hatch eggs, and record your findings. You and your ‘colleagues’ will be surveying marine life across three zones: the daylight, twilight, and midnight zones. With a solo game mode at your disposal, it's a perfect game for yourself and for others. Stonemaier Games even received the help of marine biologist Brynn Devine to uphold their acuity and to help people get invested in marine life. Not to mention the stunning art of this and the past two games in this franchise—thanks to Ana María Martínez, Catalina Martínez, and Mesa Schumacher, these marine life specimens look just as colorful and delightful as the reel thing
#2 - Rush Hour
Rush Hour is THE sliding block puzzle game, so if you're tired of the mobile game ads where they intentionally make you angry just so you go out of your way to download the game, this may be the solution for you—and even your kids who keep downloading things on your phone. With simplistic, colorful pieces and tens of different puzzles, it will keep you or the kids entertained. This game could be great for a birthday party, classroom activity, or a simple way to keep company busy. Can you find your way out of the packed parking lot? And can you help others leave as well?
#3 - Escape Room in an Envelope
Unfortunately for Wilmington, we only have three in-person escape rooms at our disposal. But if you manage to work your way through them all, and even the one down in Carolina Beach, then this might be the game for you! Gather your family and friends for this escape room you can bring to the dining table. Puzzle Post, the creator of these games, has also created easier kids' versions so that your young players don't feel left behind! With a narrative plot and a multitude of different puzzles to solve, you'll feel like real detectives racing against the clock. Win and break into the online vault to secure you and your party's win!
#4 - Flip 7
Are you the type to push your luck? Or do you feel like you can sense what people will play before they even do it? Flip 7, with its shiny holographic box, is sure to catch your eye then. Despite its looks, it's quite tricky. You and other players can't play the same numbered card twice. With one one, two twos, and three threes, you may think it's a piece of cake. With other cards to hinder your opponents or boost your own score, there's a level of sabotage that could make the game go your way—or your opponent's. So test your luck and don't bust—unless you want to lose, that is. All you need is three or more players and you're ready to go, and you could practically take this game anywhere too.
#5 - Final Girl
This solo player game has been on our radar forever! Essentially because both staff and customers love it. With its expansions that are able to be mixed and matched with each other, there are endless combinations of play. Final Girl is a love letter to horror movies, their iconic antagonists, and the final girls themselves. So pick up the core box and any other Final Girl “film,” but we recommend starting with “The Happy Trails Horror.” Play as Laurie or Reiko, the two final girls that come with the box, and fight till the end against Hans the Butcher. Laurie is inspired by the quintessential Laurie Strode from “Halloween,” while Reiko is inspired by the main protagonist in “Ringu,” the Japanese original horror film from 1998. Final Girl’s poster boy Hans is inspired by the top three slashers of the genre. This silent masked killer is inspired by Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, which is fitting for his big stature and ominous vibe. Van Ryder Games was also inspired by Leatherface, which adds to that gritty feeling all good horror antagonists have. So check them out! They have “films” for movies like Alien (1979), The Birds (1963), and even The Strangers (2008).
#6 - Critter Kitchen
Originally based on Kickstarter, this game has made some waves in the board gaming community. Backed by over 13,000 people, this game looks and feels like a fun getaway from the real world. A famous food critic is coming to the city, so you and your chefs must traverse all over in search of the finest ingredients. This game can fit up to five people, and with 91 ingredient tokens and multiple settings to craft your delicacies, it's bound to be a blast. The art on this game is seriously no joke, with every board, scene, and card boasting the artist's amazing talents. Cardboard Alchemy has really shown they've got their head in the game!
#7 - Everdell Duo
This is a standalone game that places you in the same world—Everdell. Govern and take care of your furry denizens, and celebrate triumphs together! This version was specially formulated with one to two players in mind, so just know that this is competitive—you won’t be working together necessarily. Still keeping that storybook artwork throughout the game, you're sure to get lost in this woodland world. It also still keeps its fun and tactile game pieces for that classic Everdell feel that you can only seem to find with this game.
#8 - Azul Duel
Design can be a passion for all, even if you don't think you're the most artistically savvy. Azul Duel, keeping in line with the core box, has you designing and decorating a palace ceiling. As a tile-laying artist, elegance and grace are the objectives here—along with winning, of course. This version includes new rules, but it's still the same good old Azul. Take turns drafting or acquiring different tiles from your suppliers to create the most stunning work you've ever made. Inspired by the Moors and Portuguese designs, this game is steeped in awesome history that will have you looking for more.
#9 - Hues and Cues
Can you guess what color I'm thinking of? Here are a couple of hints: velvet! Mercury sulfide! Did you guess the color? It's vermilion! This game can play up to ten people, and that’s how you play—give your group a one-word or two-word ‘cue’ and have them place their meeples on one of 480 colors to try and match with your best guess!
#10 - Defenders of the Wild
If you’ve ever seen FernGully, that’s the general gist. Play as furry creatures defending your home from a big, magical, mechanical monster that spews pollution all over your land. Play asymmetrically with one to four players and gather your allies for a war to save your home. You must build and uphold your resistance if you want any chance of winning. Choose from one of four factions: the Council with its fortitude and bread, the Order with its wisdom of the flame, the Sect with its ingenious inventions, and the Coven with its spells and subterfuge. Can you save the Forest of Commonwood, or will the machines take over and leave you and your allies in the dust?
