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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Nyctophobia: Vampire Encounter in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
When it comes to board gaming, there are many tried and true mechanics that appear in most games. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? That being said, it’s always neat when a game creates an entirely new mechanic that has never been seen before. Nyctophobia is one of those games. When I heard about it, I knew I had to try it. It’s quite a clever idea and it makes for a unique and fun game!
DISCLAIMER: There are technically 2 versions of this game – the OG version and the Vampire version. Thematically, they may be different, but mechanically and gameplay-wise, they’re the same! For the purposes of this review, we will be playing the Vampire Encounter version. -L
A lighthearted trip to the woods has taken a startling turn when you and your friends come across a Vampire! And to make things worse, the Vampire has managed to lure one of your buddies deep into the woods with him! You can’t just turn tail and run – you’ve gotta save your friend! The sun has set, though, and the woods are way more ominous than you thought. You and your friends must cooperate to carefully and quietly navigate in total darkness to avoid disclosing your position to the Vampire while searching for your friend. Will you manage to not only find your buddy, but make it back to the car for your getaway? Or will the Vampire manage to pick you all off, one by one, as he creeps around in the darkness waiting for the opportunity to pounce?
Nyctophobia: Vampire Encounter is a semi-cooperative 1-vs-All memory game with a twist – all players (except for the Vampire player) must wear black-out glasses and cannot see the board. All turns and movement are taken based on feel. You ARE in the dark woods after all – it’s not like you can see your surroundings. Basically how it works is that the Vampire player kind of acts as a GM for the game. They can see the board, and help guide the players’ hands to their pieces and move the player pieces as requested. The players are blind and must rely on feeling their way around the board (avoiding trees and the Vampire!) and communicating the perceived layout to their comrades. The Vampire player then sneaks around the board, silently trying to corner the other players and abduct them. Each player gets a special ability to use on their turns, and there’s a small combat element involved if a player ever runs into the Vampire. The goal of the game, for regular players, is to work with your friends to find the kidnapped NPC (represented by a cardboard standee) and get back to the car to escape. The goal of the game for the Vampire player is to pick off all other players until none remain.
I think this is a super neat game. It’s pretty unique and it’s fun to play! You’re trying to cooperate with your friends to create a strategy for a board that you can’t see. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s presented in such a novel way that makes it enjoyable. The overall atmosphere of the game is great. The nerves and pressure can really get to the players as they are (quite literally) flailing around in the dark. The Vampire player can have a lot of fun as the GM – do you taunt your players and make them second-guess every move, or do you lay low and stay quiet until juuuust the right moment? Nyctophobia feels like more than just a game while you’re playing, and that is what makes it so exciting.
The only real issue I’ve run into with this game has to do with the components themselves. The board is an 8×8 grid, with the layout set up in secret by the Vampire player. On a regular player turn, you can feel up to 1 space in each adjacent direction to your current location. The only issue is that sometimes, unless the player is diligent, they could accidentally (or purposefully?) feel too many spaces than are allowed – either diagonally or 2 or more spaces away, for example. The way I’ve come up with to alleviate this issue is to have players use only 1 finger when interacting with their piece/the board. That way there can be no extra feeling. And I also, as the Vampire player, will move player pieces for them – the player tells me in which direction to move and I move the piece before guiding their hand back. Maybe if the board were a little larger, this problem would be eliminated? I’m really not sure, but the method I’ve come up with to combat it has worked well so far!
Overall, I enjoy Nyctophobia. It’s a neat game with a unique mechanical aspect and fun player interactions. Is it my favorite game to play? No. But it’s one that I like breaking out for newer gamers and for some lighthearted fun! If you haven’t done so already, give Nyctophobia a try because it’s a refreshingly new take on the modern board game. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a haunting 15 / 18.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/14/nyctophobia-review/
DISCLAIMER: There are technically 2 versions of this game – the OG version and the Vampire version. Thematically, they may be different, but mechanically and gameplay-wise, they’re the same! For the purposes of this review, we will be playing the Vampire Encounter version. -L
A lighthearted trip to the woods has taken a startling turn when you and your friends come across a Vampire! And to make things worse, the Vampire has managed to lure one of your buddies deep into the woods with him! You can’t just turn tail and run – you’ve gotta save your friend! The sun has set, though, and the woods are way more ominous than you thought. You and your friends must cooperate to carefully and quietly navigate in total darkness to avoid disclosing your position to the Vampire while searching for your friend. Will you manage to not only find your buddy, but make it back to the car for your getaway? Or will the Vampire manage to pick you all off, one by one, as he creeps around in the darkness waiting for the opportunity to pounce?
Nyctophobia: Vampire Encounter is a semi-cooperative 1-vs-All memory game with a twist – all players (except for the Vampire player) must wear black-out glasses and cannot see the board. All turns and movement are taken based on feel. You ARE in the dark woods after all – it’s not like you can see your surroundings. Basically how it works is that the Vampire player kind of acts as a GM for the game. They can see the board, and help guide the players’ hands to their pieces and move the player pieces as requested. The players are blind and must rely on feeling their way around the board (avoiding trees and the Vampire!) and communicating the perceived layout to their comrades. The Vampire player then sneaks around the board, silently trying to corner the other players and abduct them. Each player gets a special ability to use on their turns, and there’s a small combat element involved if a player ever runs into the Vampire. The goal of the game, for regular players, is to work with your friends to find the kidnapped NPC (represented by a cardboard standee) and get back to the car to escape. The goal of the game for the Vampire player is to pick off all other players until none remain.
I think this is a super neat game. It’s pretty unique and it’s fun to play! You’re trying to cooperate with your friends to create a strategy for a board that you can’t see. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s presented in such a novel way that makes it enjoyable. The overall atmosphere of the game is great. The nerves and pressure can really get to the players as they are (quite literally) flailing around in the dark. The Vampire player can have a lot of fun as the GM – do you taunt your players and make them second-guess every move, or do you lay low and stay quiet until juuuust the right moment? Nyctophobia feels like more than just a game while you’re playing, and that is what makes it so exciting.
The only real issue I’ve run into with this game has to do with the components themselves. The board is an 8×8 grid, with the layout set up in secret by the Vampire player. On a regular player turn, you can feel up to 1 space in each adjacent direction to your current location. The only issue is that sometimes, unless the player is diligent, they could accidentally (or purposefully?) feel too many spaces than are allowed – either diagonally or 2 or more spaces away, for example. The way I’ve come up with to alleviate this issue is to have players use only 1 finger when interacting with their piece/the board. That way there can be no extra feeling. And I also, as the Vampire player, will move player pieces for them – the player tells me in which direction to move and I move the piece before guiding their hand back. Maybe if the board were a little larger, this problem would be eliminated? I’m really not sure, but the method I’ve come up with to combat it has worked well so far!
Overall, I enjoy Nyctophobia. It’s a neat game with a unique mechanical aspect and fun player interactions. Is it my favorite game to play? No. But it’s one that I like breaking out for newer gamers and for some lighthearted fun! If you haven’t done so already, give Nyctophobia a try because it’s a refreshingly new take on the modern board game. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a haunting 15 / 18.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/14/nyctophobia-review/
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Peter Shephard (2822 KP) rated Terraforming Mars: Colonies in Tabletop Games
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Nice variation
Terraforming Mars itself has been the goal; to support it, a series of colonies and outposts have been established throughout the Solar System; whether it is to generate a cash stream from Lunar, or the Jovian moons, they can all assist with the ultimate goal.
The mechanic for sending out the trade fleet is simple and straightforward; the benefits of trading are suitably varied and worthwhile, especially if you manage to get a good supply of Energy. With a 1-2 player game, having a colony is a bit of hit-and-miss; you dont gain the trade bonus if you trade with yourself, and unless your opponent REALLY wants your trade item, they wont trade with you. For a 3+ player game, it is absolutely worth it, as each colony can only trade with 1 fleet, and with only 2 more outposts than players (normally), it can get a bit crowded in the outer solar system.
There are also enough Colonies that it is unlikely that you will play the same game twice (10 or 12, if I remember right!).
Apart from Prelude, in my opinion, Colonies adds the most variation to the base game, and is well worth adding.
The mechanic for sending out the trade fleet is simple and straightforward; the benefits of trading are suitably varied and worthwhile, especially if you manage to get a good supply of Energy. With a 1-2 player game, having a colony is a bit of hit-and-miss; you dont gain the trade bonus if you trade with yourself, and unless your opponent REALLY wants your trade item, they wont trade with you. For a 3+ player game, it is absolutely worth it, as each colony can only trade with 1 fleet, and with only 2 more outposts than players (normally), it can get a bit crowded in the outer solar system.
There are also enough Colonies that it is unlikely that you will play the same game twice (10 or 12, if I remember right!).
Apart from Prelude, in my opinion, Colonies adds the most variation to the base game, and is well worth adding.
Dean (6927 KP) rated Final Fight CD in Video Games
Jun 6, 2018
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The best version of the best Beat 'Em Up game!
I can't praise this game enough! I loved and spent a lot of time, money on the arcade back in the day. While there had been many versions ported to consoles before, this was miles better!
The PS2 version had very chunky graphics, this version looked exactly like the original arcade! Large well animated characters with sharp details.
The arcade game came about between Street fighter and the classic Street fighter 2 games, and it shows. Though this went for a sideways scrolling beat 'em-up game. Even today it probably hasn't been bettered. Although this version was for the Megadrive, Mega-CD add on. Possibly the best game for it.
The cherry on the top was an extra mode not on the arcade. A time attack for 1 or 2 players to take on wave after wave of villians to see how many you could beat in the time allowed.
So this was even better than having the arcade in your home. You can get a version on Xbox 360 as a classic... But it looks like a port of the PS2 version unfortunately. Leaving this as the best version of the classic game.
The PS2 version had very chunky graphics, this version looked exactly like the original arcade! Large well animated characters with sharp details.
The arcade game came about between Street fighter and the classic Street fighter 2 games, and it shows. Though this went for a sideways scrolling beat 'em-up game. Even today it probably hasn't been bettered. Although this version was for the Megadrive, Mega-CD add on. Possibly the best game for it.
The cherry on the top was an extra mode not on the arcade. A time attack for 1 or 2 players to take on wave after wave of villians to see how many you could beat in the time allowed.
So this was even better than having the arcade in your home. You can get a version on Xbox 360 as a classic... But it looks like a port of the PS2 version unfortunately. Leaving this as the best version of the classic game.
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