Paraphrase: Songs in Other Words Game Review (prepublished version)

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To paraphrase is to use different words to express a previously written or communicated idea or body of work. Sometimes these paraphrases let others say something in a way that is more relevant to their audience, or they can be used to provide insightful wit. In all cases, paraphrases come down to disguising something already well defined or named in a cloak of thick ambiguity. In this game, players will be challenged to take the paraphrase and deduce the actual title of a song. Extra points if you can sing it, too! Continue reading →

Escape the Minotaur’s Maze Game Review

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Former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL), Martellus Bennett, said, “Any time you’re in a maze, there are multiple ways to get to the end.” And in this game, that is true. You have two ways to exit, one of which is death. Alternatively, you can live, but you’ll need to navigate and explore an ever-shifting maze as a monstrous minotaur hunts you down. To survive, you must use the maze to your advantage and outwit your opponents. This is one puzzle that’ll challenge you to the very end. Continue reading →

Throne of Under Game Review

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A general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, George S. Patton, said: “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.” In this game, players will take on the role of ambitious characters who compete in a race to a throne. If they get their first, they get to rule. However, only one butt can sit in that seat and the player’s opponents want that throne just as bad as they do. Get ready to race fast, battle hard, and try every trick in the book to trip up your opponents so you get to the throne first! Continue reading →

Zapotec Game Review

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An Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India, Rajiv Ratna Gandhi, said, “Civilizations are built by the ceaseless toil of a succession of generations. With softness and sloth, civilizations succumb. Let us beware of decadence.” In this game, players must go to work building a pre-Columbian civilization. However, planting crops and feeding the growing population is only part of the goal. Players must also satisfy the increasing populace’s religious needs with towering ziggurats. As the capital expands, the land becomes scarce, and the players must become ever more creative in how they go about maintaining growth. Continue reading →

Samurai Shuffle Game Review

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Japanese-born American cartoonist and comic book creator, best known for the comic series Usagi Yojimbo, Stan Saki said, “A samurai should always be prepared for death – whether his own or someone else’s.” When the sword is drawn, there are no more words to speak. Each warrior must live in the moment and the next simultaneously, for both could by their last. So draw your sword, warrior, and may the best – or luckiest – among you be victorious. Continue reading →

Blue Lagoon Game Review

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American writer of weird, science, fantasy, and horror fiction, best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos (All hail the great Cthulhu!), H.P. Lovecraft, said, “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.” And yet, it’s in the very nature of humanity to gaze longingly at the horizon or attempt to glimpse other worlds in the stars above us. We are built to travel, explore, and seek out the mysteries of what we cannot see, for we are forever curious. Some of us even have the intestinal fortitude to act upon those urges and seek out the unknown. Brave souls. In this game, you will lead such a group as they explore the surrounding islands, making homes and discoveries along the way. Continue reading →

Conspiracy! Game Review

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American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner, Gore Vidal said, “I’m not a conspiracy theorist – I’m a conspiracy analyst.” There is a lot about our world that we don’t know, despite us making discoveries and proving theories. No matter how much we learn, there is something else to consider and study. It’s between the lines of the known and unknown, truth and assumption, that conspiracies are born and thrive. With just enough facts to strengthen falsehoods, it’s obvious why some fall headfirst into darker thoughts of mistrust towards the so-called experts. And while many of us think these types of people are “crazy,” this same group will turn around and call us “gullible.” In this game, searching for the truth is never easy to find when you don’t want an honest answer. Continue reading →

Downtown Farmers Market Game Review

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I love visiting farmers markets. They are full of fresh vegetables, beautiful flowers, artisan loaves of bread, and, if you’re fortunate, a vendor selling bacon on a stick smothered in chocolate. Farmers markets feel like an adventure each time I go, not having any idea what I’ll find but always leaving feeling satisfied with the experience. In this game, you’ll also have a chance to visit the farmers market, with a list of food ingredients you want to gather quickly. But like real-life farmers markets, availability and quantity is never a sure thing. Continue reading →

P’achakuna Game Review

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An American writer who has published over 27 novels and even penned a story of Wonder Woman comics, Jodi Picoult, said, “Men—you can’t live with them, and you can’t legally shoot them. So I tossed out my husband eight years ago and got a llama instead. Best decision I ever made.” While I won’t get into the specifics about the pros and cons of either sex, I will confidently say that Llamas are pretty badass. They are intelligent, hard workers and can spit at a target over 10 feet away. How can you not respect that? In this game, you’ll be packing your Llama and trekking the Andes. Only with their help will you be able to deliver the goods. Continue reading →

Kadoova Dash Game Review

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American playwright and screenwriter Tennessee Williams said, “Luck is believing you’re lucky.” In this game, you’ll need to believe that and keep believing it as the dice work for you and against you, random card draws reward you or penalize you, and your opponents do everything they can to slow you down. The only way you will be successful is if you keep your eyes focused on the prize, keep rolling those dice, and think your luck will change for the better. Continue reading →

A Haunting by the Shadow Game Review

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American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher, Elbert Hubbard, said, “The supernatural is the natural not yet understood.” We like to pretend we have it all figured out. We do this so it’s easier for us to discount the door closing by itself as nothing more than the wind, our keys not being where they should be because we are absent-minded, and the shadows that move on the wall are nothing but tricks of light. Easily explainable events or something more? The line between the natural and the supernatural is one of understanding. If that is the case, when you face the ghosts in this house, you’ll understand the true nature of fear. Continue reading →

Otherworld: Orcs Versus Humans

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German Romantic writer, Jean Paul, wrote, “Courage consists not in blindly overlooking danger, but in seeing it, and conquering it.” In this game, players explore a new world opened to them through magic and mystery. What lies beyond the portal is unknown, but two groups bravely go through to explore and conquer the new land. They will have to compete for the resources while expanding their influence and knowledge of the new kingdom. What new wonders and dangers will this other world, full of promise and peril, bring? Continue reading →