Essential info

Players: 2-4
Time to play: 40-60 mins
Set-up time: 2-5 mins
Complexity: Moderate
Avg. price: $30 / £25

We’re gonna need a bigger boat

The Jaws board game is really two in one. The better you do in the first, the easier your life will be during the second. Designed by Ravensburger for two to four players and based on the classic 1975 movie, its core gameplay is strong enough to be appealing even if you’ve never seen the film. Still, that’s not to say fans will find Jaws lacking; the arresting sense of dread it weaves from start to finish helps it live up to THAT theme tune. It’s straightforward and relatively easy to get your head around, too.

As per the movie, things kick off on Amity Island with swimmers flocking to the beaches. Unfortunately for them, a peckish great white is lurking in the shallows and would very much like a bite to eat. One player takes control of the lively sea monster, and their objective is to consume as many swimmers as possible. Everyone else is in charge of the film’s heroes – police chief Brody, oceanographer Hooper, and shark-hunter Quint (you don’t need a player for each of them, though; one person can control all the crew members at once, making this a good board game for 2 players (opens in new tab)). Their task is to find and stop the predator before it makes a meal of nine people. 

They do this by attaching barrels that force it to the surface. However, that requires a blend of tactics, skill, and luck. You see, the shark’s movements are kept secret – its opponents don’t know where it is or where it’ll strike next. As such, they’ll need to make clever use of detection systems to seek out their quarry.

That’s where random event cards come into play. They complicate things for both sides by adding new swimmers, re-opening beaches you’ve closed, or giving a much-needed bonus to the shark or heroes. What follows is a tense but engaging game of cat and mouse. And it’s great; broadly speaking, this opening round is absolutely gripping. Its finely-honed anxiety brings a team together, and there’s something moreish about eating your way through Amity as the shark. In fact, few adaptations are as evocative of their source material. 

My only criticism would be that the shark can feel overpowered when you’re learning how to play. Until you get into the swing of things and/or have a sense of the game’s tactics, winning as the crew in round one can seem like a tall order. 

Old-school charm

Still, those event cards – and everything else in the game, for that matter – play host to amazing artwork. Much like the Disney Villainous board game (opens in new tab) (another entry from Ravensburger), they’re rendered in a beautiful, painterly style. That attention to detail extends to its deliberately washed-out 1970s color palette, wooden ‘meeple’ playing pieces, and the abundance of references you’ll find throughout. A great deal of care has gone into this adaptation, and it feels distinctly premium as a result.

Not that you’ll be able to dwell on this for long. You then move to Jaws’ second round aboard the good ship Orca, and it’s a battle to the death. The shark’s objective this time is to destroy the boat and/or consume the good guys – whichever comes first. Meanwhile, our heroes must kill the shark with whatever weapons they can put their hands on. But here’s the twist; whoever won the first round will start with an advantage. Ate loads of swimmers as the shark? You’ll begin with more special abilities now. Caught the shark quickly as Brody and co? You’ll have more weapons to use against it. It’s a clever way to add jeopardy to each round, and those consequences set it apart from the multitude of other board games for adults (opens in new tab).

It’s a little more straightforward than round one, too. That’s to the game’s benefit; you only have to worry about smacking the shark as hard as you can. In addition, it’s pretty well balanced. Both sides have a good chance of victory, even if one or the other struggled earlier on.

As before, the shark’s movements are a mystery. Whoever controls it will be given three location cards to choose from, and these dictate how much power and evasiveness it’ll get in that area. At the other end of the scale, our heroes must decide where they think the shark will emerge. Do you divide and conquer? Or do you congregate in one spot to boost your chance of a kill? You’ll have to choose wisely, because the shark may just eat the boat out from under you and dump everyone into the sea. Awkward.

Basically, each round is great – but for slightly different reasons. This two-in-one approach makes sure Jaws stays fresh throughout, which isn’t a small achievement for a game that takes two or more hours to finish. As a result, you’ll have a blast playing it. 

Yes, some won’t enjoy the pressure behind it all. But those who stick with Jaws? They’re left with a memorable, genuinely nerve-wracking experience that is one of the best board games (opens in new tab) we’ve gotten our hands on recently.

The Verdict

4.5

4.5 out of 5

Jaws board game

Two gripping but unique rounds combine for one of the best co-op board game experiences around.

The post Jaws board game review: “finely-honed anxiety” appeared first on Game News.

Developer Ravensburger made the announcement ahead of January’s London Toy Fair, and this update offers three new baddies to cause chaos with – Cruella, Mother Gothel, and Pete. As always, they’re drawn from the length of Disney’s 80+ year-history; Cruella obviously drops in from 101 Dalmatians, Mother Gothel arrives from 2010’s Tangled, and Pete has been taken from 1928’s Steamboat Willie (the first cartoon to include synchronized sound, if you fancy a slice of trivia). 

Want to get your hands on it? Disney Villainous: Perfectly Wretched is up for pre-order now at Amazon (opens in new tab), Target (opens in new tab), Walmart, and all the other usual suspects. However, Target has a special Dalmation edition that comes with a unique box and mover piece design for Cruella herself, including Dalmatian spots. When combined with the recent arrive of Disney Plus (opens in new tab) and the announcement of a Disney Plus UK price (opens in new tab), it’s a good time for fans of the House of Mouse. 

Disney Villainous: Perfectly Wretched pre-order

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Disney Villainous: Perfectly Wretched (pre-order for $24.99) |  Amazon (opens in new tab) | Target (opens in new tab)
As before, the new Disney Villainous expansion pack is pretty inspired in its choice of characters – that should add some fun new twists to proceedings.

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New to Disney Villainous? Casting you as one of many classic Disney baddies, it’s a strategy board game that has you trying to achieve their evil scheme while simultaneously screwing over everyone else. You do this by dropping heroes on your opponents, and backstabbing is definitely the order of the day. That duplicitousness makes it one of the best board games (opens in new tab) around if you ask us, particularly for those who enjoy something a little more tactical.

If you’re keeping count, Disney Villainous: Perfectly Wretched is the third of Ravensburger’s Disney Villainous expansions (opens in new tab) to date – it follows Perfectly Wicked (featuring Snow White’s Evil Queen) and Evil Comes Prepared, an update which brought the Lion King’s Scar to the table. Because Ravensburger doesn’t tend to fill the roster with fan favorites and opts for characters with potentially interesting mechanics instead, it’ll be exciting to see what new twists they’ve got in store for us this time. We can’t imagine it’ll be the last update to the series, either; the beauty of the original game is that it can be endlessly added to with new baddies from the company’s long, long history.

If you’re new to this whole thing and fancy giving Disney Villainous a go, check out our list of deals below – they’re up-to-the-minute and will get you the lowest possible price. 

Don’t forget to swot up on Cruella, Gothel, and Pete with a Disney Plus free trial (opens in new tab), either.

The post Cruella de Vil returns in Disney Villainous: Perfectly Wretched, the new board game expansion appeared first on Game News.

Liar Liar

The Chameleon board game from Big Potato Games is all about bluffing. Things kick off with a table full of words that belong to a particular topic – fairy tales or hobbies, for instance – and one is chosen at random by dice roll. Most players will know what that word is thanks to the special decoding card they were given at the beginning of the turn. They must then think of a related word to prove they’re in on the secret (so if you got ‘dragon’, you might say ‘scales’). But you can’t be too obvious. That’s because one unlucky soul, The Chameleon, has been left in the dark. And there’s the hook; nobody knows who The Chameleon is, only that there is one. As such, everyone then starts arguing over who they think the culprit is. If you successfully catch The Chameleon without them realising what the original word was, everyone else gets a point. Meanwhile, The Chameleon gets the point instead if they figure out what the word was and/or they manage to stay under the radar. Cue a load of hasty excuses and throwing each other under the bus. It’s a straightforward but fun idea that sees you lying your heart out to avoid detection.

The skill of The Chameleon comes from choosing a word that’s suitably vague, yet not ‘out there’ enough for your teammates to begin doubting you. When you’re under pressure and other players are watching your every facial expression, that’s harder than it sounds. Similarly, The Chameleon must keep a straight face even as they desperately try and come up with a word that could apply to damn well anything on the topic board… before capitalising on any weakness from their foes. It’s wonderfully devious, and because each round can be finished in under ten minutes, it’s not a big commitment.

Poker face

It says a lot that my only criticism of The Chameleon board game is also its main selling point – lying. If you’re like me and find it hard to tell fibs without cracking up, you’ll experience extra pressure. It significantly ups the difficulty, too. However, if you’re a fan of bluffing or deduction games? This will be right up your street. Having to make stuff up on the fly and convince others you’re not completely full of s*** is a blast, and it leads to some hilarious moments.

Generally, this board game is the epitome of what makes Big Potato products so appealing – it’s quick, easy to understand, and just a little bit devilish. It’s also very replayable, so there’s no reason why you can’t still be lying through your teeth this time next year.

Want more recommendations for the holidays? Be sure to check out our guide to the best board games for 2 players (opens in new tab), the best card games (opens in new tab), and must-have board games for adults (opens in new tab).

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The Chameleon board game ($34.69 on Walmart) (opens in new tab)
You can get your hands on The Chameleon right here. If you’re in the UK, it’s available via Amazon here. (opens in new tab)

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The post Why you should play… The Chameleon board game appeared first on Game News.

Players: 2-4
Time to play: 45 mins
Set-up time: 5 mins
Complexity: Easy
Average price: $20

Gloom is both the best and worst name for this superb little card game. On the one hand, the objective really is to spread gloom among the quirky family you adopt when you play. On the other, you’ll get so many laughs playing this with your friends and family that it’ll be one of the most uplifting games you can play. So, a bit of both. It’s a quick and easy to set-up game and, while there is some tricky strategy involved, you’ll definitely understand what’s happening on your first playthrough. While not endlessly replayable, you’ll definitely get plenty of sessions out of Gloom (opens in new tab), especially if you play it with different social groups (and it’s got enough universal appeal to support that).

Mauled by manatees

The aim of the game is to score negative points, and the player with the lowest total (eg. -45 points beats -40 points) wins. That scoring system influences tactics for Gloom. Players each take control of a family of 4-5 characters, and by drawing cards from a central pile and playing them from their own hand, they can either heap misery on their own family or attempt to cheer up their opponent’s families. Isn’t that nice? In other words, this definitely isn’t one of the best cooperative board games – and that’s in its favor. Gloom is delightfully vicious. Making characters miserable lowers their score, whereas happy characters gain a positive score. You don’t actually bank any points until you’ve gone one step further and played an Untimely Death card, which then kills off a family member and locks in their total score.

So, crudely speaking, you want to kill your own characters when they’re as miserable as possible, and kill your opponents’ characters when they’re as happy as possible. The game ends when one family is completely killed off, so you need to be smart about how you play. Sure, you could just kill off an opponent’s characters while they’re happy, but you need to balance that with banking negative scores yourself. There are a number of cards that can change a character’s fortune in an instant, so making sure you score points is absolutely essential.

Sad tales

As with most of the best board games (opens in new tab) and card games, Gloom really comes to life (ahem) if you get into the spirit of things. We find that reading out the cards as they’re played makes a huge difference to the overall fun factor. It’s just funny to hear that one of your family is sad because they were delighted by ducklings, or that they were mauled by manatees, so playing it as a story is highly recommended.

The cards themselves are delightfully illustrated, and they’re semi-transparent plastic so they can be stacked on top of each other. This makes them much more sturdy than other card games, so you’re less likely to damage them when shuffling (a real bonus), although they’re also quite slippery which is a problem when playing on a glossy table surface. While you only get the base game in the regular version of Gloom, there are expansions to help you add a little variety and complexity.

While it may initially seem morbid, and unsuitable for family play (it’s definitely at the ‘board game for adults (opens in new tab)‘ end of the scale), Gloom is surprisingly accessible, funny, and will suit play among friends, parents, and siblings. It won’t take too long to understand the rules, especially when you see how the cards stack on top of each other, and it’s both easy to play and set-up. You can chew through a quick game in 30-45 minutes, so it can work as a palate cleanser in between more complex board game sessions. And while best enjoyed with four players, it’s fine for three or even as a board game for 2 players (opens in new tab) at a time. Cheap, funny, and easy to play? Gloom will definitely put a smile on your face.

Want to play something new? We’ll be here each week to let you know about a tabletop gem – like the Pandemic board game (opens in new tab) – that you should definitely try. For example, we took the deliciously evil Disney Villainous (opens in new tab) for a spin before trying out the Jaws board game (opens in new tab).

The post Gloom card game: why you should play it this weekend appeared first on Game News.