Not Much Fun Storming This Castle - Exit: The Game The Forbidden Castle Board Game Review

This is a spoiler-free review. I won't be discussing any...

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If I pick up any more exit games, I think I'm going to stick to the 3 stars or less "Difficulty."

"annoyed with the process of actually getting there" is an almost-blanket definition of my opinion of most puzzle games and an insight into why I reject things like Pandemic these days. I guess I'm just not that interested in puzzles. I want my games to keep my mind agile in a different way, such that I'm dealing with shifting circumstances and not just a set of them that says: "Solve this. Oh, and once you do, it's done and you might as well pitch this or give it away." One of the modern buzzwords in board gaming is "replayability." The Exit games are the antithesis of that and that's why I've never played any of them. Thank you for reaffirming my perspective.

A branching path in a single use game... that would have definitely been an interesting choice.

Jackwraith wrote: "annoyed with the process of actually getting there" is an almost-blanket definition of my opinion of most puzzle games and an insight into why I reject things like Pandemic these days.

That is one of the reasons I've never bought any of the Pandemic Legacy games or run out to get The Lord of The Rings: Fate of the Fellowship. We played Pandemic years ago, we "solved" Pandemic. Going back to Mechanism/puzzle/deck of many bad things doesn't really appeal to me. It would feel like doing the same 500 piece jigsaw over and over.

hotseatgames wrote: A branching path in a single use game... that would have definitely been an interesting choice.

The only thing I could come up with is that it used the same items for both puzzles but in different ways and once you solved it in one fashion, it wouldn't physically work to solve it in the other way. Otherwise, it was just including an additional puzzle that half the players were never going to get a chance to solve. Very odd.

That's the same thing I said to Charlie who, however, insists that Fate is far more than "themed Pandemic." Matt said the same thing. So, that's two voices I implicitly trust saying that my skepticism is unwarranted.

I don't think Fate of the Fellowship is like Pandemic much. There are a couple of elements, sure, but the overall tone is very different. I do think it is puzzle-y, however, in the same way that the vast majority of coops are. You have a limited time, various pressure points you need to relieve, and objectives to pursue. The group needs to discuss turns and triage their action options.

For the record, I despise Pandemic and will never play it again. However, I played all three Pandemic Legacy games with the wife and generally had good to amazing experiences with them. Maybe it's because I really do like Pandemic and just had some horrible experiences early on, or maybe it's because those games "transcend" the puzzle part of the game. I like to think it's the later.

Regardless, I think ignoring Pandemic Legacy because you "solved" regular Pandemic is doing yourself a disservice, provided you have someone to play it through with you. They truly are unique experiences.

I've also got a couple of games of Fate of the Fellowship in, and it's pretty darn good. It's barely Pandemic, though I am a bit worried about some samie-ness, particularly with the main objective. I also haven't decided if this game really has legs yet, but I need more plays...and I want to play more.

I like these games but the Decktective games are better. So are the Unlock! Series for the most part.