Last modified September 13, 2025 by Krushpin

Lorcana Palace Heist (8 games)

Only played solo: 6 times with the blue/purple deck and 2 times with the yellow/grey deck. I tried easy mode once with each deck. Both times, it was a walk in the cake or a piece of park or something like that... Then normal mode gave me a lot of trouble with the blue/purple deck but I succeeded on the first try with the yellow/grey deck. I'm going to let it settle a little for a few days but I really enjoyed solo mode, to my great surprise! I wonder though if, in the long run, the strategy of each deck won't become a rinse and repeat. After all, we always play against the same Jafar deck. I'm not worried that Ravensburger will release other boxes in the same style. Like one every 3-4 days, like for the new series that come out at an unsustainable pace for my wallet.

Eldritch Horror + expansions (2 parts)

Again, only played solo.

First game against Azathoth, controlling two characters but with the variant where you skip one Mythos phase out of two, to simulate the rhythm of a four-player game. A fairly quick and conclusive victory, but I was lucky because the clues almost always came out next to my characters.

Second game, again against Azathoth but this time trying to control 4 characters. Quite a bit more management and planning. First time trying this setup and I loved it! It will be like this for future games from now on. Another victory without any major pitfalls.

I'll have to increase the difficulty level by releasing an Ancient One that's tougher than Azathoth. I release this game for one or two games about once every 18 months (always solo) so I always start off fairly slowly for fear of being severely beaten. I'm now confident in my abilities and I'll release it again soon!

Zenith (2 parts)

Two games against my fiancée. This game has found a niche in our rotation. Perfect when you have 30-45 minutes free and don't want to break your bike too much. Yes, it's a pretty good luck of the draw game, but you have to appreciate it for what it is, and that's perfect. It will definitely see a lot of table time over the next few months. We like the fact that we can snuff each other out a bit, but it often backfires because we waste time doing it. Both of our games were decided by a hair (or a planet), so the tension it provides and the twists and turns it creates with each game make us greatly appreciate it.

Raising Robots (Part 1)

It's been almost a year since we released it. Out of sight, out of mind; it's like I didn't really believe in it anymore. I decided to give it one last try before my next purge. We played it again together and, frankly, it won me back. Nothing too mind-numbing, but it's fluid and effective. Not a Wingspan killer for me, as several reviewers once claimed, but an interesting alternative with a little more depth. I'll probably get the expansions soon so that it can definitely be included in my regular rotation. Perfect for starting a quieter evening.

Seasons (1 part)

Another game pulled from the mothballs to validate whether I'm keeping it or not. It's been a good 5-6 years since we last tried it and I was afraid it had aged badly. I used to consider it an underrated game and I was eager to see if that was still the case. I confirm! It's a very enjoyable game with a dose of planning and adaptation very present! It's not as simple and easy going as the visual suggests. Yes, there is luck of the draw for the cards and for the dice draft but for spending a lighter hour of pleasure, this game fulfills its mandate! We'll still have to try the expansions and from what I've read, it will add a lot of replayability and strategy. Can't wait to see, soon. Another game that dodges the guillotine at the last second!

Review of

It's been a busy week, both solo and with a partner. Normally, we're mostly fans of more robust games at home. Since I wanted to clean up my library, I set myself the goal of trying out older games again. I have to face the facts: my next sale will be smaller than I expected. There are worse problems in life than that...