Matthew Smail

When I think of trick-taking games, I almost never think of cooperation. Teamwork (in games like Whist) yes, but cooperation, no. The need to win — or take — tricks, is inherently focused on winning, and the idea of throwing a trick away…

I’ve said on many occasions that what I love most about board games (and video games, to be fair) is that they transport me to distant realms, far away worlds and, in the case of Deep Vents, deep, deep under the sea. This latest title from…

In Zoo Run, children of all ages will work cooperatively and competitively to help a group of animals escape from the zoo. The cute visuals will draw in younger players whilst their older family members laugh and joke alongside them.…

Court of the Dead: Mourners Call is quite a mouthful — and at first glance, the box appears to be as large as the title. This is one of those huge box thematic games that results from a large Kickstarter, and even though the review copy…

As (just about) the main tabletop reviewer here, my attention is often more on paper and card than it is on digital games. When a video game chooses to root itself firmly in board game mechanics however, my interest is always piqued. Faeria…

Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best — especially when you take the most basic concept and layer in just a few new ideas to keep things interesting. With Twin It!, players will feel immediately familiar thanks to similarities with…

Whilst Little Battle is a title that might suggest a fair bit of conflict, this small box kids game from Loki is actually something very different. Yes, you’ll be competing directly with each other, but the anamorphic-pirate theme and the…

With some really stellar tactical action games already out on Nintendo’s Switch console, 1971 Project Helios was always going to need to find some way to differentiate itself. At face value it might appear to do just that, with an…

My idea of a good horror game is one that paralyses me with fear. It’s a game that is so terrifying I can’t get out of my chair to perform basic functions like visiting the toilet, or getting a drink. These are games so frightening that you…

There’s a fine line between imitation as flattery and outright copying the work of a person or group that you admire. In the case of Mortal Shell, the line is so blurred that I could hardly see it, and if you put screenshots from Mortal…