Matthew Smail

Playing The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship feels like much more than just a game — it’s the retelling of an epic story. Frodo is one step from despair, the Nazgûl are circling, and you’re desperately trying to recruit Rohirrim…

Like any good long-read, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition reveals its rich characters, detailed plot and expansive narrative over a protracted period of time. It doesn’t chase trends or try to reinvent the wheel — instead, it…

Late Pledges for Era of Tribes are still open for a few more days here. If you’ve ever wanted to guide a civilization from its tribal roots to a sprawling empire, Era of Tribes might just be the game you’ve been waiting for. Designed by…

When I first opened up Parks (Second Edition), the first thing that struck me — as with the original — was the incredible presentation and build quality. This is still a small box with a beautiful cover, but once you lift the lid, Parks…

Storm in a Teacup’s Steel Seed is a game that wears its ambition like a battle suit — sleek, stylish, and just a little bit intimidating. Set in a post-cataclysmic world where machines have inherited the Earth, this stealth-action adventure…

There’s no denying that Empyreal makes a strong first impression. From the moment you step into its fractured, floating world, it’s clear that this is a game with vision. The skybound setting — all shimmering islands, ancient ruins, and…

Rise & Fall, the latest design from Christophe Boelinger and published by Ludically, opens with the players building the board piece by piece — an act of divine collaboration that feels more like sculpting a landscape than setting up a…

I’m not a gardener in real life, but I still get immense satisfaction from watching things grow — not just in the botanical sense, but also in the way a game can evolve from a simple set of rules into a rich, multi-layered experience.…

Returning to the North Sea oil rig that served as the haunting stage for Still Wakes the Deep, the Siren’s Rest DLC offers a more introspective, subdued experience than its predecessor.  Where the base game was a masterclass in…

Fled, designed by Mark Swanson (of Feudum fame), is a game about escaping from an unjust regime — not just thematically, but mechanically. It’s a game of tight spaces, limited options, and constant pressure. Following on from our 2023…