The Game Shelf Reviews:- Macaron

Game:Macaron

Publisher: Sunrise Tornado Game Studio

Designer:  Ta-Te Wu

Year: 2021

Sunrise Tornado Game Studio have a track record of crowd-funding very cute games. Up until now, our favourite has been Cat Rescue - a game of rescuing and re-homing cats from the streets, with lovely cat artwork, that has since been used in a number of their campaigns. The same designer and publisher combo also recently gained a wider audience with a reprint of Promenade released by Rio Grande Games.

 

Macaron continues with the cute themes - a small package that looks just like a luxury package of tasty marcarons. The artwork throughout the game is simple but lovely, and should be just the thing to attract lighter gamers to the table. However, if you're expecting a light card game, Macaron might hold a few surprises - it's a simple game, but it'll certainly exercise your brain!

The Game Shelf Reviews:- Wok and Roll

Game: Wok and Roll

Publisher: Origame

Designer:  Daryl Chow

Year: 2020

Wok and Roll is a roll and write game from publisher Origame, from Singapore, publishing games by designer Daryl Chow. The roll and write craze, which seemed like it would be a flash in the pan, is still alive and kicking and Wok and Roll brings with it a delightful theme, that I've not yet seen in roll and writes. Each player is creating a menu for their own Asian restaurant, picking ingredients from the roll of the dice.

Amy has always been a source of groan-worthy puns, but the opportunity to name your restaurant at the beginning of each game of Wok and Roll, really took this trait to new depths. I would be happy to play this game for the sole purpose of seeing what Amy could come up with next. Why naming a restaurant is so much more fun than naming a town in Welcome To, I'm not sure, but the photos in this review will give you a little insight into the mind of my wife.

The Game Shelf Reviews:- Canopy

Game: Canopy

Publisher: Weird City Games

Designer:  Tim Eisner

Year: 2021

 

 

Canopy is primarily a two-player game where players complete to grow a rainforest, filled with many tall trees, beautiful flowers and a variety of exotic animals.

The game was funded on Kickstarter and what really stood out to me was the publishers focus on the environment. For each game sold, a tree is planted, and the game itself uses no plastic beyond the two seals that hold the lid on the box in place of shrink wrap. Cards are wrapped with little paper bands, and there are no plastic baggies in site, with lovely, branded paper bags provided instead.

The Game Shelf Reviews:- Small Islands

Game: Small Islands

Publisher: MushrooM Games & Lucky Duck Games

Designer:  Alexis Allard

Year: 2018

The first impression of Small Islands is like a maritime Carcassonne - it has the familiar square tiles, with land and sea edges that must be matched as you build a central landscape together throughout the game. Like many gamers, Carcassonne was one of our first modern board games and it's one that has really stood the test of time, with a number of expansions having also been crammed into our base game box over the years.

 Small Islands caught our eye when it was shown at the UK Games Expo a few years ago and then I had regrets when it was really hard to find for the next couple of years. Thankfully, that problem has been solved, with Lucky Duck Games announcing a reprint of Small Islands to share it with a larger audience and we have been excited to give it a try.