Dodo Board Game Review

Dodo

Players: 2-4

Play Time: 10 minutes
Ages: 6+

Gameplay
In Dodo, a mama dodo has laid her egg at the top of the mountain. Players cooperatively work to build bridges and dock the boat to catch the egg before it falls off the mountain (keeping it from hatching). You do this by rolling a die and turning over tokens. If they match, you get to add the building materials to your bridges and dock.

Thoughts
Everything about the components of this game screams “play with me!!” The mountain, how you add the bridges, the boat and the amazing wobbly, slow rolling egg are pretty irresistible on the table. I was initially a little skeptical about how sturdy a kids game with so many 3D components could be, but the way things go together, it seems like it will hold up really well.It does take a little while to put together, but play goes fast so you can get in multiple games in a session (especially if you lose). 

This is such a fun cooperative kids game! It is also low stress enough to help my speed-averse kid work though some of that anxiety around “racing” a game. I actually think my 3 year old will be able to play soon.

Game gifted by the publisher but all thoughts are always my own.

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My Book Nook Game Review

My Book Nook: Cozy Word Building Game

Players: 1-5

Play Time: 20 minutes (officially 30)

Ages: 8+

I am doing my best to raise a family of bookworms (and board gamers), so my kids’ library is actually much bigger than our game library. Therefore, it was an immediate “yes” when I had the opportunity to review My Book Nook: Cozy Word Building Game

📚Overview📚
In My Book Nook, you’re trying to build words, decorate your shelves & create the coziest reading nook. On your turn, you can either choose two cards or build a word. Book Nook cards feature a book with a letter and a genre. Decoration cards feature an endgame scoring condition, usually based on the location or number of books of a particular genre. You use the Book Nook cards to build words, which earn you ambiance cards. The ambiance card you get is determined by the length of the word; more letters are worth more points. There are also sometimes bonuses for rarer letters and a penalty for wildcards. Once someone builds four words, everyone gets one more turn, you assign decorations to each word and the game ends.

📚Thoughts📚
I ended up really liking this, as did my teen, who is my usual word game partner! The rules are well written and straightforward. The art is wonderfully thematic. I really enjoyed the array of fun decorations you can get, as well as the cozy ambiance cards (think snacks, slippers, pets, etc.). Plus, who doesn’t want to create an amazing book nook?! 

The length of the game feels perfect for the lighter weight of the game. When I played with two players, it probably took less than 20 minutes. My solo game was even faster. I worried the lack of a wiping mechanism might make the card market feel stale, but it wasn’t a problem at all. I really appreciate the inclusion of a solo mode, since so many word games lack them. Gameplay is very similar to multiplayer, without any additional management. You are just competing with your own score, but it works for a relaxing little word puzzle.

*Game provided, but all thoughts are my own

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Widget's Workshop Game Review

Widget's Workshop

Players: 2-5

Play Time: 20 minutes (officially 30)
Ages: 7+ (Officially 14+)

I bought Widget's Workshop on a whim a few weeks back, never having played a “drop style” game before, and I’m really glad I did!

⚙️Overview⚙️
Players are trying to build the best robots and golems possible. First, all of the transparent gear cards are dropped randomly onto the table. Each has some symbols on the edges corresponding to elements, archetypes and make, plus a body part (leg, arm, body) in the middle. Players take turns using just one finger to pull either one face up card or two face down ones, then adding the part to one of their construct bays. Once a bay has all five parts, you stack the pieces to create your construct, learn its name and score based on how many symbols match for each category (0-30 points). The first one to complete a certain number of constructs gets a bonus, and then everyone compares scores.

⚙️Thoughts⚙️
This is such a clever family weight game! The box says 14, but my 7 year old played easily (even if tempted to cheat by using more than one finger to draw cards). I love how the gears stack to make your little robot/golem, the clear cards are used so creatively! I also love how when the 5 parts are stacked, a name is revealed. I think the names were my son’s favorite part!

Setup is easy and gameplay is quick. It feels very unique in our large collection, so is an excellent addition.

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