CHENNAI: It hardly needs saying that 2020 has been an unusual year. In this specific instance — namely, talking about the best board games of the year — what it means is that a number of games that could’ve or should’ve been on this list simply didn’t get here in time. So we’re taking a different approach — we’re both talking about excellent games that came out this year, as well as older games that we got to try for the first time this year. Here’s the verdict.
Holi: Festival of Colors (2020)
The most recent arrival on this list, Holi was kickstarted earlier this year. We’ve had the chance to play it a few times and it looks set to be a real crowd-pleaser. Rules are straightforward, games are quick, there’s a lot of variability in the box and it has a gorgeous 3D board that would outdo even Wavelength in the attention-getting stakes.
Village Green (2020)
Village Green is the latest effort from Peer Sylvester, who knows a thing or two about card games — he’s got The Lost Expedition on his resume — so we had high hopes for this one. And it delivered. There are so many agonising choices in this tiny little box, which is a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover.
New Frontiers (2018)
New Frontiers — effectively the board game version of Race for the Galaxy — had been in development for ages and then was quite difficult to find once it did eventually release. I finally tried it this year, and it was well worth the wait — it takes a lot of what made Race great, and manages to stand up to its predecessor’s impressive legacy.
Wavelength (2019)
Of all the wonderful party games out there — Codenames, Just One, Decrypto — none of them will get quite the same attention that Wavelength will once you drop it on the table. From the stunning box to the beautiful centrepiece, this is the sort of game that makes passing people stop and ask what it’s about. The game itself is fantastic, being based entirely on subjective opinions and the interpretations thereof.
Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game (2020)
Love Letter, which came out back in 2012, is a deduction game that consists of sixteen cards and honestly feels like it shouldn’t work as well as it does.To take that formula and turn it into a solid one-vs-many game, as Infinity Gauntlet did this year, beggars belief, but it does and that’s why it’s on this list.
Project L (2020)
Ever since Patchwork came out six years ago, we’ve been in a golden age of polyomino games. For my money, Project L is the pinnacle of the genre; and, not coincidentally, it happens to be the most Tetris-like one of them all. Wonderful component quality, extremely satisfying gameplay and little downtime means that this is one we’ll keep coming back to.
Last Bastion (2019)
Then, there is Last Bastion, which I wrote about in this column not too long ago. It can be lazily summarised as ‘Helm’s Deep: The Board Game’, and Last Bastion does live up to that comparison. It’s a tense cooperative battle, where you’re constantly struggling to keep your head above water, and it really does capture that feeling of being up against insurmountable odds.
It’s a Wonderful World (2019)
I do have a weakness for card-drafting games — every turn gives you interesting decisions to make, and they tend to play quickly too. It’s a Wonderful World chucks engine-building into the mix, and the result is a supremely smooth and engaging game that you’ll likely wind up playing multiple times in a row.
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine (2019)
Unless you were lucky enough to pick up a copy at Essen last year, 2020 was the year of The Crew — not only because this was when most people were able to get their hands on it, but because it won the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres award back in July. This limited-communication cooperative trick-taking card game has been a hit every time it’s been played.
The Search for Planet X (2020)
Although it shares the same theme on paper as The Crew, an appreciation for the subject matter is baked into every facet of The Search for Planet X. A wonderful app-driven puzzle, this game is all about deducing the location of the long-theorized Planet X from a handful of clues (and from your opponents’ theories). It’s wonderfully sharp and is the best deduction game since Cryptid (which was my game of the year two years ago so, good company!).
Arjun Sukumaran
http://goo.gl/uNBWN3
(Arjun is a gamer, book lover and an all-round renaissance man)