Japanese board games Archives

IKI [Review]

Since the days when Tokyo was known as Edo, or even earlier, the Japanese have always pursued an ideal of aesthetics. The so-called Iki. I can’t claim to fully grasp the concept, but, roughly speaking, it’s about showing off refinement and wealth. Quite an easy feat, perhaps. Yet, the swagger must be done without crossing into outright bourgeois arrogance. From what I’ve read, it’s… a pretty nuanced philosophy.

Snow Planner [Preview]

by Stephan Sonny

Snow Planner is, at its core, a game of simplicity. Everything lies on the table. It’s straightforward generating resources to pay and optimising our moves with it. Despite the straightforward nature, it still offers a bit of complexity. Just a sprinkle of it. And let’s not confuse the simplicity and less complex bits with a lack of depth. Complexity itself is not linear with the latter part.