レビュー

• gamedeal user

  Jun 19, 2017

  Finding a multiplayer game to join is very easy. You don't have to pester people in your friendslist to find someone to play against. This is not the case with other games I know. I would also tag it as: easy to learn, difficult to master. You can buy extra DLC for this game. But don't worry! You don't have to: everything you pay extra gives you just the opportunity for more cosmetic items. No new mechanics or gamemodes in the extra products. So you don't need to spend a penny more to be able to play this game. Just the base game contains everything in terms of gameplay. Rest is cosmetic. (I bought all the DLC though, wanted to give my money to the developpers for such an awesome game) Buy now and have fun!
• gamedeal user

  Jul 2, 2019

  This is a virtual board game with a strong focus on strategy in a non-deterministic setting, requiring probabilistic reasoning (think of poker). The game is set in a steampunk society of (genderless) gremlins that see the purpose of their existance in grabbing power and profit by tricking and cheating each other. The design of the game material is in a hand-drawn cartoonesque style and visually appealing. Also the available music kits (to be won as prices in free-to-open chests) are a nice feature. Players compete by moving their character (like a Ludo token) along a board consisting of fields triggering specific events. Each of the dozen available characters has individual quirks altering the game mechanics and playstyle. Moves are made by playing cards that allow to move from 1 to 6 fields. Each player has 6 cards on her hand at any time, drawing a new one from a random deck for every card played from her hand. These cards however serve a dual purpose: Instead of playing a card in order to move, each card can be played on a certain field on the board triggering an event. The players have to decide whether to use a card to move or to play it on a field. The game events give players resources or take them away. Some cards require a resource in order to be played on a field. Positive resources are gold and votes. There is also a negative malice value that impacts certain aspects of the game. The final goal of the game is to reach a certain amount of points (represented by gearwheels) as the first player or to have the most points after a certain number of rounds, depending on which rule-set of several available is used. This points can be obtained in various ways, some of them are character-specific. Mostly points are bought by playing cards for a resource (gold or votes), some cards steal points from others and some even give them for free. Players can harm each other by playing cards that allow to inspect another players deck, steal points or put them in jail for some rounds. The game features a free-for-all competition giving rise to spontaneous collaboration and short-lived alliances. The players communicate ingame via pre-defined messages and emoticons, so that colaboration vs. the leading player can not be achieved by chatting eloquently but has to be the outcome of each weaker players understanding of the necessity to gang up on the strongest player until the threat is neutralized. Some communication options are available in a limited number. Uses have to be won from chests that drop randomly over time and that can be opened for free. Also emoticon-uses and other purely cosmetic features can be bought on steam or in-game. - A small and fair extra income for the devs in my opinion as the really important communication options are available without limit and the extra ones just add humor and flavour. In-game purchases are purely optional and there is by no means any pay-to-win mechanics. There could still be written a lot more about this simple to learn and yet amazingly complex game that is only seemingly dependent on luck but in fact requires deep strategic thought in order to make the best possible choice. I should certainly not finish writing without mentioning the excellent dev team: In spite of this being a small indie title, there is actually user support by the devs in the forum for questions, possible bugs or complaints about players violating the fairplay rules. The developers still regularly add content (in form of new cards) and there are regular ranked tournaments. At the moment the ruleset used for ranked matches changes every month, making the game fresh and different to play in regular intervals. After more than 30 years of experience with strategy (board-)games (mostly non-virtual), I was surprised how Gremlins Inc. combines well-proven concepts of such games in an innovative manner and yet manages to be well-balanced. This one is a pearl! At the time of this review I have 900h+ invested in this game - still counting. Personal rating: 10 out of 10 possible.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 8, 2016

  This is extremly good and polished game. Must have if you like board games. Even in early access it is 100% complete as far as I am concerned. Yea they have some items they want to finish before release, but this is mainly polishing and make sure that all screens are beautiful. What is important that game communicity is already enough to have constant gaming in EU and US timezones. Pros: - Deep game mechanic, so there are space to get better and better in it - Very polished and nice looking game already (early access) - Big community in EU and US timezone - average wait time 5 min for ranked game, 15 min max. Lots of 3+ players games. - Funny and not repeatable at all due to massive random - each game has it's own fun. Cons: - Game can last for as long as 2 hours and you have limited amount of time on turn, so you need to be able not be fully comitted for this period. P.s. This is small game studiom game is not AAA (will not have millions of sales) and they have done very good job, so they more than deserve the price they are asking for.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 10, 2018

  I recommend this game as a fun casual game. There is a bit of a learning curve in learning the cards and the mechanics, but it is not hard. Once the player learns the cards and figures out where and when to use them, the game becomes more enjoyable. My only complaint would be when the AI targets the human player instead of the score leader, in single multiple AI player games (4+ AI players). I could be the player with the lowest score, nowhere near winning, and still be targeted with fines and jail. In those games, my only viable winning strategy is to become the Don in jail and winning this way takes a while, since the AI will not let me spend more than 2-3 turns out of jail. At least there is a way to win even then, but it makes single games involving multiple AI players (more than 2 AI players) less desirable. This game is being updated with new free content (usually cards and emotes) about every 4 months, which keeps it fresh, and any bugs or server issues are taken care of. Luck is a factor but once the player learns the cards and the mechanics of the game, some strategy will be needed to play the cards efficiently, depending on board placement. Multiplayer games are fun. Just be prepared for your efforts to be thwarted often, since such is the nature of the game. I have spent hundreds of hours playing this game and I have no regrets.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 14, 2016

  This game isn't perfect, but no game really is. I find the gameplay a bit slow overall, but it's a complex game with a lot going on each time you play. Right off the start this game grabbed me. The intro music is catchy. The sound design is great. The graphics are good, for what they are and what the game is, but I really like the artistic style even though the graphics aren't what most people would call spectacular. The gameplay can seem simple at first, but it's not. Not at all. It's got style. It's got good gameplay with well thought out mechanics. It's got Gremlins and Gadgets and Goodies and Gold. The alliteration - that's all mine. And so's the gold. FYI folks - though it may seem like it, this is *NOT* a collectable card game, every player draws from the same deck. Everyone has the same options available to them, but it is a random draw. You *ALWAYS* have 6 cards, even after you just played a card to move - you instantly draw back to 6. Discard your whole hand? Sure - but draw back up to 6 right away. Does this affect your game? Yeah, you may have been on the way to a place where you can play one of your cards, but because of the draw you don't need to go there anymore. You may need to backtrack for several turns to get to another location where you can do something beneficial. You may need to go somewhere closer for an even better card than you originally had. You just don't know, but you always have options because you always have 6 cards. The gameplay is rather deep and it takes a while to get used to it. I've played a couple games vs the A.I. and haven't won yet, but I'm getting the hang of it. It may take a couple more games before my plans actually start to pan out a bit better. Yes, this is a board game and yes a 6 sided random number generator is used. Usually, when you play a board game you roll dice to determine a andom distance your token or player or piece moves - then you have to deal with the outcome or consequences of the space where you landed or stopped. Simple and straightforward. This is the method used by a lot of the classic board games and there is often little to no thought or decision making involved once you land on a space. Why did I just explain that? You already know that, right? Well, I explained it because Gremlins, Inc. is pretty much the opposite of that. And that's a very, very good thing. In this game you CHOOSE how far you're moving based on the six cards in your hand. You can use any of them for movement, they all have a move value from 1 to 6, with 2-4 looking like they're the most common. Instead of your movement being random and the outcome of the space you land on being fixed, the movement is chosen by you but the outcome of the spots or places you land on is frequently random, but not always. And sometimes you can play a card or have a permanent effect that cancels or changes the outcome of the spaces where you land. The board also has several options for where you can go and how you can get there, plus some cards bypass normal movement rules completely. There's always choice involved in where you go and what you're trying to do instead of the game forcing you to go somewhere and often giving you no choice over what happens when you get there. Basically - Gremlins, Inc. is the opposite of what I don't like about many traditional board games. Sure, they can pass the time but are you really using your noggin to make decisions? In Gremlins, Inc. you are using your noggin - or you're losing. Big time. There are a variety of ways to play. I thought I had a recent game in the bag. I had a huge income. I got a lot of money when I passed an income square, double if I landed on it and double if I went to the bank, which usually yields zero, I was the governor so didn't have to worry about bribes/police and had a few other things going for me. I had nearly enough of a score to win the game. I was, however, nearly broke. I should have had cash like crazy, but I had the least of all the players. Still, I was in good shape, right? I had some cards that were easy to play and would have given me the game. Did I win? Nope. Some sneaky Gremlin managed to score just enough points to win before I could. Did I pump my income just a bit too much when I should have been doing something else? Should I have passed up the win on that last election to get some more money or move to a different location on the map? Should I have stayed in jail instead of accepting amnesty a couple times to get out early? No idea... but I made those decisions myself. I didn't lose just because of a couple dice rolls. Sure I had a few rolls go the wrong way but I chose to to to those places and those dice rolls were something I chose to let happen. Basically I chose my fate, not the dice. I could have avoided those places or spots but I decided to risk it out. I mentioned jail - you *CAN* go directly to jail in some cases, but you don't just sit there rolling dice or paying a fine to get out. Things happen while you're in there that can change the outcome of the game - and sometimes it's actually in the jailbird's favour! If you haven't figured it out yet, I think everyone should check this one out. And by check it out I mean buy it and play it, or at the absolute least give it a very good look and read up on it, well beyond my review, because it's a pretty solid game and quite fun overall. Although I found the gameplay a bit slow this game deserves at least a solid 8/10. . . so I'm giving it a 9. Why? Because I actually liked it from the first moment the game was fully loaded up. Usually I'm grumpy about something within seconds - whether it's poor music, a terrible tutorial or game manual, or just a craptastic user interface. This game did all of that, and more, very well. What do you do with people who do something well? You give them a good frigging review, that's what. Edited - caveat emptor - the game needs access to the internet and is designed to be played online. Sorry for not adding that in earlier. Single player is possible with AI, but it's meant to be a multiplayer game. There are several "ladders" for players of various skill and rank.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 13, 2016

  Pros: -Deep game mechanics -Well done tutorial -Wildly unpredictable games -Awesome lore section -Solid graphics/sound -Casual, relaxed gameplay Cons: -RNG gives, and RNG takes away -Gameplay can be difficult to follow at times Overall: Gremlins Inc. is a board game disguised as a computer game. Get that into your head when you decide on buying this game. Imagine sitting at a table with your friends choosing between this, Monopoly, and Risk. Gremlins isn't like any other board game I've played, though, and it fits being a video game well. Each player has six cards in hand, drawn from the same deck of cards, and when you play a card, you draw a new one. Cards can be played to move across the board, or on certain spots on the board to accomplish certain things. Each spot on the board has a different event, and measuring where you want to land and mapping out paths to different locations is crucial. There is a lot of dice rolling in this game, and oftentimes the rolls can give you massive bonuses or horrifying penalties. The player to accrue the most "Points" by playing cards and activating effects wins the game after either reaching a set milestone, or having a certain number of turns pass. There's a ton more to be said, but that's the basic gameplay. It's simple. It's like rolling the dice to move around the board in monopoly, and then deciding what to do with where you land. Or moving troops around on a Risk board, carefully planning around your opponents. It's simple to learn and yet has a surprising amount of strategy behind what you choose to do. And sometimes the dice just don't go your way, but luck seems to favor superior tactics in the long run. If you don't enjoy the casual tabletop experience, you might not enjoy this game. If you have ever sat back and thought it would be great if you could have that in a game, this game is for you. At $15, it's cheaper than most tabletop board games, and I enjoy it a great deal more. I hope you at least give it a try. Bottom Line: Recommend for the price
• gamedeal user

  Mar 14, 2017

  I'm going to write this from the perspective of a big fan of board games. Gremlins, Inc. is essentially the video-game adaptation of a board game that doesn't exist (yet, hopefully, but I am doubtful it will make it to market as a real board game). As a board game, this game is BRILLIANT. The level of strategic depth is incredible. The six random cards - of 180 total at time of writing - that you hold in your hand provide a huge range of options in terms of where you can go on the map, what you can do, and how you can react to what your opponents are doing. The balance is fantastic too, between the different characters, their special abilities, and the various paths to win the game. The developer publishes the tournament win percentages for each character, which to me is an awesome sign of their commitment to transparency and game balance. Both of the above statements are a mind-blowing achievement when you start to understand the wide variety of features in the game: the ability to generate income, gain votes and become an elected official, collect malice for harmful deeds, experience 'misfortunes', get arrested and make choices from within prison (including even becoming a "Don" and winning the game from prison), team matches, etc. And these are just the core game mechanics. The artwork, music and overall implementation are top-notch. Apple-grade design. A lot of players have asked for the developers to make the soundtrack available, because it's that good. Finally, the community engagement and ongoing developer support from what I've seen is also something to commend. There is a detailed ranking system, regular tournaments and fan-based activities, so that you don't feel you're playing for nothing. My only gripe with this game is the lack of in-game chat, which I think takes away from the sense of community that makes a game super engaging over the long-run, but I understand why the developers made that decision: when you're sprinting toward your last objective and suddenly someone tosses you in jail, the temptation to threaten to rip their $#@%! heads off would probably be too great to resist, and who knows, there might be children playing. Anyway -- for board game lovers, this game is a must-buy. Just do it. You won't regret it. And then once you fall in love with it, go tell your friends. It should be a shame to see this wonderful product disappear without ever being found by the masses. *** Post-review edit: I took a look at most of the negative reviews and saw the following: - Must be connected to the Internet to play (this was addressed in latest patch, there's now an offline version) - Getting kicked out of the game due to server drops (I've never experienced one, so this was likely resolved in 2016) - Players teaming up (developers introduced an anonymous player option feature and have taken rare action to ban users for this behaviour in the past) - Too much randomness in the game (to me this is just whining, especially when playing to 30 or 40 prestige points; yes there's some luck, but it's mostly strategy over the long-run)
• gamedeal user

  Nov 1, 2017

  I am happy that a lot of people like this game and that its creators seem to be doing well, as I'm an avid board gamer and want digital board games to do well on Steam. However, Gremlins is not an "intense strategy board game" as its tagline claims. "If Monopoly and Mario Party had a Steampunk Baby" from the Review blurbs is a more accurate description: long, chaotic, almost entirely decided by luck, and full of decisions that are either trivial or pointless. I've played serious strategy board games as my primary hobby since 2004. I've played a lot of, and am quite good at, games such as Agricola, Age of Steam, Through the Ages, Scythe, Mage Knight, Terra Mystica, and many others. Gremlins has the trappings of a strategy board game: resources, victory points, a complicated-looking board, complex mechanics, unique player powers, and so on. Unfortunately, it feels like a strategy board game designed by someone who wanted to make a strategy board game but didn't actually know anything about what strategy board games are supposed to be like. As a longtime fan and player of actual strategy board games, I really wanted to like Gremlins and was bitterly disappointed. The game is chaotic. Long-term planning is impossible and short-term options are limited. If you play without a turn limit, the game lasts forever because bad things inevitably keep happening to you. There is nothing you can do to prevent your hand from being wiped out and/or your character being hauled to jail in the blink of an eye. Your money, votes, and even victory points can disappear at astonishing speeds through no fault of your own. Of course, all this bad stuff happens to your opponents too, so the game feels interminable, with rounds dragging on and on and nobody making any real progress. Another problem with the game is the lack of escalation. Cards that provide persistent effects are difficult to acquire and very limited in power ("Whenever someone does a thing that no one is ever likely to do, get a trivial amount of money"). As a result, a player's power is entirely a consequence of where they are on the board and how many resources they have -- all of which can change in an instant. As a result, you feel no more accomplished or advanced in the game on turn 30 than you did on turn 1. As an experience, I don't deny that Gremlins can be fun, as the numerous favorable reviews would suggest. I, however, was not looking for an "experience." I was looking for a strategy board game, and as that, Gremlins quite simply sucks. It is long, luck-filled, chaotic, and entirely lacking in escalation -- all violations of the very most basic principles of strategy board game design. If you want a good digital board game, try Armello or any of the various free-to-play CCGs. Otherwise, get Bluestacks and play any of the excellent board game ports out there (Through the Ages, Splendor, Agricola, and Lords of Waterdeep are among my favorites), or wait for board game ports to start coming to Steam (there is a little momentum in this area, with games like Twilight Struggle already here and titles such as as Scythe promised on the horizon in 2018). Avoid Gremlins. The strategy board game it claims to be is nowhere near the reality of what it is.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 16, 2016

  (Serious review: forgive my lack of puns and general shenanigans) I havent played multiplayer yet, but I am GREATLY enjoying the single player experience. It's kind of hard to believe this is Early Access, as I've played games that claimed to be in full release that were far less polished than this! Visually, this game is stunning. The style and attention to detail on the cards is incredible, and the game board is beautiful, with little things lighting up and moving in the background, making the board feel 'alive.' There is a prototype card game being produced in limited run, and I'm buying it for the artwork of the cards alone. Gameplay wise, I feel like it accomplishes a good balance of strategy and luck... enough to keep you on your toes and guessing from beginning to end. There is a good variety of types of card with various effects, good and bad, that can be played against others or played against you. I really enjoyed the dual role of cards (you use them to move, plus you need to strategically plan out where you will land on the board in order to play other cards for points). A single player game took me roughly an hour, and this was with me very casually reading every line of every card and getting up to make tea, etc... so really, you could probably move through a game in 30-45 minutes. I highly recommend this game to board game lovers, steampunk enthusiasts, and strategy/card game fans. I bought it for $9.99 in Early Access, and there is some discussion of raising the price by about 50% when it goes live... and I can tell you that this game is easily worth $14.99. So throw some money to an indie developer and pick this up. You wont regret it!!
• gamedeal user

  Mar 16, 2016

  I LOVE board games. I've have now played 15 games in the last two days and NOT finish one. If the server blinks for a second you are kicked out and can not finish the game. EVERY game I've played, I've been kicked out. I'm in the top 10 markets for internet speed and reliability so I'm sure it is not on my end. This problem has only been with this game. If you did not have to stay on the internet to play or there was a save mech to return you to your previous game I would have recommended the game.