2022 Is A Good Year For Gaming: New Boardgames To Check Out

One of the reasons I love board games so much is they offer a sort of escape from the everyday hum-drum of life. Sitting down with groups of friends (or sometimes strangers) and partaking in a session of gaming insulates us and nurtures a part of the mind that can sometimes be neglected.

Year after year, game designers flex their creative muscles and bring us fresh new ideas…or at the very least, fresh packaging for old ideas! 2022 is looking to be no different; between the big publishing houses, smaller independent labels, and, who can forget, the slew of crowd-funded games, there are a ton of games being released.

Whether you’re gift shopping, buying for yourself, or just curious about what’s upcoming and new, here’s where to start! Let’s Go!

Bitoku

Publisher: Devir
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 120 min

Bitoku has players assume the roles of forest spirits on their way toward transcendence, with the goal of becoming the next great forest spirit. The great spirit of the forest has decided to retire and over the course of the game (4 years in-game time), each of your decisions will ultimately end in one of you ascending to become the next great spirit. This will be possible with the help of the Yōkai, Kodamas, and pilgrims who accompany them on their journey. There are multiple paths to victory in this card-management, engine-building game.

In Bitoku, there are four seasons, or rounds, divided into four phases. The summer is the time of most play, with the spring, fall, and winter being the times of set-up and cleanup. As the game progresses, play Yōkai cards from your hand for bonuses and the unlocking of other cool game features. Gather resources from various domains and inch your way along the spirit track.

The game mechanics themselves are simple enough to learn but the real challenge lies in the decision-making process. Because there are so many different paths a player can take, the first playthrough can seem overwhelming. This also makes Bitoku high on the replayability scale which is a major factor in a board game staying in rotation or ending up on the shelf.

Familiar Tales

Publisher: Plaid Hat Games
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 45-120 min

If a family-friendly, cooperative adventure full of fantasy and deck building is what you’re after, Familiar Tales should be on your list. Jerry Hawthorne, the creator of Mice & Mystics, is back with his next board game which uses a gameplay system that makes it seem as though the players are part of a fantasy-filled storybook. Even the board adds to the setting as it opens like a book and lays out on the table.

The end goal of the group is to safely deliver an infant princess whose royal parents have gone into hiding to escape an encroaching evil. For those who have never played a game using the novel style, pay heed to your decisions as they will impact the story down the road. Giving real weight to player decisions has always been something I enjoy and this game blends it well with lighter, family-centric fun.

So what are you waiting for? Play as one of four magical familiars created by a wizard name Master Merilious and embark on a journey to save a child’s life and bring goodness and peace back to the land of Principalia.

Settlement

Publisher: IGames
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 45-90 min

Settlement is a game that some might find familiar if they’ve played a lot of 4X style games. In this game, settlers have discovered new, unchartered lands. As you eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate each other with glee, you’ll also be able to take a bunch of cool actions which add a nice bit of flair to the gameplay.

Things You Can Do

• Construct a building
• Explore a terrain
• Hunt a monster
• Build an outpost
• Activate a region
• Activate a street
• Activate an outpost

By acquiring resources you can then spend them to do things like invite new heroes to your settlement which in turn might allow you to recruit new settlers. Finding powerful artifacts or choosing to hunt monsters. Using resources to build new outposts, further eXpanding your influence…. Yes! Yes to all of these things!

The game ends after the 6th round at which point everyone counts their points. Note: your points ONLY count on the last round. Being in the lead for the whole game is one thing but making sure you are set up to be in first at the end of the game is something else.

Zapotec

Publisher: Board&Dice
Players: 1-4
Playtime: 60-75 min

Drawing from the pages of our own world history, Zapotec borrows it’s imagery from a pre-Columbian civilization that existed more than two thousand years ago in what was Mesoamerica. Once rediscovered, explorers found evidence of game courts, magnificent buildings and finely wrought jewelry.

Falling roughly in the same game category as Settlement, Zapotec offers a different energy and vibe to the 4X style of game. For starters, turn order is dynamic meaning you can expect each round to have different players going first, last and so on. Each round also brings you new resources which are spend to construct buildings or unlock new abilities. As the game winds along, you’ll have the opportunity to build pyramids, perform rituals as well as sacrifices.

Zapotec reaches it’s conclusion after five rounds of play. At this point, each player tallies points for pyramids built, sacrifices performed and accrued ritual cards.

Wrap Up

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the great games coming out or already released in 2022. Hope you found something here of interest and see you next time!

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