Matthew Smail, Author at Big Boss Battle (B3)

Dominion is the deck-builder that started them all – but does it still hold up today?

Matthew Smail — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:00:36 +0000

Dominion, designed by Donald X. Vaccarino and published by Rio Grande Games, is one of the few modern board games that can genuinely be called foundational. Released in 2008, it didn’t just popularise an existing mechanism — it effectively created an entirely new genre: the now commonplace deck‑builder. Its core idea is now so ubiquitous […]

The post Dominion is the deck-builder that started them all – but does it still hold up today? appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

The Marvel MaXimum Collection puts the deserving X-Men front and centre

Matthew Smail — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:00:10 +0000

Marvel MaXimum Collection on Xbox is one of the most sought after retro throwbacks that I can remember. It’s far from just a bundle of old ROM’s, and much more a curated archive of some very specific slices of Marvel’s gaming history. Limited Run Games pitches Marvel MaXimum Collection as “one of the most comprehensive […]

The post The Marvel MaXimum Collection puts the deserving X-Men front and centre appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

ICARUS: Console Edition is a flawed diamond in a packed genre

Matthew Smail — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:00:57 +0000

ICARUS: Console Edition is one of the more ambitious survival games to make the leap from PC to Xbox, and in many ways it succeeds in delivering the same atmospheric, punishing, and strangely hypnotic loop that defined the original. The titular alien world is harsh and beautiful, storms feel genuinely threatening, and the mission‑based structure […]

The post ICARUS: Console Edition is a flawed diamond in a packed genre appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

If you like accessible strategy games then this is Dewan you want!

Matthew Smail — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:00:09 +0000

Dewan, from designers Johannes Goupy and Yoann Levet and published by Space Cowboys, is an attractive, thematic strategy game that blends straightforward yet crunchy mechanics with a gentle post-apocalyptic story. It’s clean, elegant, and intuitively understandable, yet the decisions it presents are consistently interesting. What elevates Dewan beyond a typical spatial puzzle is the way […]

The post If you like accessible strategy games then this is Dewan you want! appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

KingDomino on iOS is a gorgeous adaptation of a very simple gateway game

Matthew Smail — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:00:34 +0000

Kingdomino on iOS is a digital adaptation that feels both faithful and familiar to me, mainly because I’ve had a particular fondness for this game ever since playing it with my girls when they were very young. Seeing it now on a tablet and iPhone brings back those memories of us puzzling over tile placement […]

The post KingDomino on iOS is a gorgeous adaptation of a very simple gateway game appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Mindbug x King of Tokyo is a fast-paced, small box design that is packed full of smart ideas

Matthew Smail — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:12 +0000

Mindbug x King of Tokyo is a surprising and yet extremely well-suited crossover. Richard Garfield has spent decades refining two very different strands of design: the tight, tactical cardplay of Magic: The Gathering and the big, swingy, personality‑driven chaos of King of Tokyo. Mindbug, co‑designed with Marvin Hegen and Christian Kudahl, sits somewhere between those […]

The post Mindbug x King of Tokyo is a fast-paced, small box design that is packed full of smart ideas appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Kill Hitler in under 30 mins with Valkyrie: A Black Orchestra Game

Matthew Smail — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:19:54 +0000

Valkyrie: A Black Orchestra Game, designed by Philip DuBarry and published by Tabletop Tycoon, is a fascinating return to one of the most thematically charged cooperative games of the last ten years — but this version has a sharper focus, a shorter playtime, and a design philosophy that feels like a deliberate response to the […]

The post Kill Hitler in under 30 mins with Valkyrie: A Black Orchestra Game appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Forgive Me Father 2 is an incredible throwback that hits all the right notes

Matthew Smail — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000

Forgive Me Father 2, developed by Byte Barrel and published by Fulqrum Publishing, is a blood-soaked, Lovecraftian boomer shooter that builds on the foundations of its predecessor with sharper combat, deeper madness mechanics, and a more refined visual identity. It’s a sequel that builds upon what worked the first time around and tries to push […]

The post Forgive Me Father 2 is an incredible throwback that hits all the right notes appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is the anthology this classic series deserves

Matthew Smail — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:00:18 +0000

For the first time in what seems like years of reviewing remakes, rehashes and “classic compilations” I am delighted to report that Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is more than just a cash-grab retro compilation — it’s a curated, interactive museum that chronicles the rise of one of gaming’s most iconic and controversial franchises. Even better […]

The post Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is the anthology this classic series deserves appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

AireCon returns to Harrogate: A gaming‑first board‑gaming festival with Yorkshire charm

Matthew Smail — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:18:46 +0000

AireCon, the UK’s only truly gaming‑focused analogue gaming festival, returns to the Harrogate Convention Centre from 12–15 March 2026, bringing four days of open gaming, set-piece tournaments, RPGs and live shows to the heart of North Yorkshire. Unlike trade‑led expos built around product reveals, AireCon’s ethos has always been to play more games with more […]

The post AireCon returns to Harrogate: A gaming‑first board‑gaming festival with Yorkshire charm appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

R-Type Delta HD Boosted is a faithful but underwhelming take on the genre-defining classic

Matthew Smail — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

R-Type Delta HD Boosted on Xbox is a remastered edition of the 1998 PlayStation classic, bringing what is probably the most lauded title in the legendary shoot ’em up series into the modern era. It’s a fairly minimalist (yet faithful) update that preserves the original’s haunting tone and punishing gameplay, while layering in visual upgrades […]

The post R-Type Delta HD Boosted is a faithful but underwhelming take on the genre-defining classic appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Street Racer Collection lacks the enthusiasm of its original idea

Matthew Smail — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:00:40 +0000

Street Racer Collection on Xbox is a nostalgic throwback that revives Ubisoft’s quirky 1990’s kart-racing series, offering a bundle of chaotic, combat-heavy racing games that are fun in short bursts but uneven as a package. As a personal aside, I recently found some pictures of my walls from this era, and I was reminded that […]

The post Street Racer Collection lacks the enthusiasm of its original idea appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Company of Heroes: 2nd Edition is a near-perfect rendition of the video game

Matthew Smail — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:25:21 +0000

Company of Heroes: 2nd Edition is one of the most ambitious real‑time‑strategy‑to‑tabletop adaptations that I’ve ever come across, and the latest (second) edition shows just how far Bad Crow Games has gone to refine, rebalance, and expand the original design. It’s a dense, highly tactical World War II wargame that mirrors the structure, pacing, and […]

The post Company of Heroes: 2nd Edition is a near-perfect rendition of the video game appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Dave the Diver is an exceptional adventure — but do darker themes linger beneath the surface?

Matthew Smail — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:00:19 +0000

Dave the Diver on Xbox is a vibrant, genre-blending adventure that combines deep-sea exploration with restaurant management, delivering one of my favourite experiences of recent years. It’s colourful, funny, and packed with content — but beneath the humour and charm lies a more complicated theme: the ocean as a resource to be exploited, where almost […]

The post Dave the Diver is an exceptional adventure — but do darker themes linger beneath the surface? appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Cronos: The New Dawn is a well-crafted time-bending sci-fi survival horror

Matthew Smail — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:46 +0000

Cronos: The New Dawn on Xbox is a survival horror that thrives on its oppressive atmosphere and otherworldly tone, delivering a bleak and memorable experience that occasionally meanders into the overly familiar. With a heavy, cumbersome player character and lethargic combat, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Cronos falls for all the survival horror tropes, […]

The post Cronos: The New Dawn is a well-crafted time-bending sci-fi survival horror appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Coffee Rush is fast, fun and somehow… Extremely stressful!

Matthew Smail — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:00:54 +0000

Coffee Rush, published by Korea Board Games, is a title that looks deceptively light at first glance — bright colours, cheerful artwork, amazingly overproduced components and a theme built around brewing drinks and serving customers — but once you start playing, you realise it’s a tightly constructed puzzle with a surprising amount of tension. This […]

The post Coffee Rush is fast, fun and somehow… Extremely stressful! appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Nioh 3 is the ultimate artistic expression of the Masocore Genre

Matthew Smail — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:00:11 +0000

Nioh 3 on PlayStation 5 is the most confident, ambitious, and wide‑ranging evolution of Team Ninja’s so-called “Masocore” formula to date. It draws heavily on the precision and intensity of Nioh and Nioh 2, folds in lessons from Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and positions itself directly in competition with FromSoftware’s Dark Souls and especially, Elden […]

The post Nioh 3 is the ultimate artistic expression of the Masocore Genre appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Tainted Grail is a fantastic successor to the Elder Scrolls games of the last generation

Matthew Smail — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:18 +0000

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a sprawling, atmospheric open-world RPG that reimagines Arthurian legend through a lens of darkness and decay, drawing inspiration from the rich board game and RPG lore that inspired it. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is ambitious in scope, often breathtaking in tone and occasionally undermined by uneven […]

The post Tainted Grail is a fantastic successor to the Elder Scrolls games of the last generation appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Republic of Pirates is a steady but unremarkable take on city-building and RTS

Matthew Smail — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:00:12 +0000

Republic of Pirates on Xbox One is a promising blend of city builder, light strategy, and basic real-time naval combat, wrapped in a breezy Caribbean aesthetic that often feels about as crusty as Barnacle Bill. Developed by Crazy Goat Games, it’s a game that feels like it’s reaching back to the early 2000s for inspiration […]

The post Republic of Pirates is a steady but unremarkable take on city-building and RTS appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Yogi is a quick, silly filler that kids will love

Matthew Smail — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:44 +0000

Yogi is a physical (and occasionally hilarious) party game by Bez Shahriari that has most recently been published by Hachette. It challenges players to twist, contort, and balance their way to victory — a bit like a spiritual successor to Twister, but distilled into a deck of cards and a smaller gameplay footprint. At its […]

The post Yogi is a quick, silly filler that kids will love appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is an ambitious tactical roguelite

Matthew Smail — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:00:22 +0000

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is a bold and atmospheric spin-off that reimagines the tactical RPG framework of its predecessor through a roguelite lens. Developed by Ocean Drive Studio, it trades the sprawling narrative and persistent campaign of Lost Eidolons for a leaner, more modular experience — one that’s built around iterative runs, strategic […]

The post Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is an ambitious tactical roguelite appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Diver Go! is a slightly uneven but incredibly fun memory game

Matthew Smail — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:00:17 +0000

Diver Go! from Itten and designer Mashiu is a light, family-friendly memory and dexterity game where players dive for treasure coins on the ocean floor — balancing quick observation, recall, and a touch of luck against the mischievous curse of King Octo. It’s a compact design that combines a silly nautical theme with sharp gameplay, […]

The post Diver Go! is a slightly uneven but incredibly fun memory game appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Endangered is a rare and underrated solo or cooperative treat

Matthew Smail — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:00:01 +0000

Endangered, designed by Joe Hopkins and published by Grand Gamers Guild, is a cooperative game that wears its heart entirely and unapologetically on its sleeve. It is about saving animals, yes, but not in a vague, feel-good kind of way. Instead, Endangered focuses on the grind, the politics, and the precariousness of fighting extinction. Underneath […]

The post Endangered is a rare and underrated solo or cooperative treat appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Escape from Project Riese is the serious refinement of the cooperative zombie shooter

Matthew Smail — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:56 +0000

Escape from Projekt Riese is a tense, narrative-driven solo/co-op campaign game from Raybox Games that blends tactical combat, horror, and historical fiction into a modular, campaign driven experience that builds on its predecessor, Escape from Stalingrad Z with refined mechanics, deeper storytelling, and the same smart, concise production. Set in 1943 beneath the Owl Mountains […]

The post Escape from Project Riese is the serious refinement of the cooperative zombie shooter appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Club Manager – The most authentic football management board game?

Matthew Smail — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 12:00:57 +0000

Club Manager, designed by Colin Webster, is a football management game that aims to capture the long arc of running a club rather than the moment‑to‑moment tactics of a single match. It’s a game about seasons (up to ten), not an individual fixture; about shaping a squad over years rather than picking a starting eleven […]

The post Club Manager – The most authentic football management board game? appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Moon Colony Bloodbath is one of 2025’s most original games

Matthew Smail — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 14:00:10 +0000

Moon Colony Bloodbath, designed by Donald X. Vaccharino and published by Rio Grande Games, is a tableau-building and deck-destruction game that thrives on its clever arc of play, tongue-in-cheek retro-futuristic art style, and the way it makes players feel both confident and doomed in equal measure. It can be taught in minutes, played in under […]

The post Moon Colony Bloodbath is one of 2025’s most original games appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Scope: Panzer is a tactical, two-player battle in a tiny box

Matthew Smail — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:00:50 +0000

SCOPE: Panzer is a fast-playing, two-player World War II tank combat game from Draco Ideas and designer Juan A. Nácher that distills the tension of battlefield ambushes into a tight, 10–15 minute card game of memory, deduction, and positioning. The box is small enough to fit into an overnight or carry-on bag, and there are […]

The post Scope: Panzer is a tactical, two-player battle in a tiny box appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a triumphant piece of 80’s nostalgia

Matthew Smail — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:35 +0000

Marvel Cosmic Invasion on Xbox is a vibrant, retro-inspired beat ’em up that combines the chaotic fun of classic arcade brawlers with a fresh tag-team mechanic, delivering a short, challenging and highly entertaining romp through the Marvel multiverse. Developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu, Marvel Cosmic Invasion follows in the footsteps of TMNT: […]

The post Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a triumphant piece of 80’s nostalgia appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Zoo Vadis rightly negotiates its way to the top spot for games of this kind

Matthew Smail — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:00:49 +0000

Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia and Bitewing Games is a sharp, negotiation-driven strategy game that reimagines Knizia’s classic Quo Vadis with a rather nice animal theme, streamlined rules, and incredible modern production values. We’re reviewing the standard edition here, but it’s worth noting that a deluxe edition exists with upgraded components — and we enjoyed […]

The post Zoo Vadis rightly negotiates its way to the top spot for games of this kind appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the torchbearer for Spielberg’s JP legacy

Matthew Smail — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:00:28 +0000

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the most ambitious and feature-rich entry in Frontier’s dinosaur park management series to date — it’s a visually stunning, mechanically deep sandbox that finally delivers on the fantasy of building your own living, breathing Jurassic World and corrects the (admittedly quite minor) issues that appeared in Frontier’s second outing. The […]

The post Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the torchbearer for Spielberg’s JP legacy appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

The Edifier ES850NB Headphones are good for the price, but not the class-leader

Matthew Smail — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 12:00:34 +0000

As someone who uses the Sony WH-1000XM5 daily, I approached the Edifier ES850NB with a healthy dose of scepticism. Sony’s flagship headphones are widely regarded as the gold standard for wireless ANC over-ear headphones, and I’ve grown used to their exceptional noise cancellation, intuitive controls, and rich sound profile. But the ES850NB, priced significantly lower […]

The post The Edifier ES850NB Headphones are good for the price, but not the class-leader appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Bomb Busters is one of the best cooperative games in recent years

Matthew Smail — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000

Bomb Busters from Pegasus Spiele is a fast-paced cooperative deduction game where players work together as a bomb squad, racing against time to cut the right wires and defuse explosives before disaster strikes. It’s a clever and highly replayable game, with an ever-expanding campaign structure that adds new rules steadily, encourages teamwork and demands smart […]

The post Bomb Busters is one of the best cooperative games in recent years appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Chivalry is Dead: Race for the Crown is great fun – if you approach it the right way!

Matthew Smail — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:57:37 +0000

Chivalry is Dead: Race for the Crown is a fantasy-themed chariot racing game from Naughty Jester Games that blends high-speed competition with chaotic combat, delivering a racing experience that is as much about survival and sabotage as it is about crossing the finish line. Likened by one of the original Kickstarter previewers as the racing […]

The post Chivalry is Dead: Race for the Crown is great fun – if you approach it the right way! appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

B3’s Ten Best Reviewed Board Game of 2025

Matthew Smail — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:00:20 +0000

2025 was an incredible year for tabletop gaming, with designers pushing boundaries in creativity, storytelling, and mechanical depth. Yet, it was also a year of reprints, re-imaginings and perhaps a retraction in the crowdfunding market that might just be a hint that both publishers and consumers are taking a more conservative approach to their spending. […]

The post B3’s Ten Best Reviewed Board Game of 2025 appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Tokyo Highway: Rainbow City refines a good dexterity game into a great one

Matthew Smail — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:00:12 +0000

Tokyo Highway: Rainbow City, designed by Naotaka Shimamoto and Yoshiaki Tomioka and published by Itten, is a dexterity game that builds on the minimalist charm of the original Tokyo Highway while adding a splash of colour, a bit more personality and a surprising amount of strategic nuance. It’s still about balancing sticks and placing cars, […]

The post Tokyo Highway: Rainbow City refines a good dexterity game into a great one appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

6 years after its physical counterpart, Set a Watch on iOS still burns brightly

Matthew Smail — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Speaking as someone who played and enjoyed the original card game, I can say with confidence that Set a Watch on iOS is a faithful, polished adaptation of Rock Manor Games original title, and it’s one of the rare digital board games that feels just about as tactile and tense on screen as it does […]

The post 6 years after its physical counterpart, Set a Watch on iOS still burns brightly appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Quoridor Pac-Man is nostalgic, but in need of a bit of TLC

Matthew Smail — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000

Quoridor Pac-Man is a curious hybrid that manifests as part abstract strategy, part arcade homage and if you were just in the market for Quoridor alone, it might be all the more interesting for it. Published by Gigamic, this edition of the classic Quoridor offers two distinct modes of play: the original and well-loved pawn-and-wall […]

The post Quoridor Pac-Man is nostalgic, but in need of a bit of TLC appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Cascadero offers simple, cutthroat route-building from the legendary Dr Knizia

Matthew Smail — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 12:00:28 +0000

Cascadero is a clever, spatially-driven tile placement game from Reiner Knizia and Bitewing Games — blending route-building, area control, and cascading bonuses into a tight, interactive puzzle that rewards timing, positioning, and opportunism. Within minutes of our first play, it had immediately reminded me of another Knizia classic that we love — Rebirth. In Cascadero, […]

The post Cascadero offers simple, cutthroat route-building from the legendary Dr Knizia appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Hispania is a small, lavish cooperative conquest simulator that delivers real crunch

Matthew Smail — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000

Hispania, from Draco Ideas, is a focused and abstract historical strategy game that casts players as Roman praetors (and maybe a consul) tasked with subduing the Iberian Peninsula over the course of two centuries. Hispania is a primarily cooperative game with massively customisable difficulty and asymmetric resistance packed into a tight, hour-long experience that’s far […]

The post Hispania is a small, lavish cooperative conquest simulator that delivers real crunch appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Micromacro: Crime City on iOS is a near-flawless evolution of the tabletop game

Matthew Smail — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:20 +0000

MicroMacro: Crime City was already a standout in the tabletop space — a small, affordable cooperative detective game that turned a sprawling black-and-white city map into a living crime scene. Designed by Johannes Sich and published by Pegasus Spiele, the boardgame version of Micromacro: Crime City won the Spiel des Jahres in 2021 for good […]

The post Micromacro: Crime City on iOS is a near-flawless evolution of the tabletop game appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Could Spiralburst Studios’ adaptation of My City solve the awkwardness of campaign board games?

Matthew Smail — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 14:00:41 +0000

Even though we never quite got as far as reviewing it, My City was already a quiet triumph in the tabletop space — a legacy game from Reiner Knizia that managed to distill decades of urban development into a breezy, tile-laying campaign. Originally published by Kosmos a few years ago, My City offered players a […]

The post Could Spiralburst Studios’ adaptation of My City solve the awkwardness of campaign board games? appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Flickfleet is one of the smartest dexterity games you’ll play

Matthew Smail — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:00:54 +0000

FlickFleet, designed by Jackson Pope and Paul Willcox and published by Eurydice Games, is a dexterity-driven space skirmish game that swaps dice and cards for finger flicks and acrylic templates. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously while also being a pretty smart design — and that’s exactly what makes it so engaging. […]

The post Flickfleet is one of the smartest dexterity games you’ll play appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Labyrinthine on PS5 is a unique and interesting approach to the co-operative horror genre

Matthew Smail — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:00:40 +0000

Labyrinthine on PlayStation 5 is a co-op horror experience that trades jump scares for slow dread and linear, scripted scares for disorientation and existential panic. Originally released on PC, this console edition brings the full package to Sony’s platform: a (very loosely) story-driven campaign, procedurally generated maze runs and a leveling system that unlocks new […]

The post Labyrinthine on PS5 is a unique and interesting approach to the co-operative horror genre appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Kingdoms and Castles is cozy – but there’s nothing but crunch beneath the surface

Matthew Smail — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:21 +0000

Kingdoms and Castles lulls you into a false sense of security. You start with a single keep, a handful of peasants, and a patch of fertile land. The music is gentle, the visuals are bright, retro and deliberately blocky, and the early game feels like a medieval sandbox. All you need to do is build […]

The post Kingdoms and Castles is cozy – but there’s nothing but crunch beneath the surface appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Nature is the supreme being of the evolution genre

Matthew Smail — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:00:14 +0000

Nature is a modular, ecosystem-building strategy game from North Star Games and Dominic Crapuchettes that follows on from the popular Evolution and Oceans games which use remarkably similar mechanics. This latest effort offers the most streamlined experience yet thanks to the iterative design, and it’s already available across both physical and digital formats, with modular […]

The post Nature is the supreme being of the evolution genre appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Tokaido Duo is smaller and more complex than the original, but it’s also better

Matthew Smail — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:00:29 +0000

Tokaido Duo is a serene but surprisingly crunchy, two-player-only reimagining of the original Tokaido — offering a layered, asymmetric experience that captures the spirit of travel and reflection while introducing previously unexpected strategic depths. We liked the original way back in 2017, but we loved the 2025 Stonemaier reprint even more, so I was curious […]

The post Tokaido Duo is smaller and more complex than the original, but it’s also better appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol.1 and Vol.2 feature some of the best shooters in history

Matthew Smail — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:54 +0000

If you’re a fan of classic arcade shooters — the kind that throw you into a cockpit, flood the screen with bullets and dare you to survive — then the twin release of Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol.1 and Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol.2 is a gift from the retro gods. These two compilations, published for modern […]

The post Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol.1 and Vol.2 feature some of the best shooters in history appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Marc Andre’s Middle Ages perfectly enhances the Majesty of KingDomino

Matthew Smail — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:00:23 +0000

Middle Ages, designed by Marc André and published by Studio H, is a masterful blend of familiar mechanics and fresh presentation. Supplied to us by Hachette UK, Middle Ages is the clear spiritual successor to Majesty: For the Realm, but with a tile-drafting mechanic that evokes Kingdomino. The result is a tight, competitive tableau builder […]

The post Marc Andre’s Middle Ages perfectly enhances the Majesty of KingDomino appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Leviathan Wilds deserves its high praise

Matthew Smail — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:11 +0000

Leviathan Wilds is a game that doesn’t ask you to fight bosses. Instead, it asks you to climb, to heal and to cling on for dear life. It’s an inversion of the recently popular boss battle genre, and it’s all the more compelling for it. Designed by Justin Kemppainen and published by his own company […]

The post Leviathan Wilds deserves its high praise appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).

Who’d have thought Medusa Games Oranges and Lemons would be even sweeter than the nursery rhyme

Matthew Smail — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:00:53 +0000

Oranges and Lemons is a game that invites players to walk through London’s past — and it’s brisk, bustling, and full of character. Designed by Richard Denning and published by Medusa Games, Oranges and Lemons is a medium-weight strategy game that blends worker placement, area control and historical flavor into a tight, competitive package with […]

The post Who’d have thought Medusa Games Oranges and Lemons would be even sweeter than the nursery rhyme appeared first on Big Boss Battle (B3).