Publisher: Onion Squire
Year: 2013
Players: Two to Six Players
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 45 Minutes
Genre: Video gaming themed card game
The first thing to note is this is a sneak peek at what you can expect from the new Kickstarter project Game Developerz and isn’t a review of the finished product. I will mention although I received a prototype print of the title it easily could be what you’d find on the shelves at you FLGS so I’m pretty confident you’ll see the same level of quality as seen in the photos if you end up backing the project. I’ll also point out the fold out ruels sheet, as currently provided, needs a bit of a tune up as the rules presentation isn’t as intuitive as it should be. Just a small knock on what otherwise is a polished prototype.
Game Developerz is made up of four decks of cards: Company cards, Feature cards, Asset cards, and Random Events. The Company cards represent each of the gaming studios players take the lead of and each provides a unique ability for that player. The Company cards are a take on some of the most recoginizable powerhouses in gaming such as Electronic Arts, Sony, and so forth. The Feature cards represent different aspects of a game design and once a player possesses six of these Features the game will end. Asset cards many consist of various employees who can be brought on to your project to get your game design completed. Finally, Random Events consist of exactly as you would believe: different events (mainly bad but some good) which come into play.
Preproduction is fairly cut and dry with gaining two Coinz and drawing an Asset card. Then you can play any cards in hand, hire or fire employees, make investments, and more.
Developing Features is a bit more in depth as you’ll draw a Feature card from the deck and reveal it on the table. The card will indicate what needs to be done in order for it to be completed such as spending Coinz, assigning employees for their skill points, and so forth. You must assign all your employees to a Feature even if they happen to be weak in the particular skill required. You can also ask other players to help complete the Feature by any means at your disposal.
At its heart most of the fun in Game Developerz comes during the Feature Development as you can also mess with other players as they try to complete their own features by playing cards which negatively affect their progress. Add to this the near constant deal making with other players to help or hinder others and you’ll find what initially comes across as a rather simple little game becomes much more. As previously mentioned, the game comes to an end once a player has six Features but that doesn’t mean they win. The true victory comes from what’s known as the Betascore. This is the total found on Features and prizes you may have received as well. Plus, you can effectively bribe the press into giving your game a better review by spending Coinz you may have saved. Yes, shocking to think the gaming media isn’t completely legit in their critiques of games… Doh!
If you’re looking for an interesting new take set in the world of video game development, filled with fun art and gentle send ups of the very industry it portrays, Game Developerz is certainly worth taking a peek.
