One Card Maze designed by Simon Filice and Andrew Dobson is in its second season, which has launched on Kickstarter and funded already! The Kickstarter will be going on through May 2024. You’ll be a-maze-d by their games, which are very entertaining and portable!
Was this game sent for review or self-purchased?: For review
In two sentences, what do you do in the game: For each maze you have to find the exit (with some mazes requiring you to reach the exit a certain way like in a certain orientation sequence for the Boss Set mazes). You will flip, spin, and travel along the card with your eyes, following the rules based on symbols you come across.
Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: No, we have not yet!
What was surprising about this title: There were two things surprising about this title. First, that these are visual mazes that don’t need a pencil to fill out (creating more replayability and playing them was easier and not messy). Second, that the creators could come up with so many unique mazes with the same basic rule set bonding them all (travel through up arrows, spin when there is a spin icon, and flip the card when there is a flip arrow).
How likely is this to return to the game table?: Very. Additionally, this isn’t one you would necessarily bring to the table at all it we are being technical. It is an extremely portable game that would be best suited to travel or as a relaxing game to play while lounging in a chair.
Game length: Super short (mostly). Most of the mazes took under 5 minutes but occasionally a Boss Set card specifically could take longer as you’re trying to defeat the boss by entering its lair multiple times in the correct sequence. This is done extremely well and the mechanic is refreshing.
Language Barrier Playability: Good. As long as someone translates the basic rules, most of the game relies on symbols.
Artwork: Fantastic. The card designs are all aesthetically pleasing and many are colorful and the designs pop without being distracting. The designs are purposefully squiggly, but the thick lines and thoughtful placement give the art a next level quality that isn’t easy to achieve.
Quality: We cannot comment on this because we reviewed the print and play files. However, their free online mazes are really nice quality and the animation for flipping is extremely smooth.
Strategy: Good. Some mazes are harder than others and may require you to strategize based on what paths you’ve already traveled and make you re-think your current path. The boss mazes definitely require strategy and trying to think ahead to land up in the right orientation to not lose the boss battle.
Instruction Manual: Fun and right on the card! Some of the cards like the Fledgling Set have step by step instructions on how to play in a tutorial style where you’re playing as you learn to play. This is excellent for visual learners.
Organization: We cannot comment on this because we reviewed the print and play. However, the Kickstarter Season 2 mazes do have wallet options, which provide a unique storage system for the mazes.
Final thoughts: These mazes are entertaining puzzles that fill the need to game when you don’t have a lot of time. They didn’t get stale even after playing so many of them, which speaks to how well they are made. The Boss sets create that extra level of challenge one would expect from a video game boss, but in the form of a card. This game is definitely the perfect, short, solo game treat!
Sushiball Games 