This was an excellent experience! Honestly, I feel like I've just scratched the surface of what the board has to offer and want to get back in for another round!
Firstly, the aesthetics are so satisfying. They're easy on the eyes but also still have some personality. In particular, the main background texture is so nice to look at. Also, nice rhyme on the board's in-game description!
Next, let me commend the board's overall layout and strategy. Although it's a "race to the summit" type of board and is generally very linear, there are various loop points that allow you to go back down, and at the same time, effective item use will let you feel like you're able to control your mobility. As well, the board still employs a moving Star Space, which means that reaching the end is not actually the main goal, and therefore looping the lower sections of the board feels rewarding enough. Instead, reaching the summit is more like an extra incentive, and the reward is sufficiently satisfying for doing so, obtaining a nice item and a good deal of coins. All in all, despite being relatively linear, it feels like there are strategic choices as you make your way around the board, which is great.
If I had to give a small nitpick, I think the board could use a couple more Item Spaces. Although the Item Shop is relatively easy to access, it would be nice to have a couple more of these. It felt like the only Item Spaces were in the cloud area or in the loop back down to the first section of the board, which was usually not an ideal junction choice. On the flip side, there were many Bowser Spaces, although funny enough Bowser opted to use more curse events so the effect wasn't as heavy-handed.
Also, I'm not sure if it's ideal to keep all 8 Star Spawns for this board. The main critique I would have here is that it ends up that some Star Spawns are much more "powerful" than others if you use a Magic Lamp to reach it, in particular the one before the Item Shop or the ones that are close to the summit. Perhaps there's a way to balance these Star Spawns, or perhaps this is a legitimate strategy you're keeping in place for your board.
Overall this was an excellent board and I would highly recommend to all!
- Full Game Played
- Yes
- Turns Played
- 20
- Opponents
- Computers Only
- Method of Play
- Emulation