Back and forth review

Game Review - Back and forth

Mechanics: Racing

Game difficulty: Easy

Game duration: 30 min

Number of players: 2-6

Best number of players: 3-5

Language: Game created in Latvia, available in Latvian

The TV show "The amazing race" is quite popular in the world, within the framework of which its participants travel around the world and perform various tasks. When you read the rules of the game "Shurpu turpu", exactly such an association arises, because the main task of the game is to visit four notable sights in Latvia as quickly as possible. The concept is exciting, but is the game itself good, about it in the description.

Subject matter

As I already mentioned, the theme of the game is about traveling around Latvia, and when playing the game, I like to imagine that it is a competition where each player has to travel four objects and do it the fastest. Why it needs to be done the fastest, I don't know, but the travel theme itself is strong. Playing the game makes you want to visit one of the destinations shown in it and plan a summer trip. And this is possible, because the game is about real, exciting sights of Latvia. The game created two feelings for us - memories of what we experienced in the places we saw and interest in the unseen. After the game, we actually started planning the route of the trip along the paths of the Kurzeme marsh and set a date for it.

Components

The main area of ​​the game, the map of Latvia, is comprehensibly and functionally depicted, it is not bad, but it is also nothing surprising, but the biggest trump card of the game is Gata Šāukas's illustrations on the route cards. The cartoons are great! The first thing I did when I opened the game's packaging was find and look at the illustrations of the places I've been. I would describe them as very Latvian and witty at the same time. Note that there are two types of texts on the cards, one about the specified place, the other about an additional event that occurs when the player has reached the specified object. I think the game's creators could have tried to highlight the text of the events to make it easier to tell them apart.

Mechanics

At the start of the game, each player draws four points of interest, one in each cultural and historical district, which is the goal of the game to visit. The one who does it the fastest and completes the overall task is the winner. I would also like to note that the game has a very ingenious system for balancing so that random sights are not too close to each other. The risky regions have Latvian nature symbols, and the player cannot start with two identical symbols. A very elegant solution.

And the race can begin!

A player can make three movement moves per turn, but the catch is that moving along the fastest rail, water, or air routes requires players to pay a certain type of ticket from their reserve. There are a lot of tickets at the beginning, but if you try to move quickly, you may run out of them at the crucial moment.

After three moves or less, the player ends their turn, and if it's an empty space, the player has the option of either one new ticket or an Event (read: "cheat") card. It is these cards that give the game a competitive spirit. They are very different, for example, one allows you to get extra tickets for you and your friends, another a free trip on the waterway, but the catch lies in the fact that some events are annoying and players are allowed to play them on any player. Therefore, if you are a leader, then you can prepare that many different obstacles will be placed before victory. But the cards are not too evil, they interfere, but do not exclude from the game, taking into account how popular the game Saboteris is in Latvia, then the damage cards will be just in time.

Regarding the cards, I should add that I received feedback on the wording of some cards, after which I reread all the cards and it seemed clear to me what the creators of the game had in mind, but if there is someone in your party who likes to treat the rules to their advantage, there could be problems.

In general, the dynamics of the game are very good, it really lasts 30 minutes, and the moves are sharp, the acceptable choices are clear, but the unpredictable nature of the game and the interaction of the players give new challenges from time to time.

Multiplayer

The four times I played it were different. There were games where it was easy to get around, there were enough tickets and efficiency made all the difference, but there were also times when getting around and getting ahead was a real challenge. Overall, I would say that the multiplayer is a bit below average.

Rating

This is a rather difficult assessment, because I played the game both with "hardened gamblers" and in a family circle with children. If you already have 30+ board games in your collection, then maybe Shurpu Turpu is not for you, but as a family game it was a hit. My definition of a good family game is interesting decisions for adults and fair chances to win for children as well, and Shurpu Turpu fully corresponds to this. In addition, the family games I played had a very good dynamic between pleasant and useful - the game encouraged parents' conversation about important sights in Latvia , to plan a family outing, and at the same time could calculate the most efficient routes with the limited tickets during the game. The race was intense and unpredictable until the end and I found it a very worthwhile time. I hope that Shurpu Turpu with the recognizable cartoons will be a game that will appeal to moms, dads and parents in bookstores and toy stores to give a board game to their children, and after a change it will also be a good game. Rating as a family game 7 out of 10.

The authors of the PS game are schoolgirls, I recommend reading the article about them .

You can buy the game at Brain Games stores on the 1st floor of Rīga Plaza or K. Barona Street 55, or at the online store: Shurpu turpu

Author: Kristaps Auzāns

Pictures from Brain Games