Breaking Games’s catalog is diverse, with abstracts, Euros, and party games. For me, the highlight of the bunch at NY Toy Fair was We’re Doomed ($35, March), a game that combines resource collection with a kind-of social bluffing or auction mechanism. The idea is that the players must work together to build a rocket to escape a doomed planet. They must cooperate and contribute the necessary resources to get a functioning rocket but at the same time, they compete with influence to claim available seats. Also factors in the game are a 15 minute time limit and unique abilities for each player, re ..read more

For the first of its new titles based on the Games Workshop license, The OP (formerly USAopoly) today announced Talisman: Kingdom Hearts Edition. The game, available later this year, has players lead figures for Sora, Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, and Goofy on a quest for “Strength and Magic to seal the Door to Darkness and keep Heartless from consuming the communal worlds.” The OP promises a game that combines the exploratory spirit of Talisman with lighthearted Disney nostalgia. The post Talisman Kingdom Hearts Edition first appeared on Purple Pawn ..read more

Winning Moves’ latest rereleased classic is is the 1990s Hasbro title Pretty Pretty Princess ($17). Spin to move and collect all the matching colored jewelry.     New titles include the mini stacking game Kozo ($20). Each turn, a player places one 3D piece, along with with one small blocking cube. Nothing, though, is allowed over the center square of the board. Points are accumulated over three rounds based on the number of cubes making up each placed piece but forfeited for the round by a player who causes pieces to fall. Apocalyptic Picnic ($17) is a lighthearted zombie card g ..read more

Along with a few Warhammer 40,000 Funko Pops (due April-May), Games Workshop had on display at the company’s Toy Fair booth prototype mock-ups of three more entries in its series of introductory board games. These are expected to hit retail in the 4th quarter.   Combat Arena ($40) is a prequel to Warhammer Quest Blackstone Fortress and is similar in complexity to this past year’s intro game, Space Marine Adventures. This one is a dueling game representing a training scenario for one to four characters (one for each player but a total of five are included). Eventually, rules will be pro ..read more

Lightsaber Academy, one of Hasbro’s offerings for Star Wars Triple Force Friday in October, allows kids to train as Jedi with their choice of master. A switch hidden in the hilt selects between several iconic characters, such as Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, with matching changes to the toy’s color and audio instructions. The lightsaber’s audio and motion-sensor technology guides a user through a variety of training exercises and when connected by Bluetooth to a local mobile device can track and display performance. Progress also advances in a head-to-head game available when two lightsabers are co ..read more

Presented by Hasbro at New York Toy Fair were three Stranger Things games coming to retail at the beginning of May. Stranger Things Back to the 80s Trivial Pursuit ($20) includes questions about the show and 1980s pop culture. It also features a board that flips to an alternative movement track representing the Upside Down. When a player’s piece lands on a portal, they’re all sent to the Upside Down, where it’s possible to lose a wedge. A Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set ($25) includes essential rules, dice, two Demogorgon plastic figures (one painted, one not), an adventur ..read more

A publisher I often recommend for games with young children, HABA’s new offerings this year at New York Toy Fair did not disappoint, and even included one with some interesting strategic choices to challenge adults. Luxantis ($50, spring) is a labyrinth puzzle with a lighted board, memory element, and tower defense section. Players roll the die and press the matching button to light up spaces on the board. Blue spaces are safe. Red spaces send pieces back to the start. Landing on the right spaces allows players to collect artifact used to defeat monsters as they move up another board attacking ..read more

Cardinal Games (a Spin Master subsidiary) and Looney Labs are partnering in the production of licensed card games. The first two, summer 2019 releases, will be Marvel Fluxx and Jumanji Fluxx. Both companies will produce versions of the games. Cardinal’s will be priced at $15 MSRP for the mass-market outlets. Looney Labs’ will be priced at $20 for hobby and specialty retail, and will come with seven bonus cards.   Mattel has signed a 3 year licensing deal covering the Despicable Me franchise. The company will produce a range of toys and games in time for the theatrical premier of the Minio ..read more

North Star Games is giving away 1,000 copies of the board game Evolution to users of the new Evolution: The Video Game. Ten players are being selected each day from among all versions, including the free sample mobile game. Brawlin’ Brothers is giving away a set of Graphic Novel Adventures from Van Ryder Games. Sometime today, White Wizard Games is giving away a board game bag and other “goodies.” Reply on Twitter with a picture to enter. Complete retailer Zatu Games’ survey for a chance to win tickets to the UK Games Expo. The post Game Bandit first appeared on Purple Pawn ..read more

According to market data firm The NPD Group, annual retail sales of toys in the United States declined 2 percent from 2017 to 2018. For games, that decline was 1 percent. Against that backdrop, Hasbro has reported that 2018 net revenue fell 12% compared to 2017, mostly due to the Toys “R” Us bankruptcy. The retailer was Hasbro’s third largest customer in the United States, second in Europe and Asia. Additional earnings pressure resulted from other retailers moving to leaner inventories and from political-economic events in Europe (particularly the U.K.). The failure of Toys “R” Us meant not on ..read more