Photo above is property of Thames & Kosmos
Company: Thames & Kosmos
Game: Nunatak: Temple of Ice
Country: USA 🇺🇸
Language: English
Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬
Genre: Family Adventure
Date Played: December 20, 2024
Difficulty (based on 4 players): 5/10
Size of Team: 2-4 ppl (Ages 10+)
Time: Approximately 30-45 Mins.
Price: $39.95
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In Antarctica, peaks of rock and ice stick out of the snowy surface called Nunataks. Some believe that they are the remains of giant ice temples built by forgotten civilizations such as yourself. Using your tools and braving the harsh conditions, work together to build an ice temple but be careful. Whoever places their ice blocks in the best locations will win this game.
Video above is property of Thames & Kosmos
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There was a lot to unpack when opening the box. There were many sheets of cardboard tiles that needed to be punched out for the different levels of the nunatak, ice blocks of different colour, cards depicting people of different trades and much more.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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After setting the game up, which was made much easier with the instruction guide, we dove right into the game. We were pleasantly surprised at how simple the game was. On each turn, a player would choose one of the four building cards laid out, find a tile with a matching building card symbol and place an ice block on it. That's it! Then, It is the next person’s turn. As the game progresses, the nunatak is built upwards until all three levels are complete.
There were many ways to score points to determine the winner at the end. During the game, players would earn points based on whoever would have the most ice blocks in a single square as well as on the 2nd and 3rd levels, you earn additional points based on how many of your ice blocks were below. At the end, the remainder of the points would be scored based on which building cards you collected. Different card types score differently. For example, the player with the most builder cards would receive 20 points while others would receive 2 points per card. Beast of burden cards score based on the number of cards collected multiplied by the number of symbols on them.
This game can accommodate 1 to 4 players, with slight rule adjustments and extra scoring options for different player counts. Three players seem to be the sweet spot for the best experience.
All the components were top-notch quality from the cardboard tiles to the colorful plastic ice blocks. The only items that seemed out of place were the overview cards, which were made of thin paper. The rules were easy for kids to understand and could be taught as we played. There was also enough variety in gameplay to keep everyone engaged. The overview card did have a checklist to help ensure all points were counted as we played and at the end.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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There was so much going on with the scoring that it was overwhelming at first. One thing we noticed was that the winning person focused on collecting only one or 2 types of cards. When placing blocks, try to spread out where you place blocks if possible. To win points in a square, you can get away with two blocks in a bottom 4x4 to guarantee points and then build up from those blocks.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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At first, we were a little overwhelmed with all the components to be set up, but once we got the game going, we quickly realized how easy and straightforward the game was. The game was simple enough for the kids to get a hang of and there were enough strategic elements for the adults. We appreciated that we never felt that there was any wrong move and that we never knew who was going to win until the very end. The components were excellent, and it was incredibly satisfying to place the temple cap on top and admire the beautifully completed Nunatak when the game was over.
Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game:
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank Thames & Kosmos for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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