When Pixies arrived in my mailbox, it got here with the promise of enchanting gameplay and pleasant visuals, very similar to “its brother from one other mom,” Sea Salt & Paper (additionally from Bombyx/Pandasaurus). As a quick-play 2-4 participant card recreation, it definitely caught my eye with its vibrant, whimsical artwork fashion, hinting at a world of magical creatures product of crops, earth, and junk, plus, hopefully, participating gameplay.
Did it forged its spell on me? Let’s discover out.
Gameplay Overview:
At its core, Pixies is a tableau-building recreation for 2-4 gamers, performed over a sequence of turns that proceed till somebody fills the ninth spot of their tableau. That is repeated over three rounds.
Every flip, the lead participant lays out plenty of playing cards equal to the variety of gamers (or two playing cards per participant in a two-player recreation), and drafts a card so as to add to their 3×3 tableau. Every participant drafts a card in a clockwise trend, after which the lead participant passes to the left.
The pixie playing cards characteristic pleasant pictures of extremely stylized junk pixies, a swimsuit, and a quantity, in addition to potential scoring symbols, which can supply optimistic or destructive factors. Gamers should place the cardboard in its corresponding quantity slot (i.e. 1 within the higher left-hand nook, 9 within the decrease right-hand nook, 5 within the center, and so forth.). If a second card of the identical quantity is acquired, the participant might determine which to maintain face-up and which to fit underneath the opposite card face-down.
Factors are scored or misplaced in 4 methods. Playing cards might have a sure variety of spirals on them, every spiral indicating one optimistic level. Some playing cards might have a sure variety of Xs on them, every X indicating one destructive level. If a card has been “validated,” which means it has a card beneath it, it means you’ll rating the purpose worth of the cardboard (i.e. a 7 card with a card beneath it’s going to rating seven factors) and lastly, you’ll rating a sure variety of factors, relying on which of the three rounds you’re in, for every card in your largest contiguous space of the identical swimsuit.
Recreation Expertise:
Probably the most speedy and putting optimistic facet of Pixies is undoubtedly its art work. Very like Sea Salt & Paper’s gorgeous pictures of origami sea creatures, Pixies options pictures of extremely cute creatures product of nuts, acorns, moss, pinecones, paperclips, flowers, and numerous different outside detritus. The varied pixies are completely lovable, bursting with character and appeal. Every card is a miniature piece of artwork, vibrant and endearing, making the act of merely wanting on the playing cards a nice expertise. This cute aesthetic makes Pixies very approachable and welcoming, particularly for households or these new to tabletop gaming.
Nevertheless, past the charming visuals, the sport’s expertise can really feel a bit… shallow. The core mechanics are simple to know, which is a plus for accessibility, however they don’t supply a lot when it comes to deep strategic selections or long-term replay worth. Turns can generally really feel repetitive, with gamers merely deciding which card goes of their tableau, except they’re deciding on final, during which case they haven’t any selection.
Whereas the sport flows easily, it lacks participating rigidity that makes different equally mild card video games really shine. Additionally, scoring on the finish of every spherical—including spirals, subtracting Xs, including validated playing cards, and calculating the biggest contiguous suited areas—feels a bit tedious, virtually such as you’re including up numbers practically so long as you’re enjoying every spherical. It’s a nice sufficient distraction, nevertheless it may not maintain your consideration for prolonged durations or demand repeated performs as soon as the novelty of the artwork wears off. This isn’t the case of its predecessor, as Sea Salt & Paper has gone on to cement its place as a contemporary filler traditional.
Ultimate Ideas:
The latest small field filler card recreation from the individuals who introduced us Sea Salt & Paper have as soon as once more completely hit it out of the park… on the art work, however sadly, the gameplay leaves a bit of to be desired.
After a number of performs throughout completely different participant counts, Pixies settles into a cushty, albeit unremarkable, place inside the huge panorama of small-box, filler card video games. It’s neither groundbreaking nor a regrettable misstep; reasonably, it’s a recreation that gives a wonderfully satisfactory, if considerably fleeting, expertise. It’s the sort of recreation you would possibly pull out for an informal night with non-gamers who will marvel at its really great art work, and whereas it has its moments of appeal, the pixie mud wears off after some time.
Ultimate Rating: 3 Stars – Shallow gameplay and diminishing replay worth make Pixies undercut its inviting artwork and lightweight ruleset to make this recreation land firmly in “meh.”
Hits:
• The artwork is nothing in need of outstanding
• It’s simple sufficient to show and fast to play
• The benefit and artwork make it a great recreation for households/non-gamers
Misses:
• The gameplay is pretty shallow
• It feels repetitive after a number of performs
• Scoring is usually a bit tedious
