Quick Thoughts: And Then We Held Hands, Mr. Jack Pocket, and Onitama

Here are some brief thoughts on a some interesting games two-player games I’ve played once or twice so far.

… and then we held hands.

“… and then we held hands”  is a two-player cooperative game centered around the idea of balancing emotions. There are a lot of unique aspects that really stood out, from needing to be balanced to refill you hand to using different edges of the cards depending on which side of the board you’re on to always being able to play from either your own hand or your partner’s.

The theme, while providing decent framing and structure for the game, really disappears when you start playing. It instantly became an abstract. No real complaints about that though. I thought this was a fun, original challenge for a pair of players.

Mr. Jack Pocket

Mr. Jack Pocket is a neat little two-player, asymmetric, abstract game. Having the four random actions available on odd numbered turns and the “opposite” moves to choose from on the  even numbered turns is a nice touch that gives the game some depth. I and my opponent both found Mr. Jack’s role more difficult to play than the detectives’, but enjoyed the game in both variations. This plays quick and does a lot with a fairly simple setup.

Onitama

While I’m not a huge chess fan, I’m finding I quite enjoy games that take inspiration from elements of it. Onitama is another great example of that. The simple setup of having five pieces that all move the same based on cards make this extremely easy to learn. Having those cards remain the same throughout the game and “rotate” in a sense between the two players adds a wonderful layer of strategy and gives this game its unique hook. Great aesthetics too.

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Just a quick look at some games I’ve had the pleasure of playing. Hope to be back with more in the not too distant future. 🙂