Charlie and Natalie have been taken to the future to stop the invention of time travel! (Ironic, huh?) It’s up to you to help them through their story, and ultimately get them back home. Ready to give them a hand and help fix the games they’re up against? Let’s get to it!

What Is It?

Narrative – Players work their way through the chapters of Charlie and Natalie’s story.

Roll & Move / Grid Movement / Dice Rolling / Flicking – As players reach certain parts in the story, they’ll have to play various games to help the characters progress. These feature a bunch of these different mechanisms, to introduce them to players.

Game Design – As players try the games within the story, they’ll be prompted to discuss the issues with the games and work on fixing them to improve things.

Who Is It For?

  • 1 or More Players – 1 is okay, but it makes trying the games difficult, and you will need more people when you need to playtest your changes. I think 2 is ideal for most of the games, but 3 or 4 will also work.
  • Ages 10 & Up – The activity book gives you a lot of good detail / advice on how to try new things, what to focus on, and so on, so it’s very approachable; I think it would be great for families or classrooms
  • Fans of narrative driven games + “mini” games
  • Aspiring game designers

PROS

  • Story is well-written and engaging
  • Game rules are clear
  • Great detail on what to try to change, why, and how
    • Great explanation of how designing and playtesting work and what to consider (i.e. fun, decisions, fairness, et cetera)
  • Introduces players to various game mechanisms
  • Online resources available to reuse the book (i.e. for educators)
  • Components are nice quality
  • Aesthetically I really like the big, colorful pictures at the start of each chapter

CONS

  • I do wish there was some artwork on story pages to break up the text
  • I’m not a fan of the box (large “tuckbox” style instead of base with lid); I would prefer having an insert for the components

Final Thoughts

This is a really cool and unique activity! I liked that the story was well written (not an afterthought to the activity itself). And I loved how detailed the process was – it’s a great resource for younger gamers, or those just starting out and looking to learn more about and dive into game design. If you’re looking for a resource for learning game design for yourself, a class, or anyone else, this is a great product. Check it out!

Additional Information:
Designers – Jay Cormier, Blaise Sewell
Artist – Allan Ohr
Publisher – Fail Faster
Website
On boats now and due to hit retail in May – Ask your local retailer to pre-order it today!

*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*

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