Phil Walker-Harding is known for his numerous easy-to-learn games, which usually still offer a certain depth that could captivate even frequent players. Well-known titles of recent years include Kosmos' Cities, Tierra del Fuego's Total Regal, Ravensburger's Explorers or Game Factory's Wanderlust. Game Factory has once again released a new game from the popular game designer, Vulcano, onto the German market this year. Find out how good the game is in the following 5-minute preview.
This 5-minute insight is intended to deliver what the title suggests. A brief insight with our opinion in just under 5 minutes of reading..
As mountaineers, we put our talent to the test. Mountains have become boring, but bubbling volcanoes are all the more exciting. In Vulcano, our goal is to climb such a volcano and collect all the gems. The first to collect all the gems wins!
Your turn is quite simple. You play a climbing card from your hand. Alternatively, you can also play an equipment card, which are more powerful versions of the climbing cards. You then perform the actions of the played card from top to bottom. Finally, you draw up to three climbing cards, and the next player takes their turn.
Climbing and equipment cards can include the following actions: moving a climber, placing a ledge, or dropping a lava ball. We have a total of three climbers that we can move. With the "Move Climber" action, we can move one of three climbers up a certain number of ledges. If the climber reaches a gem, we can place it on our personal board.
Ledges can protect our climbers from falling lava balls. If we are allowed to place them through an action, we place them between two ledges, ideally in a position where future lava balls won't hit us. The "drop lava ball" action lets us do what the action says. We take a lava ball and let it roll down the mountain at the location specified by the map.
If the ball hits a climber, they fall from the mountain and must try their luck again in future turns. However, players must be careful, because if one of their own climbers is hit, they too are removed from the mountain. As consolation, all affected players receive an equipment card, which they can play instead of a climbing card in future turns.
Info about Vulcano!
| Number of players: 2 – 4 Age: from 8 years Playing time: 15 - 25 minutes Difficulty: Easy family game / children's game Classification: Movement Author: Phil Walker-Harding Illustrations: Adam Grason Publisher: Game Factory, Buffalo Games Official Website: Link Year of publication: 2025 Language: German Cost: 27,99 € |
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Game Factory 646065 Vulcano, action-packed family game,...* |
23,39 EUR |
Conclusion
In our opinion, Vulcano is definitely not a masterpiece from Phil Walker-Harding. It also doesn't offer any special features that make the game more interesting for frequent players. However, it's not designed for frequent players either. Casual players and children will have a lot of fun with Vulcano, because the falling lava ball that sweeps climbers down the mountain is a fun spectacle. Every time the ball rolls, everyone watches in anticipation to see what will happen on the volcano and who will be swept away.
This can sometimes end quite badly, because if someone has made it to the top and then gets thrown back, it can be frustrating. Children, in particular, have to be able to deal with it. Adults can easily get into a little taunting, which can be quite funny.
For a relaxed family game night, Vulcano is definitely worth a look. It's definitely better, more tactical, shorter, and at least as interactive as the family classic Monopoly (by far).
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