Resonym Visitor in Blackwood Grove

I loved this game!

Played this game with friends quite a few times recently. Its super fun. Only one player needs to be particularly creative in making the visitors rule (a good thing, as we all know how people can be when pressured to be creative on the spot), but the other players still feel important and engaged in discovering what this rule is. Even losing isnt too bad, as every losing player has a sudden oh I get it now or i knew it! moment together at the end. Its a mind game at its core, and it remains fresh and fun every time. Likewise, there are mechanics that stop the alien from making their made up rule too hard, keeping the game very balanced. Would recommend to everyone regardless of age or experience with unique board games!

I really want to like this game, and I think it has potential to be fun in the right setting. But it has some drawbacks. Pros - The objective is creative, and once you get the hang of it, it leaves room for the person playing the visitor to have some fun with creating a rule. The instructions give examples of rules to use. But with the amount of item cards it gives you, you can come up with some fun ideas. It allows for the players to be split into teams. Additionally, the teams do still have to operate secretly, as the visitor doesnt want to give away too many hints at the rule so that the agents figure it out. And the agents dont want to be too brazen about discussing theories that allow the child to figure it out. Cons - The box says game play takes 5-15 minutes, you will probably be spending more like at least double that for a game. Weve played several times. And even after getting the hang of the rules, games tend to take some time to get going. There sometimes feels like theres too much clutter going on when trying to keep track of the childs and agents cards, the agents chips, and the cards around the board. People would be asking for clarification on which cards were accepted and which ones werent. Also, a flaw that can take the fun out of the game for some is that you can technically win without knowing the visitors rule. The instructions state that the child or agent can place four cards by the shield and guess which ones would go through the force field by moving those cards closer to the shield. However, they dont have to guess the rule before they do so, nor do they have to confirm what the rule was. So, if you have a partial idea of what it might be, you can make a guess and possibly end the game without knowing it for sure. I suppose you could tweak the instructions so the person guessing has to verbally say what they think the rule is, but it seems like a important part to leave out of the game play. Weve only played a few times but it hasnt found its way into the rotation due to people not really getting on board. But it might click at some point.

This is a cute little game, but it feels a little unpolished. We have found several situations where interpretation of the cards matters enough to throw a wrench into things. Interpretation is part of the game, but if you think it’s a toy car, and someone else thinks it’s a full-size car, there will be pass rule problems. We have decided to keep a list of “house rule adjustments” that help with the game; communicating somehow “this is a toy car” for example. I don’t regret the purchase, just be prepared to polish the given rules and tweak them to your group’s needs.

Visitor is a great party game. It might take a little more explanation than something like Cards Against Humanity, but once the game is flowing, youll be playing multiple rounds. I broke this out at my apartment house warming, and I could not get it back in the box. As soon as one game ended, another set of people insisted on getting a round in. Its simple enough to pick up for kids, but complicated enough for adults to really enjoy.