Was it fun?

I didn’t really like the game, but to be fair we were in a rush to get a round in before class was over. So, I don’t think the game got a fair chance.

What were the player interactions?

Like pandemic, players had to communicate with each other to try and beat the game. They had to interact to figure out the best moves to make, use their character abilities, and cards that they should trade/save. 

How long did it take to learn?

It did not take too long to learn because it was very similar to pandemic, which we played right before, so I would say maybe 10 minutes for setup and direction reading. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

There were no frustrating moments to the game. Everything was pretty easy to understand, set up, and play. 

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

My favorite aspect was the visuals of the game. I enjoyed the theme of the game, along with the tiles, cards, and little statues that went along with the theme.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

There was nothing in the game that I can think of that I couldn’t do.

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be?

I think it would be nice to add a board to organize everything and include small markers for the “water level” (how many Forbidden Island cards you draw), rather than using the piece the game currently comes with. I think this would add to the visuals and vibes of the whole game.

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

I would like to give this game another chance because I think I could enjoy it the same way I enjoyed Pandemic.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

The first act was establishing/ understanding everyone’s roles and special powers. Along with the set up of the tiles of the forbidden island and what parts are already sunk. The second act is unflooding parts of the island, collecting treasure, and making our way to the helicopter/landing tile. The third act is collecting all the treasure and escaping the forbidden island before the island floods, but we did not get to finish the game to reach the third act.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

The collaborative and competitive aspects of the game were very similar to pandemic where the players have to collaborate and use each other to try and ultimately beat the game. As for competitiveness the players are just competing against the game, but there wasn’t as much immersiveness in this game compared to pandemic. 

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?

The game’s metaphor is escaping an island before it sinks, while also collecting treasure along the way. The mechanics that stood out were the flipping of the tiles and the movement options (front, back, and side to side). Without these mechanics, the game would lose both its tension and purpose.

Was it fun?

Yes, I enjoyed the game, but I had my doubts because at first the setup was annoying and trying to first understand the rules, actions, and characters. 

What were the player interactions?

There was a lot of player interaction throughout the game. The main objective was for the players to work together to beat the game itself, but since there were more ways for the game to win than for us to succeed, each turn had to be played strategically. This required constant communication between players to decide on the best possible moves for each turn. 

How long did it take to learn?

It took awhile to set up the game, and understand the actions to play and what we could do with our characters, but ultimately it took around 20 minutes to finally get a rhythm going. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

The most frustrating part was when we made one decision, only to realize later that another choice or possibility would have been better. But that’s a part of the game and made it interesting.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

I really enjoyed the collaboration because it pushed us to think carefully about every move and plan together in order to beat the game. It created a competitive aspect, not between the players, but between the players and the board. My team and I became fully immersed in the experience.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

No, I thought the game was overall good, and there wasn’t anything that I wanted to do that I couldn’t. 

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be?

If I HAD to add anything I would want a little more randomness/ luck included to the game. Like occasionally adding something that would give the players a little luck especially when playing on the harder levels. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

YES! I would love to play this again because I enjoyed collaborating with people, it was like team bonding and it was different to be competitive towards something else besides another person. I also loved how involved/immersed everyone was, and I like when games bring that out of people.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

The first act is the set up and the pandemic. This is where your chosen character is introduced and where your first outbreaks begin. The second act is when the players start building research centers and cleaning up some of the places where there are outbreaks. This stage is also where epidemic cards can be drawn and add another level of difficulty to the game. Lastly, the third structure is when the game starts to reveal whether the players have successfully stopped the outbreak, or if they will be wiped out by the outbreak. 

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

The collaborative aspects of the game were having to use each other’s character strengths to try and beat the game, planning every step strategically, and communicating openly to decide on the best moves. The competitive aspect, on the other hand, came from the constant challenge of trying to outsmart the board itself, as the game always seemed to have more ways to win than we did.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?

The game’s metaphor is the world being overwhelmed by rapidly spreading diseases. The mechanics that stood out most were the drive/ferry, flights, and cures, since without these systems the metaphor would fall apart. These mechanics made it possible to represent the importance of finding solutions for the pandemic, which are essential to the game’s theme and playability.

Was it fun? Meh

What were the player interactions? 

There wasn’t much player interaction, the only interaction was the passing of the card hands. Besides that you could affect other players but yourself, so there wasn’t much competitiveness or excitement. 

How long did it take to learn? 

Not too long, we only were confused about the different sushi combinations, but once we were familiar enough it was easy to play.

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

 I honestly wasn’t frustrated at all but if I had to choose something it would be only being able to play one card at a time besides using the chopshick cards. This game was simple enough where it is hard to choose something to be frustrated about.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? 

My favorite aspect was the point system and the visuals of the game. I like games where you have to get the highest score and keep track of points over time. As for visuals the cards and sushi characters were adorable and colorful, it was very appealing to look at. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? 

Not really, but again I would want to play more than one card when I couldn’t.

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? 

I don’t know exactly what could be added without changing the whole game, but if I had a magic wand I would add better player interaction or card stealing aspects. I would do this to add some competitiveness between the players besides only the points being used as the competitive aspect. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

I probably would play again, but it wouldn’t be my first choice because I have a very competitive personality and this game wasn’t very competitive, but I enjoyed the simplicity of it. 

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Setup: The set up of the game starts with a specific amount of cards each player has, and getting a feel for what combos and cards to first put down to start the game. There are no set characters, but the sushi characters are the points so the players begin to think of their next moves. The setup creates the foundation as players begin to think of what they might collect and how others might play.

Confrontation / Rising Action: The rising action of the game is when players draft and pass cards, balancing point gains with strategy. Collecting sushi sets, timing pudding (dessert) cards to prepare themselves for the end of the game. The rising action is driven by both opportunity and risk with every hand when the players are still creating their meals strategically. 

Resolution / Climax: At the end of the final round, all points are tallied (including the dessert cards that can swing the outcome). The climax arrives when it’s revealed who built the “best sushi meal” (highest score). This resolution provides closure, with all earlier decisions leading to who used their hands wisely, who took risks, and who ultimately won.

Was it fun? Yes!

What were the player interactions? Player interactions were similar to fluxx where you can affect other players hands, characters, and plays. It gives a sense of competitiveness because you start to target people by stopping their characters from becoming gloomy and dying, or taking people’s cards (of course when there is an action card that says so). So overall there is a lot of player interaction in Munchkin Gloom. 

How long did it take to learn? It took a whole “dummy hand” for us to learn, but during the second game we played it was a lot more enjoyable and it ran smoothly. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? The most frustrating part was figuring out what cards were. We struggled with this because they all look very similar, and at first without knowing or getting familiar with the cards we had to examine them extra hard to figure out what could be done with specific cards.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? My favorite aspects of the game were the visuals of the game and the self-worth/ point system. It was easy to keep track of the self-worth points and other symbols because the cards were clear, and I also enjoyed the medieval look of the characters and cards in general. As for the self-worth aspect of the game, it brought competitiveness out of everyone and forced us to change each other’s cards/ target each other. I also just thought it was a creative take on the game. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? The only thing I wanted to do that I couldn’t was use my untimely death cards whenever I wanted rather than using it as your first play. We all kept forgetting that rule, but I do see the purpose of it so the players can’t give their own negative points and then untimely death all in one move. Without that rule the game wouldn’t be as interesting or long. 

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? The only thing I would change would be the look of the cards. It was easy to take other players’ untimely death/ event cards because the other cards looked different. I felt this was annoying because of course other players would pick those cards over others. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

Yes, because ultimately I enjoyed the second round of playing and it was fun targeting other players and it became competitive, which I enjoy because I am a very competitive person. Also, I thought it was a funny take on the game with being the most miserable person, having the most miserable characters, and then killing off all your players. I think it’s unique because it’s the opposite of the majority of games.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Setup: This is when players establish their foundation and everyone chooses their party members and characters, learn their backstories, and receive the dealt cards. It introduces the world, the characters’ identities, and sets the tone for the game. The stakes and goals start to take shape here.

Confrontation / Rising Action:The main gameplay happens here. Players begin to manipulate the narrative by assigning negative self-worth to their own characters and positive self-worth to other players’ characters. Action cards and early “untimely death” plays introduce conflict, alliances, and rivalries. This is where strategy, tension, and drama build.

Resolution / Climax: The endgame arrives when only a few characters remain alive. This act is about timing and execution and choosing the right moment to play untimely death cards. The suspense increases as players attempt to plan their story outcomes, and the game resolves with final self-worth points and the narrative payoff of whose team is all dead first.