Side board games, the offer is not lacking. “Each year, creativity abounds, points out Cynthia Rebérac, the patroness of the Cannes International Games Festival. And nearly 700 new titles are released on the French market. » With real nuggets.
But how to find it? Back this Friday and until Sunday on the Croisette, after an edition canceled last year due to the pandemic, the event once again mobilized very knowledgeable jurors to test everything. And, Thursday evening, their famous As d’or, the Cannes prizes which offer real guarantees of quality, were awarded. 20 minutes presents the winners in the four different categories proposed with Olivier Reix, one of the specialists who had to decide.
7 Wonders Architectsbest “game of the year”
We already knew 7 Wonders, the big brother released in 2010 and widely awarded. Twelve years later, the French author – cocorico! – Antoine Bauza has done it again. And he hit the mark by winning the premier category of the As d’or with his variation Architects (ed. Asmodée, 35 euros), “a simplified version that will please everyone, from children to grandparents”, describes Olivier Reix. The principle is still to build the seven wonders of the world but “with very simple and shorter parts” (25 minutes) thanks in particular to “a superb editing work”. “It’s the kind of gateway game that we particularly like since it can bring new audiences into the playful world”, explains the member of the jury to 20 minutes.
living forestcrowned “insider” game of the year
This new category of the best “initiated” game, which “is aimed at an audience accustomed to playing, turning to games with more detailed mechanisms” according to the organizers of the festival, is inaugurated by a Dane. With living forest (ed. Ludonaute, 31.50 euros), his first creation, Aske Christiansen offers an enchanted universe and rules that are certainly more specific but in any case original. “The illustrations are magnificent, says Olivier Reix. We also really liked the mechanics of the game. There are three different ways to win. To achieve this, you have to save a forest and its sacred tree from the flames of Onibi, a supreme being that is evil to say the least.
Dune: Imperium wins the “expert” gold ace
This game signed by the American Paul Dennen is undoubtedly surfing on the cinema release last year of a new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel. Dune: Imperium (ed. Lucky Duck Games, 49.50 euros) wins the prize for the best “expert” title, a category which rewards creations “with complex assemblies of various mechanisms”. “It is rare to have license games so well finished. They are usually rather sloppy, points out the juror again. There, it is extremely successful. As in the book, the game is based on a struggle for influence. Players embody one of the factions fighting for control of the planet Arrakis.
Bubble storiesthe winner in the “child” category
Each year, to award this prize, the jurors call on… little players. “We go to toy libraries and get our children to participate,” says Olivier Reix. For the Ace d’or junior, it’s the game Bubble stories (ed. Blue orange, 8.95 euros) by Australian Matthew Dunstan who won. “You have to put cards together to create puzzles and find objects. This very compact creation works really well, says the specialist. And once the rules are well explained, young players can chain games without problem and with a lot of fun. »