Tokaido is a recreation I’ve lengthy loved at an informal stage, however I all the time felt it was just a bit too naked bones. Inside the final yr or so, it turned one among my daughter’s favorites, and she or he requested to play often, so having the chance to boost the gameplay with an enlargement was undoubtedly of curiosity to me.
Crossroads and Matsuri mix the 2 unique expansions for the sport, in addition to most promos, right into a single field. Observe that it’s appropriate with earlier editions of the sport.
Growth Overview:
The enlargement contains 25 new traveler tiles that may be added to these within the base recreation, in addition to a number of small decks of playing cards.
A small board is positioned above the primary participant board, and that is the place the brand new decks of playing cards, in addition to a fortune die, are positioned. When a traveler stops at a vacation spot, they now have a selection between the unique choice for that area or one of many crossroads choices.
On the temple, as an alternative of donating, you’ll be able to pay one coin to take an Amulet card, which provides you a one-time use skill. On the memento outlets, you’ll be able to take a Legendary Object card, which could add a fifth class to your set or be price a major quantity of factors in itself. As an alternative of taking three cash on the farms, gamers might select to gamble by wagering two cash and rolling the fortune die- they may lose their wager, win it again, or double, triple, or quadruple it!
When visiting the new springs, it’s possible you’ll now spend one coin to achieve a Bathhouse card price 4 factors. Encounter areas now supply the choice to purchase a Calligraphy card that may add personal scoring circumstances to the sport finish. When stopping at any of the three sorts of panorama areas, gamers might as an alternative decide to attract a cherry blossom card, which awards two factors and one coin.
Lastly, as soon as all gamers attain an intermediate inn, the primary participant to reach will draw two playing cards from the Matsuri occasion deck, take a look at them, and select one to implement. This may increasingly alter the sport guidelines till gamers attain the subsequent inn, or award factors based mostly on sure recreation circumstances.
Recreation Expertise With the Growth:
Crossroads and Matsuri are precisely what Tokaido wanted. It elevates the sport from a linear expertise to a extra three-dimensional one. It doesn’t overwhelm gamers with selections; you merely now have two choices at every cease, which opens the sport up simply sufficient and provides a wanted participant company to the expertise. The Matsuri occasions imply that the circulation of the sport will change barely all through play, however solely in small methods, which is, once more, precisely what was wanted.
Whereas I get pleasure from all the pieces this enlargement provides, my favourite function is the array of playable vacationers included. The place the bottom recreation provides ten choices to select from, Crossroads and Matsuri add twenty-five extra! This provides a lot extra selection between performs and permits gamers to discover totally different methods every time. Most of the skills work with the brand new enlargement: i.e. some vacationers might help you use each actions at a given area as an alternative of selecting just one, however just a few would nonetheless work even when taking part in with simply the bottom recreation.
The one disadvantage I discovered is that it does add barely to the cluttered feeling of the sport as you play. There at the moment are extra playing cards to be positioned in entrance of you (although, not all that many), and it might get a bit of harry retaining monitor of which occasion is presently in play along with maintaining together with your personal scoring goals (when you’ve got any); however this can be a small grievance and never one thing, for my part, that ought to forestall you from including the enlargement.
At all times a fan of probability, I additionally love the addition of the fortune die, even when it’s usually in all probability wiser to simply take your three cash on the farm and transfer on. The little choice to put a wager and presumably stroll away with 4 or six extra cash is, usually, just too tempting for me. It’s a delicate function, however one which provides only a contact of non-obligatory luck and pleasure to the sport.
Remaining Ideas:
Except you get pleasure from Tokaido exactly due to how easy and easy it’s and also you assume it’s excellent as-is, then anybody who owns the sport ought to add the Crossroads and Matsuri enlargement. It elevates it from an expertise by which gamers can, at instances, really feel they’re merely transferring with the present, to one thing that places company extra straight into their palms. With out over complicating issues, it provides selection and breathes contemporary air right into a basic recreation, whereas nonetheless retaining to the core of the unique expertise. Each my daughter and I agree that this can be a must-have enlargement. In the event you love Tokaido, it provides you extra to like, and in the event you dislike Tokaido, this may simply be sufficient to vary your thoughts about it.
Hits:
• Price it for the brand new vacationers alone
• Offers gamers extra selections
• Brings depth to gameplay
Misses:
• Provides a little bit of fiddlyness
• It may be straightforward to overlook Matsuri results
