It’s only appropriate that after discussing the games that don’t get enough love, we focus on the games we think get too much attention. Like I mentioned in the last Quest List, the increase in the number of board games released per year is uncountable compared to 20 years ago. Some games break through the wave of releases and stand tall with universal praise. But not all of those games deserve the praise they deserve.

There are no guidelines for what we consider overrated, unlike the stipulations we set in place prior. We may say that a classic game has aged poorly, or a hyped new release is merely “fine”. To be honest, we may just think a game isn’t as good as everyone else thinks. To note, these are our opinions. Also, if we think a game is overrated, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s also a bad game or one we hate. Finally, because we may say a game is overrated or even bad doesn’t mean we think lower of those that enjoy it. Board gaming tastes are so different that you may not agree with our reviews or games that we mention in today’s Quest List.

Also, many of us thought of choosing Gloomhaven, but our thoughts on that one are already well documented in our Quick Hits review last year.

Most Overrated Games

Clank! In! Space!

Chosen by Brian W.
I’m a fan of the original Clank! that was released in 2016. This is despite the fact that I’m not a big fan of deck builders. But I own it and love playing it. However, I am still confused by the reimplantation of Clank! In! Space! a year later. Aside from the sci-fi theme and changes like the modular boards, escape pods, and bounty hunter cubes, there’s not much else that makes Clank! In! Space! stand apart from the original. Both versions play so similar and use so many of the same mechanics that Clank! In! Space! seems to be nothing more than a reskinned money grab.

2-4 Players • Ages 12+ • 45-90 minutes • $50

A Feast for Odin

Chosen by Michelle
I cannot understand the appeal of this game for the life of me. You buy stuff, you follow improvement trees to buy better stuff, you cover stuff up. For. Two. Hours. On top of this, the box containing this game is an absurd size and because it comes with so much cardboard, the thing could easily fall on someone and injure them. A Feast for Odin touts some kind of magical experience you’ll have about being a Viking, but I barely had a glance at the life of feeding my people and raising livestock before I was just so bored.

2-4 Players • Ages 12+ • 45-90 minutes • $80

Terraforming Mars

Chosen by Dylan
I’ve owned this game before. I’ve given it high praise after my first few plays. I continued to like it as a solo game. But with each time I joined up for a multiplayer session, the flaws continued to become more and more apparent. A game of Terraforming Mars is long for what the game does, sometimes taking more than three hours. Many people say that drafting cards is a necessity to lower the amount of luck, but in return adds more time spent playing. There’s also a good number of unnecessary “take that” cards that feel out of place in a lengthy eurogame. Players dictate the end game as their actions are the only way to advance the three lengthy game conditions, and players too often focus on their engines instead of rushing to end the game. And now there are five expansions, which adds bloat to a game that already has a 208-card deck. I understand the appeal of Terraforming Mars, but I don’t understand why players rave about it when there are at least a dozen other card-based engine builders that are better.

1-5 Players • Ages 12+ • 120 minutes • $40

Codenames

Chosen by Tony
Do you ever get excited to play a game that’s super hyped, and then afterward, think “huh, that’s it”? That was my experience with Codenames. I saw people posting about how it completely changed their game nights, how it was so amazing, and that they ended every game session with a game of it…and I just didn’t get it. The game isn’t bad by any stretch, but I always thought it was just OK. A filler to be played a few times and then forgotten like most party games. I call it my Lil’ Sebastian game. If you are a fan of the TV show Parks & Rec (and you should be), there was an episode in there where the entire town goes bananas over a miniature horse. Outsider Ben Wyatt’s reaction is “It’s just a horse, right?”. That’s kind of my reaction to Codenames. It’s fine, but I don’t get why people were fawning all over it.

2-8Players • Ages 10+ • 15 minutes • $15

Scythe

Chosen by Tahsin
I’m prepared for the rage-filled comments on this one. When the game was first released, I was eager to try it. I played it once, and afterward was undecided. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t see the excitement and energy others were getting from it. Then I played it again, and again. And…you know where this is going. Nothing. No emotion. No diegetic energy. It’s a collection of mechanisms for Euro-points that betrays the scope of the narrative the game illustrates (not to mention that it makes no sense). When I look at the art of the game and am enthusiastically sold by the re-imagining of turn-of-the-century tech, I don’t see a Euro game of competing resources. I see possibilities for engaging players in stories of adventure and mechanized warfare on the level that Nemesis achieves with the Alien theme. In short…Scythe over-rates itself with promises and fails to deliver.

1-5 Players • Ages 14+ • 90 minutes • $70

Sagrada

Chosen by Jason
I want to let you guys know something about my personality: in most cases, if someone or something gives me a bad impression the first time we interact, I am willing to chance it a second time to see if my opinion changes. Call it the law of averages if you will. I did not, however, want to give that courtesy to Sagrada. In fact, its lack of appeal to me after one game led me to give away my unopened copy at a white elephant gift exchange later that year. The game just didn’t connect with me. I felt somewhat helpless and restricted in my choices. I vaguely remember being towards the end of around and thinking, it literally doesn’t matter what die I select. Nothing is going to help me. I can own that this may have been in part due to my previous poor decisions; if I’m going to be punished this badly late in a game, I’m not going to be enticed to try again. I was ready to throw a brick through a stained-glass window after this.

1-5 Players • Ages 8+ • 30-45 minutes • $40

Star Realms

Chosen by Alex
Unlike Brian, I am a huge fan of deck builders. Finding all sorts of ways of optimizing the construction of my deck as it evolves over the course of gameplay. Trying to figure out the best combinations and permutations based on the available cards. However, I don’t think that Star Realms, when viewing the whole picture, earns the hype that is built upon it. Yes, it has quick gameplay and simple rules, but that’s really it. I don’t think I’ve played a game where one side hasn’t completely run away with the game (No catch-up mechanic, Tas!), nor do I find any of the strategies or combos particularly interesting or innovative—you’re just hoping the cards you are building your deck towards show up to be available. Is it a fine game? Sure, but not nearly worthy of the glory bestowed on it.

2 Players • Ages 12+ • 20 minutes • $15