Good points, Roger. It can be really difficult to fit a lot into a small game, and I don’t necessarily expect that. Maybe I did at the time, though, because my comments certainly seem to indicate that! Sometimes, I think I have trouble expressing exactly where my disappointment comes from for games that don’t work for me. I try to explain so that it might be helpful to others. You have a knack for making me want to revisit some not-so-great games for me simply to see them from another perspective. Thank you for that!

Which of course it is, but the “just” is unfair of hypothetical-Roger: for some people a relatively simple game with an unintegrated thematic gloss is just fine, and they can enjoy the game while being reminded of the theme rather than treating it as an immersive experience.

Call it a pet peeve in my book! I simply couldn’t get past that sentence until I read it a few times, somehow wondering if it might have been speaking about something other than the top card. Definitely not one of my reasons for not enjoying the game as much as I wish I had! Hopefully that’s something that’s already fixed for any possible future reprints!

Thanks for your comments! I get a lot more enjoyment about focusing on the positives of every game, and any disappointment is more geared towards myself. I’m sure nothing feels that objective here, although I’m glad to know it sounds like I’m trying to give it a fair shake!

Interesting that you point out my negative about just the mechanics… A lot of my negative impressions of games go back to my initial expectations. Did I set myself up for something deeper? I wonder. And this is why I typically don’t move games along immediately since there’s a chance it was just how I was feeling in the moment.

Hmm, I actually do enjoy sorting anything by color. Ha ha!

Finally, nope. That last sentence isn’t valid at all. I believe it’s meant to say, “Add the top card of the deck to the A.I.’s Journey.” I usually notice these things but hope I didn’t lean into that. The rules were a little difficult for me to grasp, although again, there’s a common denominator in all of these issues… And that would be me. Ha!

One sentence in your review sticks out to me, ” it boiled down to pure mechanics.”. And I think, taking your impresion of Sprawlopolis into account, that this is a mayor point (even it is was on half of a sentence). Both game are pure mechanics. A winnig city in Sprawlopolis can look ugly . There is no story, adventure or anything else, just the mechanics.
The ‘best’ description I can come up with: “People who enjoy these games, might also enjoy sorting Legos by color”.

Also: “Add the cop card of the deck the A.I. journey” is that even a valid sentence (might be in context of the game)?