The Hope for Expert Launcher Skills with Iron Forest
Complete missions in a multi-level world all about flicking and launching across all sorts of objectives in Iron Forest.
With everything for Iron Forest fully assembled, it felt right to continue playing through the solo-friendly missions! This dexterity game features an exciting launcher to reach the top level, yet it isn’t about mindless movement. I was happy to see the missions getting more and more difficult with other objectives. Back to the table for some flying fun!
Game Overview
Game Name: Iron Forest
Publication Year: 2024
Designer: Brian Gomez
Artist: Reinis Pētersons
Publisher: Brain Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
A team of 4 characters sets off to complete a mission across the multi-story play area. Battles might help provide additional power-up cards, but figuring out the clever ways to complete objectives is the main goal… As is mastering the art of flicking and launching in the air!
First Play
January 1, 2025
Complexity
2
Latest Play
January 2, 2025
Expansions
2
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
4
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
44" x 32"
Low Score
N/A
A Surprise Visitor
This fun area seemed like the perfect spot for some Calico Critters, but they were onto me… I could only recruit one little bear still dressed up for Halloween. Ha ha!
He promptly pulled down his costume to peek out as he sat precariously atop the launcher. Was this thing safe? Mostly… And he had some hefty pumpkin protection!
This component is my favorite part of the game, likely due to me having a lot of issues with the physics of flicking.
At least with the terrible launches, I have something to laugh about. But no need to bring that up to this little guy!
Safe Landing
After adjusting for air speed velocity and the need to launch in an awkward backwards position, off he sailed!
It was a pretty awesome launch, especially considering the launcher is not designed for anything other than these specific figures. Touchdown at the top with no damage!
That convinced me I had enough skills launching Calico Critters. He agreed, too… One success was good enough!
And so ended my slightly sidetracked fun. I had another mission to try out! As before, setup wasn’t all that involved with all of the boxes assembled. Off to explore!
Data Mine Mission
Not surprisingly, the first mission I previously completed was very simple and felt like a good tutorial to understand the physics, especially with the launcher. Onward!
The next mission was about gathering data. How was that simulated? Each character had 2 random die values, and they cleared these out by traveling through the markers.
For instance, the 4-value objective marker can be spied here near the right side. Simple idea, and very cool!
I enjoyed the mission design here, and achieving a victory in 24 activations or less was a pretty great challenge.
A Very Fun Play Area
My focus is often on the launcher and upper level with holes to fall back down, yet the lower level features some very neat boxes! The artwork is quite fantastic, too.
The arrangement of the openings is also strategic and tricky. That central box might look great, but getting the right angle to move out of it can be diabolically tricky. Ha!
I liked the simple iconography, too. Each figure is a different color and shape, but also has a unique symbol.
Things got off to a slightly rough start, thanks to me launching into oblivion and crashing into walls, as usual!
In Appreciation of Second Chance Rules
All games can sometimes be a little kinder with second chances, which are often associated with dice. Is that cheating? I suppose I’ve technically done that a few times over the years, but I would point to the spirit of the game. Most of the time, I’ve taken liberties with narrative games I invested hours on, only to seemingly lose from a bad final roll.
Dexterity games can feel very unforgiving to those newer to the genre. I’m squarely in the bad category. Ha! But although there is a game here filled with strategic decisions, the spirit of this game is one of having fun. I took a few second chances here and there when the game state never changed… Besides me crashing into a corner!
The setting of a solo game has also made me relax my standing over the years. I’m not playing in tournaments to find the best player, nor am I claiming that I’m an expert in any game. If I win, that’s more of a celebration, often with Calico Critters! This is a fun hobby, and if I take a few second chances while overcoming challenges, I’m still happy!
Upper Level Fun
Another fun part of this mission was how flexible it was in sharing dice. Sometimes, BUBO just wasn’t hitting the target and it would have been awful to lock up the dice.
I was starting to see how the launcher was a great way to get elsewhere on the lower level, if only I lined everything up correctly… And didn’t fly off the table! That happened.
It came right down to the end, and I had to send SPIKE through this hole. Up and up he flew, and skidded in!
Such a fun time! Play time remained very reasonable, too, and I could tell I was in the mood for another mission.
Seismic Activity
With my extreme use of the launcher, it was no wonder that the next mission had to do with unusual tremors. Ha!
This mission proved tricky: Dice had to be hit to reveal a value between 1 and 4 to be picked up. Then, that character had to be bumped by or bump into a friendly unit.
It was far from easy! I figured my best option would be to knock down the top-level dice, but that never happened.
Plenty of wall crashes happened, often right in front of me. Ha! I still awarded myself a couple of extra attempts when nothing changed. I am no dexterity expert!
Session Overview
Play Number: 3 & 4
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Data Mine & Seismic Activity Missions
Outcome: 2 Wins
Courtesy of some hilariously bad flicks, what looked like an easy victory came down to the last activation. SPIKE respawned, but it was BBIT who had the final die. So I positioned him as close as possible for an easy hit. BBIT came out with my final card, and there was a whole minute spent making sure I lined up a hit that required about an inch of movement. Ha ha! Another fun victory!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
6
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
8
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
6
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each mission provides a different way to play with various objectives and increasing difficulty, but plenty of fun.
- There is a fair amount of strategy in planning out how to move and achieve objectives in time to win.
- Activations can be tracked, so it’s possible to have a good idea of which cards will be drawn at the end of a round.
- Not a lot of work is required to run the solo opponent, yet there is still a challenge in trying not to get knocked out.
- Using the launcher is always a fun and exciting part of gameplay, even when it goes extremely poorly.
- The dexterity elements can be quite forgiving, especially with the optional rule to allow second chances.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A fair amount of skill is needed in order to flick and launch successfully, and this may or may not develop quickly.
- It can be hard to locate the figures at times with the height of the box walls, especially on the lower level.
- All of the missions seem to be quite fun, yet there isn’t necessarily a reason to play through them multiple times.
- Some power-up cards and expansions don’t seem to be compatible with the solo mode, yet this isn’t in the rules.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Objective
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete the Data Mine mission.
Complete the Establishing a Network mission.
Complete the Seismic Activity mission.
Continue the Conversation
Have you played the solo mode for Iron Forest? What are some of your favorite missions or memories? This continues to be a delightful experience that might lean more into the toy category than board game category, yet I don’t mind! There is a lot of fun here, along with a surprising amount of depth… And that’s not just when falling down a hole. Ha!
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