Brain Games continues to localize award-winning and world-renowned games

As the board game hobby grows in popularity, publishers come up with countless new games every year. Only a small part of all games end up in local stores, but an even smaller part can be obtained by customers in Latvian. Every year, Brain Games tries to increase the number of games available in Latvian, and this year Brain Games does not disappoint us either.

First of all, it is worth understanding why games are localized and who needs it. Localizing board games, or translating them into the local language, opens new doors for fans of this hobby. Games in Latvian give access to anyone interested in playing more and more new games, because the rules and components of the games are in a language that is easy for everyone to understand. Plus, these games are produced in large quantities and don't have to wait weeks and months for them to hit the shelves.

The localization process itself is not easy, because there are really many games that claim the opportunity to be translated . In the selection process, games are tested and various aspects are taken into account - game size, target audience, alternatives, amount of material to be translated and more. In order to please as many players as possible, Brain Games tries to choose as many different games as possible, so that everyone can find the one they like the most.

Since our last roundup of localized games last November, a number of excellent new releases have hit the shelves. Already at the end of last year, the drafting game "Sushi Go" was available, in which players try to collect the most delicious meal. Also, before Christmas, the unique detective game "MicroMacro: City of Crime" appeared, in which players have to solve 16 different crimes intertwined in one huge map.

"Living Forest"

Zero as one of this year's most awarded games "Living Forest" has arrived in Latvia. It won the connoisseur's game of the year award, or 'Kennerspiel des Jahres', as well as France's 'As d'Or - Jeu de l'Année Initié' award for the best game from local manufacturers.

"Living Forest" players build their camp with forest defenders, which allows you to get new helpers, build your forest, stop the spread of fire and move through the Long Circle. Each turn, players can reveal as many cards from their pile as they want, but beware of dark symbols (loners), which players don't want to reveal more than two. Players are often faced with the dilemma of whether to stop or continue to reveal cards with the hope of getting something good for a stronger move, but with the risk of losing one of the two moves.

The game is like a race where participants rush to reach the finish line first. Only, unlike the classic race with one checkered flag, here there are three different finish lines, each of which wins the game. The winner will be the player who first plants 12 different protective trees, extinguishes 12 flames or collects 12 sacred flowers.

The game not only allows for different strategies, but also has fantastic illustrations that make the gameplay especially enjoyable.

"Living Forest" is now available in stores! (at the time of publication, the game is only available in the online store and will appear on store shelves at the beginning of the week!)

"Blisters of Quedlinburg"

At the beginning of the year, the long-awaited game "Blisters of Quedlinburg" , which won the prestigious "Kennerspiel des Jahres" award as the best expert game of the year in 2018, arrived in stores. It has also won numerous other awards, and two expansions have already been created for it, and who knows - maybe one day they will also be localized.

Players put themselves in the shoes of charlatans as they try to brew the best medicinal potion. However, being charlatans, they are not completely sure of their skills, so it is important to know when to stop. As the game progresses, everyone pulls ingredients from their bags, trying to get as many points as possible before too many explosive ingredients are pulled - otherwise the potion will go airborne and we won't get all the bonuses. The game lasts for nine rounds and after each round players add more and more ingredients to their bag to achieve the best results.

Clever

This year, Brain Games also localized its first guess-and-write game — Clever . The game is also known as "That's Pretty Clever!" and “Ganz schön clever”. In it, players roll the dice, choose the most advantageous for themselves and try to collect as many points as possible. Although it sounds easy, there are so many options when you enter gambling, but you never manage to get everything, so players have to make really smart choices.

The classic German game design may not seem the most attractive at first, but the most important thing is, of course, the inner beauty.

If the aforementioned game "Blisters of Quedlingburg" received the "Kennerspiel des Jahres" in 2018, then "Clever" was one of the nominees for this award. The game was also nominated in three Golden Geek Game of the Year categories, winning the Best Solo Game award, because Clever is great fun for both single and multiplayer.

"Carcassonne: The Princess and the Dragon"

Fans of classic games were not disappointed this year either, as the long-awaited third expansion of the game "Carcassonne" "The Princess and the Dragon" arrived. Who does not know the prestigious board game "Carcassonne"? Well, it is possible to play it in Latvian with three extensions!

The Princess and the Dragon adds new mechanics and ways to earn points to the game. Everyone is trying to please the princess, but watch out for the dragon, which players can use to disrupt their opponents' plans. A great expansion for those looking for a more casual interaction between players.

"Carcassonne" new edition

Continuing to talk about the award-winning game "Carcassonne" , it should be noted that this year it got a new and more modern look.

Although the game has acquired a new visual identity of the box, the components have retained their classic charm, and the backs of all the fields have remained unchanged, so that they can be freely mixed with any edition and expansion.

"Carcassonne Junior"

The new edition is not the last news of "Carcassonne" either - the game "Carcassonne Junior" is back in Latvian. Very often, top games come out with kid-friendly versions that remove a few mechanics from the well-known game and reduce, for example, the number of available resources to make it easier. But this is not the case, as "Carcassonne Junior" differs significantly from the classic game of 2001.

In the junior version, players draw a field, which must be placed on the common map, just like in the basic game. But the goal is not to score as many points as possible, but to get rid of all your little people. Each time a path is closed from both sides, players place their colored figures in the corresponding places. Another big plus is that there are no wrong moves in this game - no matter where you place a square, it will always match the adjacent ones.

You can learn the game itself very quickly and easily. Just watch this video:

Adventure book "Knights"

In the adventure book Knights, you are one of three brothers determined to become a brave knight. The game is a book where your choices and ability to find clues and solve puzzles will affect your character's story. It's a unique adventure that can be played again and again.

"Micons"

Brain Games has also thought about the little ones with the game "Micons" , in which players will not only have to be attentive observers, but also remember the feelings created by the elements of everyday life and learn to express thoughts and arguments.

On each turn, players look for an object on their cards that matches the displayed property: these can be visible properties and objects such as shapes or colors, or they can be invisible concepts such as salty, sweet, hot, cold, sharp , noisy etc. If a player can, they play their card, and then it's the next player's turn.

Brain Games isn't sitting idly by and is actively working to bring new games to us, and one of the hottest new releases is hitting store shelves very soon. What it will be - read in the next blog post!

Author of the article: Jānis Bernāns