Matthew BaileyMy phone died during the game today so had to whip an old camera out hence why the lighting is all weird and everything doesn’t look “as usual”
The older two were out with their grandparents today, so Henry and I decided to play a game of “Bandido.” “Bandido” was actually the very first post I ever made on “Little Board Gamers”, all the way back on May 3rd, 2021 (pic below). Jack was five and Toby was two when that photo was taken, so I figured it was probably about time to see if I could guide Henry through it, even though he’s younger.
Game 52 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Bandido,” played by Henry (2) and myself.
“Bandido” is a cooperative maze builder where you start with a criminal in a home base, and you are trying to close off tunnels so that he does not escape. You always have a hand of 3 and on your turn you need to lay a tile doing your best to close of some of the path.
As you play, you work together and communicate, trying to find the most efficient way to place your cards so that you can close everything off and achieve victory.
The game comes in a small box but does require a fairly large amount of table space to play. Games can actually be over quite quickly. Interestingly, in both games I played with Henry, they didn’t last very long, which probably was a good thing, as Henry has the attention span of a goldfish… bless him.
He enjoyed playing with the tiles and trying to align them correctly, obviously with guidance from me on where the best place for them would be. He was probably a little young for this, but it was an enjoyable activity that I liked doing with him.
I would definitely recommend “Bandido” as “my first” coop game for really young kids. Because it’s cooperative, you can assist them with their turns, and the rules are very simple and the objective is super clear.
A family fave and something a bit different.
You can also play it on board Game Arena if you wanna try it out.
