Matthew BaileyGame 4 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is…
“Soulaween” played with Jack (.8.) and Toby (5). Jack and I mostly played and Toby took a few of the photos (big thanks to him)
“Soulaween,” is a game where you step into the shoes of Apprentice Grim Reapers attending the Death School, engaging in a one-on-one battle to reap the most souls during the annual “Soulaween” event.
The fundamental concept of “Soulaween” bears a striking resemblance to “Flip Over Frogs”, which I reviewed a year or two ago. However, the key distinction here is that it’s strictly a two-player game.
The game begins with a 4×4 grid, and on your turn, you place a soul token with either the red or green side up. Any tokens adjacent to the one you’ve placed will switch sides and colours. Your ultimate goal is to form a line of four matching coloured souls. When you achieve this, you remove those four souls from the board and claim a vulture token from “Teacher Vulture,” who oversees the competition.
The first player to claim three sets of souls emerges as the victor. There’s also a more complex variant where you can choose characters with unique abilities and win conditions.
Papa Death and Little Death must claim three different tokens, each of different shapes, while Hai & Bai Wuchang have the option to flip tokens either orthogonally or diagonally. Anubis and Osiris can strategically lock the opponent out of specific colours on their turns.
The production quality of “Soulaween” is extremely high. The wooden tokens are exceptional, displaying the quality we expect from wooden components. The cards and cardboard tokens are also of excellent quality, and the board is made of cloth, allowing everything to fit into a compact box. My only minor gripe is that the printing on the cloth could be a tad bolder and vibrant.
I find myself torn in my review of “Soulaween.” As a designer by trade, I appreciate well-crafted and well-designed games, and “Soulaween” unquestionably falls into this category. However, my hesitation stems from its clear inspiration from classic games like Go and Othello, as well as more contemporary titles like Flip Over Frogs. Had I not reviewed “BOOoop” just yesterday, I might have been more inclined to give “Soulaween” a resounding endorsement.
Nonetheless, I do genuinely like this game and have no intentions of parting with it from my collection. It’s a strong recommendation for those seeking two-player abstract strategy games with beautiful components and an appealing aesthetic. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for something a bit more unique or engaging, “Soulaween” seems to lack that special something that’s difficult to pinpoint.
Originally a Korean import, it’s now readily available in the UK. Travel Games is offering the original Korean version with rare promo cards, in case that piques your interest. Furthermore, you can try “Soulaween” for free on Board Game Arena, allowing you to experience it firsthand before making a purchase.
In summary, “Soulaween” offers an enjoyable two-player gaming experience with high-quality components, making it a solid choice for fans of abstract strategy games.
