š„¤ Discover the Soda Pop Collection from ThunderGryph Games! 4 abstract 2-player games in vintage cans. A fun and aesthetic treat!
Soda Pop Collection
ā ļø Warning : In the interest of transparency towards our community, we would like to point out that this article reflects our personal opinion on the game. We have not received any compensation from the game publisher. We have independently acquired and tested the game, without commercial link with its publisher. The reviews presented here represent our honest and unbiased analysis of the game, based on our own experience.
After introducing you to the Matchbox Collection, it’s time to leave aside your matches and open a few cans of soft drinks with the Soda Pop Collection!
Here is the latest production from the Spaniards ThunderGryph Games, a rather colorful and promising little project only for 2 players, just unboxed and tested.
The initial proposal is completely respected: a box in the shape of a fridge from the 50s/60s in which there are 4 metal cans. Each of them contains within it a small game with a varied theme. To go with these cold drinks, we add a small packet of salty crackers in which there is a fifth bonus gameā¦
What will this result in the end? We’ve tasted it and we’ll let you know immediately!
A well-stocked fridge
The box is already a nice tour de force in design, but it’s when you open it that you realize the extent of the work put into it. Four beautifully illustrated metal cans are packed with hardware. In each, everything is designed so that all the game elements can fit inside. It is still good to open to check: wooden or metal pawns with transfers, fabric game tracks, colored wooden dice. Itās impressive considering the end result!
Thundergryph has always been able to offer superb, well-finished games. This is indeed the case here, with perhaps a reservation regarding the lifespan of the Light Seeker dice. To see over timeā¦
Soda Pop Collection. 4 games with different themes. And a little bonus.
Cat a Comb
15 dice: 6 black, 6 white and 3 brown (neutral) and 9 territory tiles: 3 white, 3 black and 3 brown. We position the 3 neutral dice at random on a tile of each color. Each player collects the 6 dice of a color. The last person to pet a cat starts the game.
In turn, each player will have 2 choices: place a die belonging to them on an authorized location (which does not contain a cat of the same color as the one placed) or disperse a column of cats on a neighboring location starting with the one from below, then the next on a location touching that of the first and so on.
Keeping in mind that a column can only hold 3 cats maximum. The first to have 3 of their cats on top of 3 territory tiles, or 3 columns of 3 cats, is declared the winner. It’s more teasing than it seems at first. In some cases it’s tearing your hair out!
Light Seeker
9 6-sided dice, accompanied by an adorable little meeple named Seeker. Each die has 2 dark sides, 2 shaded sides (cut diagonally, the light side providing 1 point) and 2 light sides worth 2 points.
We position the 9 dice in 3Ć3 with the dark sides above, slightly apart from each other. The last one to turn on the light starts.
Each player can either slide or rotate a die to whatever side they want in a direction where there is at least one free space. The game board will therefore naturally evolve and modify. Once the die has been modified, the player places the cute meeple on one of the dice. The latter will be impossible to use by the next player. And so on. The first to assemble a zone of 7 light points wins the game. Simple and efficient !
Forgenesis
A fabric gaming arena with a blue forge in one corner and an orange forge opposite. On either side of these forges are two summoning zones where your future mechanical creatures will arrive. You have 4 creatures each and the goal is to cover (extinguish) your opponent’s forge.
It’s good to know that you have 6 creatures to choose from at the start of the game. One of the mechanics will choose 4 and his opponent will have to collect the same ones, then the duel can begin. Everyone chooses the creature they start with, which can be different. The other 3 are in his reserve. One action per turn among the two (ā¦3ā¦) available: move a creature orthogonally one square or activate its specific ability but deactivate it. Or reactivate all your creatures on the board.
Then you can summon a new creation from your reserve. Until you can no longer move any of them or your forge is extinguished.
More complex overall because each creature has a different power… This requires more games to understand the multiple tactical combinations.
Top Cap
A small fabric play mat with the design of a bottle of one color in one corner and another color in the opposite corner. Add 8 metal capsules, 4 of each color. We position the capsules on the mat. Then the last person to have uncapped a bottle starts the game.
She moves one of her capsules in a straight line only in the 8 available directions, a number of squares corresponding to the number of capsules (whatever their colors). You are not allowed to jump over a capsule, nor to stop in front of a wall if the movement is not completed.
The first to place their capsule on their opponent’s bottle wins. The first player who can no longer move capsules following the rules loses. Re-simple and re-effective!
Salty
A small bag of crackers with inside: a ruler in English, 9 double-sided cracker tokens and a double-sided salt shaker token as well. Place the crackers aligned by color and shape on their unsalted side in 3×3, the salt shaker aside.
The players take turns moving a cracker in such a way as to keep a single board orthogonally speaking. By turning the crackers (salted or unsalted) depending on whether the salt shaker is empty or not to obtain lines of 3 correctly seasoned crackers… It’s not clear, eh. Normal, you have to have the rules in front of you to understand. Not intuitive at all, this thing is torture!
Honestly not great for me. Luckily it was a bonus for the full fridge pledgeā¦
Crowdfunding bonuses
Along with the filled fridge pledge was a tiny expansion for each of the 4 games in the can. Each going into the can with the original game. Made up of one or more tokens or dice, they bring a small change in the rules or tactics to be used. Not bad for making things more difficult or for long-term replayability.
Second bonus, 5 superbly illustrated coasters with each of the games offered. Appropriate given the theme of cold drinks!
So, are we satisfied or are we still hungry? Soda Pop Collection, verdict
Let me be clear: all these games in this Soda Pop Collection range are abstract games on which we have stuck a chosen theme… uh, I don’t really know how.
Quite quickly, this theme disappears, giving way to the system alone and therefore to the strategy that results from it. Is this bad? Not for me. A lot of games are like this and on short games it doesn’t bother me. We therefore find ourselves in a more or less successful duel. A quick and deadly fight… but which can easily resume as soon as the game is over to try to recover.
Another series of abstract games that I have difficulty mastering (understanding āwhere I get taken down regularly!ā) but which nevertheless makes me want to come back to it. Just like Dvonn or Ekƶā¦ if you know these two nuggets.
Lovers of 2-player games should enjoy ābeing put in a boxā. However, I would recommend the fridge and its complete filling. The games are available individually but ā¬15 for a can… that’s expensive to sip! The complete fridge plus bonuses is priced at ā¬45. For 5 fast, chainable games, the quality/price ratio is interesting.
Note that, as usual, ThunderGryph directly offers a French version. The games do not have a language requirement since they use drawings or icons. Only the rules need to be translated for them. If you come across a ānon-Frenchā version, the rules are available on the publisherās website.
Overall, it’s a good investment even if some games are more interesting than others. To dig along the length to seeā¦
- Green Dice Label : No. To find out more about the DĆ© Vert label, click here.
- Creation : Pierpaolo Paoletti, Daniel Danzer, Julian Danzer, Ignazio Panades, Enrico Gandolfo
- Illustrations : Behemot, Bryn Jones, Sergio Chaves, Paolo Voto
- Editing : ThunderGryph Games
- Numbers of players and players : 2 (only)
- Recommended age : From 14 years old (for the tactical side!)
- Duration : 5 ā 15 minutes (on average)
- Theme : Varied & diverse!
- Main mechanics : Abstract, positioning, confrontation. To learn more about the different game mechanics, click here.
Return from campaign
All the information and explanations can be found here:
Once again, I am more than satisfied with the result obtained for this Soda Pop Collection. Thundergryph has never disappointed me so far in terms of hardware, I just was less interested in Iwari and Darwin’s Journey which were too āstrategy gameā oriented for me.
It is true that Thundergryph is known for its delivery delays compared to the schedule presented during the various campaigns. This is a recurring weak point for them.
Communication is another aspect to improve. They are clearly not champions in this area! However, it appears that they have recently hired a community manager. Hopefully this will change things in the right direction for the backers.
You have to keep in mind that Thundergryph remains a small publisher and it seems normal to me that they launch new projects even if the previous ones are delayed. They must always be one step ahead to continue to exist. This is also the spirit of crowdfunding in my opinion.
Their games are varied, always magnificent and some reach new heights, like Darwin’s Journey in the expert games category. I’m looking forward to the Seasons expansion for Tang Garden (no, I don’t agree with my editor at all!) and I just followed them on Etherstone.
I am one of their fans. And no, I don’t get anything for saying that. The pleasure of playing with their products is more than enough for me!
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