Oltree Game Review

 Co-op board games are an important part of my collection. Constant rivalry with opponents, struggle for resources, bluffing, race for victory points - all this you will not find in this genre. Sometimes you want to be on one side of the barricade, unite with everyone against the impending threat, and walk this path side by side.

 In general, there is not too much variety of such cooperatives in our market, and only a few representatives in the topic of knights. So I couldn't get past this game. Did I like her? Let's figure it out.

 About the game. "Oltre" is a cooperative board game for 2-4 people. Everyone has to take on the role of one of the heroes-knights, who were assigned to go to the old fortress to restore justice in those lands and take the peaceful citizens under their protection. The plot will move as we go through the annals, the pages of which we open by throwing a special die. On our way there will be interesting meetings, unexpected events and not always easy challenges.

 Layout and components. This is clearly Oltre's strong point. The field looks voluminous and detailed, the design is colorful, the cards have amazing art, what are the figures of knights worth, each made in its own way. Two-layer tablets of characters add ergonomics, and a convenient organizer is made in the form of boxes that give the game sophistication. Pleasant to the touch components, unusual cubes and elegantly designed chronicles in the form of books. The authors clearly did not spare money and time to work out these details. Personally, I have no complaints in this regard, I want to show it to my friends, especially those who are far from the world of board games and think that, except for Monopoly, there is nothing worthwhile. Separately, I would like to emphasize that the game will clearly affect children as well.

 Gameplay This is where the questions start to arise...

 There are only 7 chronicles in the base game, 2 of which are short. "The Living and the Dead" add-on adds only 3 more. At the beginning of getting acquainted with the game, you will be interested in reading them, they really have new interesting stories every time, somewhere you will be offered a choice of which way to move forward, somewhere you will be rewarded for successes or, on the contrary, insert several sticks into the wheels. But when you finish the last chronicle, the question arises: What next? Yes, the game adds replayability by introducing new objectives into the game, but they don't change the plot at all, the essence remains the same. You will already know which characters are better to play in this or that case, which buildings to build first, which can be neglected, which resources will come in handy, and which can simply be forgotten. All this leads to the fact that the game quickly annoys you, you will forever miss something. The only thing that can be done about it is to increase the time between games, return to the game no more than once a week, maybe twice, and then once a month. Over time, the nuances of the annals will be forgotten, which will allow you to fully (without advantage) return to them. The game is clearly not for every day, you can't play it to the core.

 Separately, I would like to talk about mechanics. At the beginning of the turn, each player rolls a special die that brings a new page of the chronicle closer. This is complete randomness that you cannot influence. There were cases when the chronicle rushed to its end, leaving no time for the players to take the necessary actions. The game itself decides how this party will go. But sometimes randomness is on the side of the participants, even with an excess. There are extra steps that are not worth spending on. This mechanic is an "Oltre" chip, but it does not always show its best sides.

 Difficulty level. On the way there will be troubles and events that we will have to solve. But most often, any problem can be solved by giving some resource from the general inventory or simply by passing an inspection. In all cases, even if you fail, the event is considered complete, bringing you closer to the goal of the game. It turns out that, in principle, it does not matter who goes there and how to deal with this event, you will still get the desired result. Yes, successful completion will bring you bonuses or resources, but there will be no further benefit from it. Diluting the situation is that in some tasks you will be given a choice of how to act, but again, it will not change the course of the game too much.

 In the first games, you will build your tactics, think through each move, face new difficulties, but then all this will enter the usual course and will not be so interesting: the mechanics will become clear, events and troubles will begin to repeat themselves - and everything will turn into a routine.

 There is clearly not enough crisis in the game. You shouldn't expect "Ancient Horror" from her. It is for those who do not want to think over strategy for a long time, do not like long stories, do not wait for serious tests and upheavals of the entire plot. The process in "Altra" proceeds peacefully, your character cannot die in principle, the game often does not break the plans of the players. Still, it imposes some restrictions, but they disappear quite quickly.

 Over time, you will understand what the game requires of you, and it will become easy. The whole strategy will be based on which player to send where and what to build first. As a rule, whoever is closer is the one who goes to deal with the events.

 Characters There are as many as 8 characters in the game, but they all differ only in appearance, one individual ability and a symbol that will allow you to roll more dice on a certain check, and a small difference in "hearts". All this makes a stingy asymmetry, you often forget about personal qualities, because you use them very rarely. In fact, the difference is only in the figurines.

 What is missing? There is a lack of versatile characters, longer chronicles, more opportunities to influence the plot, work out your plans several moves ahead, more  complex checks and tests, new scenarios. In short, those sensations that the "Ancient Horror" gives. Perhaps someone does not need them at all, for someone a calm environment, the absence of complex monsters and difficult decisions is more important.

 What in the end? I can recommend Oltre, but not to everyone. If you like this genre, theme, you are looking for a colorful design with elaborate components, a simple and short story game - this is your ideal choice.

 Do not wait for challenges, this is primarily a calm, family game. Personally, I expected more from her, but I had no desire to sell her. "Oltre" should be compared to a book that you have read and put on the shelf. There is nothing to get her very often, she has a completely different purpose.

 "Oltre" will be a good addition to a collection where there are other, more difficult games that you want to return to more often, but sometimes take a break from.