Welcome to the first of our blogs focusing on a publisher, it was a tough choice who to begin with as there are so many great publishers out there but we had to start somewhere…
We went with a wonderful Japanese company that specialises in small box games, most of these are exactly the same sized box. They are Oink Games and if you are looking for something to take on holiday with you then what better than something sized so handily? They’re awesome games as well!
Here’s our pick of some of their games that we think are worth exploring…
I wanted a pun but couldn’t find anything ‘Pacific’ enough…
This used to be the best known game in the Oink line up, Deep Sea Adventure. In this one you’re a band of between three and six treasure hunting divers, sharing a submarine and diving for treasure over three days. Glory and fame goes to the one with the most treasure at the end of the third dive but be warned, carrying treasure uses up the shared oxygen supply and the more you carry then the slower you ascend. Run out of oxygen? Everyone who hasn’t made it back to the submarine is forced to drop their treasure to be able to make it back alive. Most early games end in hardly anyone bringing up any treasure, this is push your luck at one of its purest and smallest forms and it’s great.
Mind games, chance, greed, this game does all these things so well in less than 30 minutes and it’s also s lot of fun too. It is hands down one of the best Oink Games going and to this day is still most people’s first foray into their wonderful selection.
This was so popular that they also have a recent game called Moon Adventure that takes the original and spins it in to a cooperative game… in spaaaaaaace!
Send in the clowns…
The recent challenger to ‘Best Oink Game’ is the critically acclaimed Scout. With a nomination for Spiel des Jahres in 2022, (that’s as good as an Oscar nomination in the world of board games) this is the good stuff.
Rival circus owners are looking to put on the greatest show on earth. On your turn, put a better show on than the previous player or if you can’t, then scout one of their troupe away from their current show to help you put on a better show later. Make oodles of cash to win.
To be honest, narrative isn’t really the strong point in this game, although, putting on Circus music when playing and announcing who is in your line-up does make it fun! It is really a well made ‘ladder climbing’ game with some neat and crunchy restrictions. The main restriction is you keep your cards in the order you are dealt them at the start of the round and don’t rearrange your hand. You can slot in purchased cards to make your hand stronger as you have to play cards that are next to each other in your hand as a set or a run. It’s very clever and takes a few hands to get your head around strategies but is well worth the investment.
There are rules for 2 players but we recommend playing from 3 to 5 players with the core rules and as it comes in at under 15 minutes, it’s another great filler from Oink.
This one means business…
Stocks and shares, wheeling and dealing, in Startups! A series of companies are ripe for investment, gauge your rivals interest and the hidden shares they already possess and aim to be the majority shareholder for the big bucks. When you are the clear majority holder you can no longer invest in that company from the open market due to anti-monopoly rules, this can be used to your advantage though. Lure your rivals into making bad investments and play the markets wisely to win.
A quality game of bluffing and manipulation with a nice dose of chance thrown in too. Startups will play beautifully from three up to seven players in a nice quick 20 mins.
There is no choice but to believe in free will
Oooo…. Deep, who is the Insider?
In the game, the ‘Master’ knows a word and the ‘commons’ need to get to it by using yes/no questions or everyone loses. One player is the ‘Insider’ and assists the players in getting them to the word as they also know it. Get to the word in 5 minutes and you may win but only if you can correctly point to the ‘Insider’ else they are the sole winner.
Who is the manipulator of the group? Did someone show they knew too much? Can you tell who is molding your perception of reality? Yes, this is twenty questions with a twist. A wonderful party game, so much so that they released a ‘black’ edition with extra content and a slight twist to the rules.
With a player count of four to eight players and a game time of under 15 minutes, this is pure word based deception and manipulation.
Looked for another pun but I drew a… plank!
Now one of the newer titles from Oink Games, Rafter Five. The group of you are building a raft to carry off the treasure. Drop too many treasures in the sea and you lose, letting the rest of the group sail to safety!
This is a balance game for 1 to 6 players where you are placing cards that represent lumber under the various sized rafters on the ever expanding raft and balancing treasure chests on too. As all good balance games should be, this is a tense experience. One wrong move and it could all be over. You can add a couple of extra rules to make the placement of the lumber even trickier so, if you are looking to make it even more tense, you have that option. The game works well at most player ages and you’ll have to be very skilled to last over 10 minutes. Great meeples who are full of character and great table presence too.
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There are plenty more great games from Oink, we also enjoy Durian with its cheeky little monkeys and teeny-tiny hand-bell, Nine Tiles Panic for its manic logic puzzle vibe, Quickity Pickity and it’s speed set collection and DroPolter the other new-ish kid in the collection and it’s tricky gripping craziness that is unlike anything you have tried.
We’re sure they will keep going from strength to strength and eagerly look forward to what the future brings for… Oink Games!