New Games for May 19th, 2023 - The Crumbling Union's Wild Whisper

It's New Game Friday! David Wiley (Cardboard Clash) is here to tell us about the new games.

Here’s what is new this week:

• The Crumbling Dungeon
• River Wild
• Dungeon Pages: Valensi, Spirit Whisper

https://www.pnparcade.com/collections/new-games

The Crumbling Dungeon

A dungeon crawling game that puts players in a maze that is literally falling apart. Players are not allowed to turn around, so their adventure through the dungeon must be completed in a single shot. The location of items and encounters are always the same, but the maze is ever changing.

An amazing adventure with a twist: you can never re enter the same space on your way through the map. As you might expect, there’s going to come a time in every play of this where you fail, and so the key is to grab as many point-scoring opportunities as you can before that happens. If you enjoy fast-playing solo games that you can enjoy early in the morning or on a work break, you won’t want to miss out on a slew of adventures within The Crumbling Dungeon.

River Wild

Every year in the realm of Wild, the first snow of the season brings new life to the land and the creatures who inhabit it. High atop the tallest peaks, the sun beats down on this fallen snow, creating a magical rushing river that floods the valleys below. Carve out the most harmonious land possible, plotting the river’s course to create space for the local wildlife to thrive.

This is exactly the sort of solo game experience you’d expect from the hit designer of games like Circle the Wagons and Sprawlopolis, although completely different from either of them which makes it an unique experience. There’s a delightful puzzle aspect here as you’re building onto two branches of a river, trying to make the valleys in between get completed while maximizing their point values within the valley itself. If you’re a fan of a tactile experience where you build out a map as you go, then you won’t want to miss this wallet game.

Dungeon Pages: Valensi, Spirit Whisper

Valensi has always had a crowd of voices in her ear. So it’s no wonder the sorceress has chosen a solitary lifestyle. Some might say she seeks to silence the extra voices with each battle.

Valensi brings along her Undead Army into this adventure, allowing her to boost the value being used to mark a space. As you’d expect, it gets more powerful later in the adventure, making it a quite impressive skill. The location is equally excellent, with the Greatbridge also doing exactly what you’d expect from the name. Much to my delight, the boss is a Stealing Troll, which is absolutely fitting here, and he’ll trickle away your coins while you battle him. You’ll also find some interest in the traps this week, as they flip your unused dice which can lead to some really clever planning by the player. Don’t miss out on another fantastic installment in this annual adventure!

Game of the Week: Union Station on sale for just $4!

From the turn of the 20th century, Chicago’s Union Station rose to prominence as one of the busiest and most used train station hubs in the United States. At one point, five railroad companies each owned stock in the Chicago Union Station Co, collaborating to build the greatest train station at the time.

A delightful train game that lovers of the 18XX genre will love, and even those who haven’t played train games can learn and enjoy. This one has you take one of three actions, all with the intent of making the most money by the end of the game. To do this you’ll invest in one or more train companies, lay tracks in the company to help them reach their desired destinations, or sell shares while they are peak profit to cash in on their growth and success. This looks to be a game that will take a fraction of the time as those 18XX games tend to run, so this could be a great way to dip your toe in to see if you like the economical delights of manipulating train companies.