A new to me game hit the table this past weekend and one that was on my campaign list to solo. It is a solo only board game, Relics of Rajavihara that kind of has a campaign and it really doesn’t. It is more a series of puzzles that are pulled together across different floors with a little bit of text. But if you were curious about the crowdfunded game Relics of Rajavihara, you can check it out now, and see how the puzzles and production work.

Warning: Once you know how to solve the puzzle, that will be solved for you. So be aware if you really want to play this game.

The Game – Relics of Rajavihara

So, I wrote about this one last Friday, the article came out late, if you want to check it out you can here. I knew it wasn’t going to be the biggest campaign game or the hardest, though the puzzles will get harder. But it is a campaign and a truly solo experience. And it is all built around a series of puzzles.

I think that is what you need to know most going into this game. The Relics of Rajavihara is not a traditional board game. But it is a puzzle experience that gives you a lot of fun moments of trying to solve it. It is almost crossword puzzle or Sudoku like in that way. Except it is more physical and tactile than those.

And it also reminds me of Chip’s Challenge, an old game that came bundled with Windows 98, I think. In that game you would slide around blocks to get keys and basically completely levels. This offers more three dimensionality to it, but has some of the same elements of figuring out how you would complete the levels.

The downside is, once you solve a puzzle you know it. And while they do a good job of varying the puzzles on the levels, not all of them are too difficult. Something that might be trickier the first time, when you see a variation on it, it is a whole lot easier.

Giving It Away

That does beg a question if the game is worth it? And I think the answer for me is yes. I don’t mind that I can only play a certain number of times. I also understand that is not for everyone. Which is why I consider Relics of Rajavihara a game that I would give away, give to someone once I am done with it. As long as I know someone who is interested, I will pass it on. If it’s not local, we’ll see, but the experience is a good one.

It is also a limited one and reminds me of Unlock in that way. I don’t feel like reselling those makes that much sense. Yes, you still get the full experience, but when it is one and done, I prefer to pass it on to the next person.

Upcoming Live Streams

So next Monday I think I said that I would do more Relics of Rajavihara. I want to change that. Mainly because of the limited replayability, so I don’t want to spoil everything. Next Monday I want to try a new solo game, and I will need to look through my collection to see what will be. But this week I’ll plan on playing more Relics of Rajavihara on my own.

And then on Wednesday, assuming I’m not too snowed under and tired out from shoveling, my plan is Lands of Galzyr. You can click the notification bell here to know when I go live. And you can join Bumir to see how his adventures will go. And tell me what you think of Lands of Galzyr.

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