Reviewed by Selwyn Ward
ASTRA (Mindclash Games, 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, 20 minutes per player; $35)
The announcement from Hungarian publishers Mindclash that they were launching a new ‘Mindclash Play’ imprint seemed to herald not so much a change of direction as a parallel development path for the company. Since their launch in 2014, Mindclash have built a strong international reputation for their mainly big-box ultra-heavyweight euro strategy games, including Trickerion (Summer 2021 Gamers Alliance Report). These have all proved to be popular with seasoned gamers but they all bear a heavy rules overhead that make them less accessible to more casual players. It seems then that the new Mindclash Play imprint is aimed at opening up new markets for the company and the first entry in the Mindclash Play line-up is Astra,
