There seems to be a growing trend of board games built around a standout “gimmick” mechanic, not necessarily in a bad way, but as the central feature that makes the game memorable. Recently, at The Meeple Guild table, we’ve seen games like Niagara with its flowing river system, Cocoons and its moving nest boxes, and now Octocube, where players roll magnetized cubes around the board to collect tiles.
Each of these games has brought something interesting to the table, even if none of them completely clicked with our group. In the case of Niagara, it felt best suited toward younger family players, probably around seven or eight years old and up.
That same family-friendly sweet spot is exactly where Octocube seems to land.
The game itself is very easy to learn. Tiles are arranged in a grid, and players place their cubes along the edge before taking turns rolling them across the board. Thanks to hidden magnets inside the cubes, each face can pick up and carry a tile as it rolls. At any point, players can stop rolling and retrieve their cube to score the collected tiles.
Those tiles are then added to a personal board, where even more points can be earned at the end of the game. There is a decent amount of strategy involved in planning the best path for your cube, especially since scoring comes from both the quantity and combinations of tiles collected. The result is a bit of a “point salad” system, which actually works well for younger players, since almost any strategy usually earns something positive.
Still, the real hook of the game is the tactile experience of rolling the cube itself. That’s the feature players will either love because it feels unique and interactive, or dismiss as a little too gimmicky. Around our table, opinions were definitely mixed.
For adult gaming groups looking for deep strategy, Octocube may not have enough substance to hold long-term interest. But for families wanting something light, approachable, and fun without complicated rules overhead, it is certainly worth checking out.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
Rolling cube to collect tiles fine family fun
Each of these games has brought something interesting to the table, even if none of them completely clicked with our group. In the case of Niagara, it felt best suited toward younger family players, probably around seven or eight years old and up.
That same family-friendly sweet spot is exactly where Octocube seems to land.
The game itself is very easy to learn. Tiles are arranged in a grid, and players place their cubes along the edge before taking turns rolling them across the board. Thanks to hidden magnets inside the cubes, each face can pick up and carry a tile as it rolls. At any point, players can stop rolling and retrieve their cube to score the collected tiles.
Those tiles are then added to a personal board, where even more points can be earned at the end of the game. There is a decent amount of strategy involved in planning the best path for your cube, especially since scoring comes from both the quantity and combinations of tiles collected. The result is a bit of a “point salad” system, which actually works well for younger players, since almost any strategy usually earns something positive.
Still, the real hook of the game is the tactile experience of rolling the cube itself. That’s the feature players will either love because it feels unique and interactive, or dismiss as a little too gimmicky. Around our table, opinions were definitely mixed.
For adult gaming groups looking for deep strategy, Octocube may not have enough substance to hold long-term interest. But for families wanting something light, approachable, and fun without complicated rules overhead, it is certainly worth checking out.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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