Always interested in original concepts, I tested during these Christmas holidays a new board game, Star Hunters, developed by KaiKai, a young French company which has set itself the objective of developing of an innovative genre, at the crossroads between board games and video games.
Before you can start your game, you must print the physical part of the game, ie a board and four pawns. All you need is a color printer and two A4 sheets. Don't do the same stupidity as me to print the first time on both sides because the pawns must of course be cut to be handled and cannot remain stuck behind the board! A dice is also to mount, but nothing obliges to use it, especially if you have stronger (and better balanced) dice on hand.
Then, you need two Android or iOS devices, which must be connected to the same network. One hosts the game itself, Starfighters, preferably a tablet, because it's better if the screen is large to enjoy the graphics. The second, with the free KaiK'eye application, serves as a camera to identify the movements of the pieces on the game board. I recommend taking a phone that is more practical, lighter and more manageable in the context of manual use. It is also possible to install the phone on a tripod, or to form a tower with LEGO or other building bricks. We didn't take the time to do it, but it would probably have been nice because after a good quarter of an hour you get "tired" waving your phone right and left!
I will only summarize the rules for you, which you can find here in full if you want to know everything. In turn, each player rolls a D6 and advances his pawn the corresponding number of squares through the maze of a temple. In itself, nothing obliges to follow this rule. We quickly cheated shamefully and the only thing that really limits the movement of the characters is energy points (15 or 20), to be recovered thanks to potions to be collected, rain or a turn of sleep. Some squares are neutral, others trigger events, sometimes with the possibility of choosing to help opponents, or to rob them. The main objective is to reach a locked door, after collecting a key. In addition, it is necessary to reform the combination of the lock by visiting night observatories (every two towers), to observe the constellations where one of the three symbols is hidden. To win, you have to manage the day/night cycles, plan your moves and make the right decisions: trap your opponents or create alliances… all means are good to be the first to get your hands on the treasure!
The camera detects changes in the position of the pawn rather well, even if there is always a latency time, more or less long. Do not hesitate to approach the part of the plate concerned for better detection. It's mostly a matter of habit, knowing how to balance distance and angle properly, something that improves over time. As soon as the movement is detected, the game adapts, the character advances in the virtual world which corresponds to the drawings on the game board. the viewing angle on the screen. Very concrete events that greatly amuse the little ones (and the not so young), especially when the pawns cross paths, the character of the other is very present in the world.
A game lasts about thirty minutes, a little less if you cheat on the movements, but there is no way to speed up the characters on the screen, which still requires some attention on the part children. The rules are fortunately easy to understand, an adult will do well to take five minutes the first time to read them. Then, the game guides on the possible or impossible actions according to each situation, a bit like a game master. For example, it is impossible to cheat by jumping the broken bridge or to rush headlong towards the end without knowing the combination.
I had a great time testing Star Hunters with my 11-year-old son. Then I'm not completely convinced. Some detection issues. A camera crash in the middle of the game that forced us to start from scratch. The slow movement of the characters. The need to have two devices under iOS & Android. The price of the application (8,99€). It's fun the first time, but what does it mean in the long run? If we had bought the game, would we play it again regularly? It is still important to note that we are not the target, I recommend the game to families who have children between five and ten years old, and ideally at least two in order to encourage interaction. There, Star Hunters will make sense!
The game and the companion app KaiK'eye are available on App store and Google Play.
Note: after discussing this with the studio, it is good to know that normally games are automatically saved at the end of each player's turn. And, if we leave the application to come back to it (whether because of a crash or because we wanted to take a break), we must be able to resume the game where it stopped. So it seems that my problem is an isolated case. An excellent point for the studio which is really interested in improving its game and takes criticism extremely well.
