DSteph

I originally rated this game as a 6. That was before I traded it away.

I bought Friday confident both in all of the good reviews I had read (here and elsewhere) and in the designer’s excellent reputation. I was severely disappointed by this game.

I am but a casual gamer, and perhaps that is why this game left me cold, as avid gamers above all seem to agree this is excellent. Don’t get me wrong, the mechanics are very good, even I can tell. The game is a clever one, but it wasn’t, for me, a fun one.

The art left me very unaffected and the gameplay just felt like work. I did not feel interested in Robinsoe’s victory, I did not wish to associate with him. I felt it was repetitive, even after only a few (10) plays.

I personally think that in order for a solo game to work, it has to draw the player in and this one just didn’t do it for me. For “pure” solo games, I’d recommend Onirim or Equilibrion over Friday any day.

Stéphanie

This review is based on approximately 20 solo plays, I have not tried the cooperative 2 player version of this game.

The game:

“You are a Dreamwalker, lost in a mysterious labyrinth, and must discover the oneiric doors before your dreamtime runs out – or you will remain trapped forever!”

Onirim is a card game which comes with the “base” cards and 3 “expansions”. I personally began playing with the base cards alone and would recommend the same for new players.

The goal (for the base game) is to collect the 8 door cards before the deck runs out. It is at its base a set matching game, although it contains some interesting choices. The expansions add different levels of difficulty by:
a) changing the conditions of the win (by either specifying the order in which the door must be obtained or by throwing in the towers which must be matched)
b) adding “negative” consequences as the game progresses and as door cards are obtained.

It takes approximately 15 minutes to play a game, it requires relatively minimal space to play and is overall very portable.

With the expansion and the “luck” factor inherent to most card games, I think the replay factor is very high. The components are good to me, although I am not an expert on card quality. For a $10 game, this is an amazing investment, and I would recommend it to anyone.