La Boca
Designed by: Inka Brand, Markus Brand
La Boca is an abstract game with a real-time element. In temporary teams, players solve puzzles using 3D wooden pieces on a restricted platform, and how quickly you finish dictates your score – sooner is obviously better. The catch is that the puzzle is two-sided, with both players needing to achieve their own perspective in harmony with their team-mates.
The box itself makes up the platform, and players share out a bunch of chits of their own colour with the other players – basically to ensure you’ll partner up with everyone the same number of times and everyone gets an equal number of terms. Apart from that all the focus is on the puzzle itself – the active player flips a chit over to determine who they are playing with this turn and then – make sure you’re opposite your partner first! – a puzzle card is drawn and placed in the slot on the game board. Then you hit the timer (-supplied, although you can easily use a phone) and both players start working on the puzzle.
Each side off the puzzle card is different, but the key thing is that both sides can work with each other if the wooden blocks are placed correctly: which means in the grid, with no overhanging pieces, and when each player looks at their side horizontally the blocks match the card! Once you reach this point, stop the timer and then – maybe after a third party checks both sides for accuracy – score points depending on how quick you were. When all turns have been taken, the player/s with the most points win.
In the box are two decks of puzzle cards – one is the easy deck and the other a little – or a lot – trickier. The easy deck doesn’t use the big red wooden piece.
Sam says
The combination of racing against the clock plus trying to figure out the spatial puzzles – especially the difficult puzzles – is what makes La Boca feel unique. It’s also what may make it feel, for some, a little too stressful to be fun. For me I’d say this is an experience where you leave any cares about victory at the door – as with the games linked on the right, the final placings here are a distant second to the playing. It’s nice to do well, of course, but invest too much energy in winning and you’ll have nothing left for thinking – and you need to think here, on the hoof, as seconds tick away! Of course I think this is a good attitude for gaming in general, but some experiences crystallise it more than others. I don’t want to play La Boca too often, because of that time pressure – and I need something gentler afterwards – but it’s great fun when I do.
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Take That!
None
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Fidget Factor!
You might spend a couple of turns watching, but it's pretty entertaining to witness
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Brain Burn!
All spatially geometric puzzling kind - like 3D Tetris
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Again Again!
Perhaps not one to play every night of the week, it's nonetheless a treat to revisit every now and then
