On his deathbed Mozart began the composition of his own funeral Requiem. Sadly he died before the work was completed so this game by Gerard Ascensi and Ferran Renalias represents the efforts of his patrons and grieving wife to find and fund composers to complete Mozart's magnum opus. The game is published by Devir and features art by Jared Blando and Enrique Corominas.
Lacrimosa is played over five four-turn rounds. You have a limited deck of cards but these can be upgraded, and you choose whether to play a card to the top of your player board for its immediate effect or to the bottom to give you end-of-round income. The commissioning of composers is ultimately an area control mechanic but there are lots of other ways of racking up points in this highly interactive engine-building eurogame. You will note, for example, that Lacrimosa isn't just about the Requiem, it's also a celebration of Mozart's life. And in 'remembrance' of Mozart, you'll be moving his bust between various locations on a large map of 18th Century Europe. Lacrimosa isn't a legacy game but it's a game about Mozart's legacy.
The Classical Music theme certainly contributes to the appeal of this game, even if it sometimes sits uncomfortably with the mechanics: does it make sense that the composers score for area control? There's a lot going on in the game, and it can be fiddly to set up and for players to learn, but, like learning the violin, it's worth the effort. Tho' Lacrimosa is quite a heavy eurogame, you'll find it's satisfying to play.
The game comes with a solitaire mode but it's primarily a game for 2-4 players, and its interactivity makes it better with three or four players than with two. The rules suggest a 90 minute playing time but our plays at Board's Eye View have mostly exceeded 2 hours, and that's without any players suffering noticeably from Analysis Paralysis (AP).