This is perhaps more teaser than review because the Kickstarter campaign for Quatro City is already underway and we won't have time for the Board's Eye View team to fully play the game through at different player counts before the campaign finishes. Nonetheless, we're keen to take the opportunity to showcase, spoiler-free, this impressive puzzle game from Ukrainian publishers EnjoyTheWood.
In the first instance, Quatro City is a fiendishly challenging wooden jigsaw puzzle, or more properly four puzzles - best initially kept separate unless you want a mind-blowingly difficult challenge. The puzzles all involve unique pieces of varying size and shape, and when all are assembled the four puzzles fit together to show a busy 85 x 55 cm cityscape...
That's when the next part of the puzzle game begins. Another envelope contains details of detective Mark Eidos, and to play the game you take on the role of the detective's assistant - using the detailed cityscape that you've assembled to track down clues and complete the 'quests' or puzzles prompted by an accompanying app. The detective envelope includes a magnifying glass - which you'll probably need to search for some of the more subtle clues - and a vacuum pen to help you pick up some of the more fiddly pieces where these need to be removed from the puzzle.
In our Board's Eye View reviews of Pegasus Spiele's MicroMacro: Crime City and MicroMacro: Crime City - Full House, we described them as Where's Wally? (aka Where's Waldo?)-style puzzle games. Quatro City offers a similar experience. Like the MicroMacro Crime City games, Quatro City is a solo/cooperative game, and best in our view with just one or two players so you don't end up bumping heads in your search for clues.
The MicroMacro Crime City games have proven to be immensely popular - which is why Pegasus Spiele have published further standalone sequels (watch this space for our review later this year of MicroMacro: Crime City - All In). If you're one of this series' legion of fans then you'll certainly want to check out Quatro City. And if you enjoy challenging jigsaw puzzles too, then Quatro City ought to be on your 'must buy' list. And the fact that you'll be supporting a Ukrainian team in this difficult time is an added bonus. Click here now to check out the Kickstarter.