It’s time to delve into the Unconscious Mind of Fantasia Games' latest release. Following a sucessful Kickstarter run, this has been a highly anticipated game, and Unconscious Mind hasn't disappointed, with great components and also some of Vincent Dutrait’s best artwork to date. This is quite a heavyweight Euro-style game designed by Laskas, Jonny Pac, Yoma and Antonio Zax. It focuses on Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud in the early 1900s and the development of his revolutionary theory of psychoanalysis, related to the study of the unconscious mind. The game plays through his development of psychoanalysis, with the 1-4 players taking the role of his followers who would meet with him every Wednesday afternoon to discuss the various ideas about psychology and the meanings of dreams.
The game incorporates multiple mechanics, including worker placement, engine building, rondels and cascading effects. Turn to turn your actions will generally be one of three things: State Ideas, Recall Ideas or Treat Clients. The worker placement element of the game is where you place up to two ideas on a meeting board to take actions, recall all your ideas back to your supply and trigger some effects. Also, depending on what space you take, when you place your ideas you will trigger movement of your inkpot which will lead to further combo actions.
This all may sound simple enough, and at its core it is, but that is where the game starts to struggle. The game is brilliant with this clever mechanic here and that clever mechanic there, but the sheer amount of all that's going on can be overwhelming. Not only do you need to be aware of your own player board and its often cascading effects but also the interplay with the meeting table, and the worker placement elements, then add on the City board representing Vienna... In our multiple plays of the game, we found the shared complaint from players was that there was just too much to keep track of. Some argued, for example, that they could've done without the 'tagged on' further complexity of the Vienna board.
At the start of the game, everything is manageable for most but as the game progresses, turns can starts to drag on, particularly if any of the players are prone to AP (Analysis Paralysis). For players able to get their engine running smoothly, turns can lead them to cure patients and score big points, but long turns with little player interaction make this a game that could well overstay its welcome with a full complement of four players. From our plays, we'd recommend the game as being at its best with no more than three players.
For some, this game will hit all the right notes. Its beautiful production quality and strong theme could make this a dream game offering lots of interesting plays and choices. It's certainly a game that demands multiple plays to fully appreciate all the interwoven mechanics. Just be warned that for many this game may become a nightmare, with so much going on that players can feel lost and overwhelmed. It is a game I would definitely want to play again but I'd want to be sure I'm introducing it to the right group of players. I wouldn’t wish to give anyone nightmares!
(Review by David Breaker)
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