Our Hibernation review, what we have to say about the nature driven deck building game that asks – want to be a bear? You need to gather multiple different types of food in order to prepare for a long and satisfying hibernation. Get there first before other players can do the same thing. There are many different deck builders out there but this has plenty going on to be a completely unique experience that is all its own.
We took a look across fun, replayability, player interaction, quality and art & style to come up with the overall score for our Hibernation review. See the breakdown by category below.
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– CATEGORY BREAKDOWN –
Fun (7 out of 10)
The best thing about Hibernation is that it is not broken. The balanced play makes every game different, you just have to outplay your opponent. Whenever you have this even level of play, there is no one path to victory so you really need to react and think on your feet. This keeps things interesting and makes for a fun experience.
Replayability (6 out of 10)
While there is only one way to win, getting there can take many different paths. Something that really worked in one game could be disastrous in the next. This freedom and lack of direction make this something that can easily be played over and over again. No components change from game to game, so there is only so far this can go, but they do a solid job with what they have.
Player Interaction (8 out of 10)
The highest marks you are going to see in this Hibernation review are in Player Interaction. So many deck builders have you basically doing your own thing. You are fighting against others, or trying to get to resources faster, but it is usually pretty light. This has much more to it in this area. For example, when recharge energy (to get cards), that may trigger your opponent’s discards back into their deck which gives them back resources to use. Strategically controlling this is a layer that mixes in really well with this game.
Quality (6 out of 10)
This was not some fancy big budget production and there is no big price tag, so though this is not the best made thing of all time, it is a quality little package of what it is. The game itself is well put together. The only negative is that there are many specialty rules that are always active but pretty situational. Whenever you add these in, to any game, it seems like you couldn’t make the game work so you had to add in harsh caveats to make all the puzzle pieces fit together. The game is still light and breezy so here it doesn’t weigh things down too much.
Art & Style (6 out of 10)
The typography and textures used throughout look a little stock or not fully flushed out, but the bear photography is a nice visual. That being said, whenever your tagline includes the question “do you want to be a bear?” you are going to win big style points. The game is fun but it is also education and they try to make sure this is incorporated throughout the art and style.
– IN CLOSING –
Hibernation Review | Board Game Halv
The result of this Hibernation review is a solid positive. This may not be the "best" deck builder in the world, but it is a nice game that is fun with a little education for a solid price point. This game has a lot more player interaction that some others like it and that is a result of its balanced and interesting gameplay. This could be an educational thing to introduce a kid to the idea of hibernation, or it could just be an entertaining time for players of all ages and intesities.
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6.6
See the full explanation of the judging criteria here.
