At the height of COVID, many were forced to change their habits from the beginning, especially when the dreaded confinement arrived, which limited leaving the house to visits to basic supply places such as the supermarket or pharmacy (and curiously, tobacconists, since that tobacco seemed to be something of vital importance). Although we video game fans had it easy, since our leisure has always gone hand in hand with being at home sitting on the sofa, this was not the case for everyone and, even in this scenario, many couples, families or classmates floor, they spent a large part of the day “forced” together, which contributed to this change of mentality.
In this panorama that made many rethink their lifestyle and their leisure time, video games, like board games, were great beneficiaries, as well reflected in sales and as was more than evident in various well-known news portals. . Thus, Radio Televisión Nacional Española shared the following article on its website on November 1, 2020 under the title:
The new leisure in times of pandemic: board games, internet culture and virtual gyms https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20201101/nuevo-ocio-tiempos-pandemia-juegos-mesa/2051160.shtml)
On the other hand, The New York Times, on February 28, 2021, shared the following article by his collaborator Jorge Carrión:
The rise of board games in the midst of a screen pandemic: Narrative games have begun to transcend the sphere of entertainment. And the health crisis, with its mandatory or self-imposed quarantines, has just precipitated its recognition as a high-quality culture – https://www.nytimes.com/es/2021/02/28/espanol/opinion/juegos-mesa-pandemia.html
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At this point, you may ask yourself: “Well, what are you going to tell us about? Board games? And yes, I would like to do it, it is one of my great hobbies, but at the moment it is not one of the themes of this website, so what do you think if I share with you a list of great board games with their videogame counterpart? ? And of course, with a good conversion, because there are versions that do not invite you to try the original experience after the bad implementation of the board on the screen. Shall we start?
Wingspan is a beautiful competitive game for one to five players that, through cards, invites players, bird lovers of all kinds, to discover and attract the best birds to their own unique wildlife reserve. Each bird added to your reserve will help you improve your ability to lay eggs, draw cards or gather food. After four rounds, one player will emerge as the winner.
The video game fantastically transfers the playable experience to the Nintendo Switch screen, offering various game modes, from solitaire against automa to online. The most striking of all? The beautiful bird cards are animated and feature real sound recordings, giving it an extra precious and very relaxing touch.
What can I say about Sagrada? The beautiful stained glass construction game with colored transparent dice is a must in any player’s toy library regardless of their preferences. Select the dice in order after they are rolled and try to create different patterns based on your own objectives so that, at the end of the game, you are the one with the most points. oh! And don’t forget to make good use of the tools if you want to be an expert stained glass master.
Sacred on Nintendo Switch is another fantastic adaptation of a great board game. The presentation fits beautifully with its theme while also being more functional as a digital experience. There are also various modes for solo and group players, not forgetting, of course, the online experience.
Raiders of the North Sea (or Raiders of the North Sea, as it has been known in these lands thanks to the publication of Primigenio) is a game in which, in our role as Viking warriors, we will have to impress our leader by doing that series of things so typical of the Vikings (at least in representations, since the most recent historical data seems to contradict that lifestyle to some extent) raiding settlements and looting us. To do so, you will have to assemble a fearless and diverse crew, gather supplies and travel north to loot gold, iron and cattle.
Raiders of the North Sea is another exceptional example of a well-implemented digital board game port. If you want to experience a fun middle-weight worker placement game, this is a fantastic option very different from the previous ones. This beautiful implementation has leaderboards, campaign mode and challenges, as well as allowing you to play solo against the AI or in multiplayer mode.
Everdell is a great city-building game that combines worker placement with the strategic component of creating your own city by colonizing territories with the different animal cards at our disposal. How is this achieved? Well, obviously we will have to send our meeples to collect different resources to build structures for our city, while we recruit fantastic creatures to develop our territory. Each card in your city gives you points, both in the case of buildings and creatures and, generally, they always form synergies if you play the card and the building that match each other. Will you manage to rise victorious when the four seasons end?
Everdell is one of the best board games in recent years, and this digital version for Nintendo Switch lives up to its reputation. Asynchronous multiplayer with friends list and strong single player options is more than satisfying for any fan.
Root is a wargame (war game), but a very original one that is undoubtedly far removed from the genre that usually chooses to seek realism, so it is perhaps the most “friendly” and least dense approach to the genre as it is further away in that regard. Basically, in Root you play as one of the four factions fighting for control of the forest (El Marquesado, El Nido de Águilas, La Alianza and El Vagabundo), while driving the narrative and the differences between each role by creating a level incomparable interaction and replayability. Who will get control of the great forest?
One of the most attractive points of this digital version of Root is in its models and animations completely in 3D to measure, allowing to see in all its splendor the armies of the forest building, fighting and crafting. Additionally, the game supports local and online multiplayer, as well as a single player mode against the AI, not to mention a campaign mode with unique arenas to conquer, as well as an extensive tutorial section for newbies.
At this point, I can only ask you. Do you know these games? If so, which is your favourite? And, if not, which one has caught your attention the most? Needless to say, there are many more board games with great versions for the Nintendo Switch. Do you have any recommendations that have been left out of this article? We read you!
