Noir has been an unexpected gem for us. In a world where every other box is crammed with minis the size of small dogs, Noir offers something a little more rare: fun mechanics that get straight to the point.
Level 99 Games has been dusting off some of their classics lately, and Noir proves that not every game needs stretch goals to succeed. In the pre-Kickstarter era, games had to rely on wit and charm alone. Noir, originally designed in 2012, fits that bill and what’s the result? A delightful collection of four separate games packed into one box, each as clever as the last.
The designer, Brad Talton, clearly had his imagination on overdrive, filling this box with a buffet of ideas. Each game starts with a 5×5 grid of suspect cards and a separate deck of suspects, matching the grid cards. From that humble starting point, we can enjoy these four great little puzzles. Let’s break down the games and I’ll finish each with my thoughts:
- Killer Vs. Inspector- A 2-player game of cat and mouse where the inspector must catch the killer before they kill you. It’s tense and tricky. Playing as the killer feels especially tricky at first, as survival often hinges on misdirection, through “shifting” the cards, and a keen sense of when to strike. Once you figure out the trick to playing the killer (a tactic I’ll let you discover), the balance shifts, and evens the playing field more.
- Spy Tag- 3-4 player logic puzzle at its heart that combines memory and deduction and ends up looking something like Guess Who? and That’s Not A Hat smashed together. Players are rival spies, trying to outwit and capture one another. The twist is that the board is constantly shifting because you each have the ability to move it around in certain ways. This is a great blend of logic, memory, and trying to outguess each other. Victory relies on observing the ever-changing board and adapting your strategy…or blindly guessing after you lose the plot thread halfway through, as I did.
It nicely balances accessibility and depth, making it a great game for those of us obsessed with all board games and newbies alike.
- Dragnet- 3-4 player game where Investigators team up to uncover a conspiracy and figure out who’s in on it before the others do. With hidden identities and bluffing mechanics, the game is all about deduction and reading your opponents. This game feels like a mini mystery novel.
- Buddy Cops- 3-player only in which two cops take on a killer. The cops must use their asymmetric skills to capture the killer while the killer works to try and ice the cops and most of the town. This is the most ambitious of the four games, pairing asymmetric rolls with a cooperative challenge. It has potential but it feels like the rookie in a lineup of seasoned detectives. The asymmetric gameplay is a fun idea, but it just didn’t quite resonate with any of us.
In a box of four games, I’m completely content to bring Noir to all the holiday family gatherings and have a solid game to pull out that can be taught in one sentence (and my family will thank me for sparing them another round of “let’s explain a euro for 30 minutes!”). This is a light, quick deduction game that just about anyone will enjoy.
In a world of the bigger, better deal, Noir brings us back to simplicity. If you’re tired of “bigger is better”, this is a return to the core of what makes games great. It’s proof that with a sharp design and clever mechanics, a deck of cards can outshine a box of minis any ol’ day!
Andy