Game review 16: Fireball Island: the Curse of Vul-Kar
The most fun you can have with an angry, anthropomorphic, rotating volcano
“Life,” said Plato, “must be lived as play.” And dammit if our overthinking ancient chum wasn’t bang on the money. For it’s as if he prophecised the coming of Restoration Games’ re-imagining of MB Games’ Fireball Island.
Firstly, a shameful, sinful confession. It took me a long time to get into modern board games; seemingly ponderous affairs on first impression, dependent on resource grabbing, tiny fiddly pieces and flat, unimaginative boards.
I longed for the multi-level game design of vintage products such as Ghost Castle, except with, you know, some actual gameplay. Or the all-out theme building of a Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs.
And then my brain managed to spark sufficient power to plant the idea “google ‘3D board games’” into my head, and whole new worlds opened up.
Top among those new worlds was Fireball Island: the Curse of Vul-Kar. Here it was!
Confusion abounded at first: was this an old or a new game? To my knowledge, the original was never released in the UK, so it was something I was unaware of. But after a bit of investigation I realised the update was exactly the type of game I’d been looking for, with its rambling hills and shambling pathways, menacing boulders and dangerous bridges.
All set on an island whose main resident appeared to be a hostile, angry, rotating mountain. With a face.
The only issue was tracking down a copy that wouldn’t require remortgaging the house in order to buy it. But we got there in the end. And now it’s time to try it out and see what the kid think of this take on an 80s classic.
Oh Fireball Island, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Firstly, that board. That three-piece moulded plastic of dreams. Ravines, cliffs, treacherous pathways gives this a proper Indiana Jones feel of adventure. Not only that but items such as the palm trees, whose value may have just been purely decorative in other hands, are moveable pieces in play.
Then there’s the gameplay. Part strategy, part dexterity, the roll-and-move of the original is replaced by action cards, giving more choice.
As for Vul-Kar, it may just be the best non-electronic component in board game history. The anthropomorphic volcano spits fireballs on our wary adventurers (who apparently have been fooled to do the dirty work of an evil corporation that has bought the island and got a bunch of saps over for a spot of reconnaissance).
‘The prospect of Fireball Island is too much for E’s brain to cope with. Faced with the equivalent of a Bond villain’s trap-filled island lair masquerading as a board game, she is unable to comprehend anything as dull as “the rules” and sets about screeching and running around the island.’
The aim: accumulate points through discovering treasure and taking photos for the corporation before heading off the island in time.
The one downside? Playing this with a young child for the first couple of goes is hazardous. The prospect of Fireball Island is too much for E’s brain to cope with. Faced with the equivalent of a Bond villain’s trap-filled island lair masquerading as a board game, she is unable to comprehend anything as dull as “the rules” and sets about screeching and running around the island.
As such, Fireball Island comes under threat from the giant feet of a noisy child, but soon something clicks and we find ourselves scrabbling for jewels and avoiding flicked marbles.
I don’t say this lightly, but Restoration Games update is the most fun board game either of us have played. And as there are a tonne of expansions, our adventures won’t end here.
E’s review
What do you like best about the game?
“Vul-Kar does seem really cool when he does shoot out fireballs like this [launches fireballs causing devastation]. He doesn’t like anyone getting his things that he needs to survive with.”
Is it difficult?
“It’s really tricky.”
Marks out of 10
“10/10”
My review
Set-up time
It’s not quick. A good 10-15 minutes thanks to all the treasure.
Price
Not cheap to get the Restoration Games’ version. You’re probably looking at the best part of £60 for the base game. But for once, it’s worth it. However, there is a Goliath Games mass-market version, which you can get for as a little as £14
Practicality
By modern standards this is a big box and the Restoration Games version was a pretty flimsy one at that. But considering the size of the board itself, they’ve done a good job to keep it from becoming huge. You’ll also need to make sure you don’t hoover up any of the little treasure pieces afterwards.
Fun for parents
Like rediscovering a lost part of your childhood that you never had first time round. Total chaos. An absolute gem.