Game review 29: Fireball Island: The Last Adventurer
Adding some cinematic theming to Restoration Games's update with this expansion
Is there any more nightmare inspiring scene in a family movie then when toward the end Of Raiders of the Lost Ark?
Who among a certain generation wasn’t just minding their own bizzo of a Sunday evening scoffing their cheese and beans jacket potato, only to then be confronted by a horde of screaming Nazis having their faces melted? All in a cosy little movie about an archeology teacher searching for antiques.
Absolutely no idea why this comes to mind, because, for copyright purposes, Fireball Island’s Last Adventurer expansion has absolutely nowt to do with Indiana Jones.
Got that?
‘While this game’s appeal is mostly the fun things you can do with marbles, these do tend to clog up one side of the board’
OK, so it might well introduce a fifth new hat-wearing, torch-bearing, whip-carrying character. It might well introduce Indy’s animal nemesis, snakes, a boulder to get chased by, and ancient golden idol to seek. But that’s where the similarities end...
Is it worth getting? Well, the boulder is fun, and the fifth character is a nice idea, though slightly optimistic in pandemic times.
The snakes, which let you poison and slow down foes, are a slight letdown visually, in that they’re just little marbles. And while this game’s appeal is mostly the fun things you can do with marbles, these do tend to clog up one side of the board and are incredibly fiddly to reposition.
Obviously both E and I enjoy it: we’re huge fans of Fireball Island, and this is fun for all the family. And the extra cards included also add an extra dimension. But I wouldn’t say it’s the first of its expansions you should seek out.
E’s review
What do you like about this?
“The rubber rock is very nice”
Is it difficult?
“Yeah, it’s tricky”
Marks out of 10?
“150”
My review
Set-up time
Fireball Island takes a while to set up, and those snake marbles may just add a few more minutes before you can get going. It’s more the resetting the fiddly snake marbles that become the issue.
Price
About £20. That’s not cheap, considering you don’t get a huge amount in the box.
Practicality
It won’t take up a huge amount of shelf space.
Fun for parents
Adding an element of Indy to your game will always add good vibes. But while the snake marbles work thematically, they do congest the board somewhat. Fun but frustrating.