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Similo

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Authors:
Hjalmar Hach
Pierluca Zizzi
Martina Chiacchera

Publisher:
Horrible Guild / Heidelbär Games
2019

No. of Players:
3 - 5

EVALUATION

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G@mebox author Ralf Togler writes about the game:

Thirty unique cards in a small package, three more cards with the rules (including pictures for clarification) and three different variants (Fables, History, Myths) you can choose from. That's Similio, a revised version of Hall of Fame! You haven't heard of Hall of Fame? Nothing to worry about. I am sure you will be hearing of Similio (if you haven't heard of already), because there was a lot of buzz for it. You definitely will now, so let's start the year 2020 with another review of this tiny game:

Similio is a simple and fast deduction game. Depending on the variant you buy, the cards show characters of famous fables, great persons in history or mighty mythical beings. All cards have great illustrations, so it should be no problem to recognize the persons, but even even if you do not, it's no problem. On the on hand you get the name and a short explanation about the character (like from which fable the character originates from). On the other hand, it is not really necessary to know the character (although sometimes it might help).

Each round one player is chosen as tipster. This player randomly draws one of the cards, looks at it and shuffles it togeter with eleven more cards from the deck. This card is the person all other players are looking for. All cards are then arranged faced-up in a 4 x 3 pattern on the table. As a result, the character we are heading for is already visible for all players at the start of the game. But with the exception of the tipster nobody knows who it is. We need hints!

[Similo]

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That's what the other cards are used for. The tipster takes five more cards, chooses one of it and places it in vertically or horizontally next to the pattern of characters. If she or he plays it as high size, it means that the character on this card has something to do with the character you are looking for. This can be the colour of the background, a small detail in the face, the size of the eyes or something totally different you might think of. It doesn't have to do with the fable or the historcial and mythical context, but it can. If however, the card is played in horizontal format, it means that it there is a more or less clear difference between the two cards. Of course, the tipster may not say which detail is similar or not.

Giving this hint, all other player cooperatively discuss which cards are not the wanted character. In round one, only one of these cards must be flipped. As long as this card is not the wanted person the game continues in the same way, only that in each following round, one more card must be flipped (2 cards in round 2, 3 in round 3 etc.).

[Similo]

Click on image to enlarge!

1+2+3+4 are 10 flipped cards after the fourth round, meaning that there are only two cards left for the fifth round. One last hint, then the guessing group must choose the wanted character and by this win the game. Well, at least if the group is successful. One false choice and the game is lost.

Maybe because of its simplicity, maybe because of the really beautiful illustrations, maybe also because of the easy rules and the short game duration: Similio is always a success, may it be as a filler game between two complex high-brainers, may it be as an entertaining family game with children, may it be as a door opener for a round of no-gamers. Horrible Guild and Heidelbär Games have made a great job bringing this small game of the three Italian authors back to life! A great start to another year of boardgames! Happy new year, 2020!

Update 2021: Similo - Spookies (Halloween)


What would be fit better for a Halloween boardgame weekend than the new version of Similo? A vampire, a zombie, a bogeyman, a skeleton, a banshee and many more new characters are entering the Similo world. It’s really a scary thing to bring out the game, be careful, if your children are still too small! Nightmares might be the result…

For all the rest of us, the new version, Spookies or in German, expand the variety of the game even more. As all other titles of the series, Similo – Spookies is a standalone version. But it can be combined with different decks of cards to create new strategies. Might be interesting, for example, to combine it with the fairy tale version of the game.

So, the rules of the game remain the same as in all other versions. But still Similo – Spookies feels different. I think the main reason for this is that all characters of this version are mean. As a result the good/bad guy is not a suitable distinguishing feature. As a result I found this version to be the most difficult up to now.

[Similo]

Click on image to enlarge!

This is not a negative criticism, I just wouldn’t recommend it for the first version. As far as the rest is concerned: I still love playing Similo. It’s great as a filler, with or without children, and it also a game for the whole family. The artwork is awesome, and the new version proves that once again. What changed is the game box: instead of the plastic box for the cards, there is now a sustainable cardboard one. So, let’s find the next secret character in a better world, but with malicious characters!


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