Dodo – game review. When the dodo lays its egg on the highest island mountain, the Hagulaminapitopasi people are in an uproar. It rolls slowly down the mountain. Bridges are needed so that it can land gently in the boat by the sea. Because the dodo is sacred to them.
The first challenge of the game: state the name of the people three times in a row without errors. Then you turn to the dodo and especially to its egg. The bird’s wobbly egg is THE gimmick of the game. It rolls down the mountain unusually slowly and totally beyond any sense of rhythm. But you shouldn’t watch the egg for long. Bridges are needed to prevent it from falling to earth prematurely. The Hagulaminapitopasi love their dodos and the offspring is eagerly expected. Like helping the funny bird in this cooperative game.
A classic cube memory takes place at the foot of the mountain. The die makes an announcement, the players look for a tile with the same symbol from the many, many tiles that are displayed there. Of course, this doesn’t always work right away, but the learning curve increases. Over time you know the position of certain tiles if you can remember them in the hustle and bustle.
The dodo releases his egg on the mountain and the players take turns rolling motifs that are necessary for building bridges: ropes, boards, ax, etc. Then turn up the same symbol and place it on the next part of the bridge. There are a different number of positions there. If a part of the bridge is completely filled, it is built on the mountain. All of this should happen before the egg is faster and drops in a free spot. In such a case the game would be lost.
The demands are increasing. While the first parts of the bridge only require little material, from part 4 onwards there are more and more. Finally, you also have to get the boat afloat. The pier is also to be built. If the egg arrives safely in the boat at the foot of the mountain, the players win.
Some Hagulaminapitopasi tiles serve as wild cards. If you uncover an inhabitant of the island, he immediately takes the place of a component.
Removing the joker tiles makes Dodo a little more difficult. And the bridge parts can also be built with more material. So you screw up the level of difficulty when the rescue of the dodo egg often succeeds.
Conclusion
Dodo is a real eye-catcher. The mountain with its bridges on the rock is presented on the gaming table. The bird is enthroned above, releasing its egg. The egg is fascinating because the ball eggs. It moves sometimes fast, sometimes slowly, but it creeps steadily downwards. It looks really great and still puts the players under pressure. It’s a tough race until the first bridge. It only needs one building material. But if you don’t find it after the first throws, the game is quickly lost. After that you have a little more time to move forward. Rolling the dice and looking for suitable components is not a new element of the game. The merging with the race for the egg is what makes Dodo play again. You just want to help the sweet bird. In terms of difficulty, Dodo is clearly child’s play, but one that you always enjoy playing along as an adult. The cooperative race is exciting and you should be careful not to cheat yourself with your own hectic pace.
