The Frozen Passage is a good-looking prediction puzzler that just about keeps its theme afloat
This deceptively simple cooperative game turns a handful of numbered cards into a surprisingly tense exercise in deduction. It can be played solo or by up to four people, as you attempt to navigate the treacherous Northwest Passage by building a route through the ice – all in around 20 minutes.
The objective sees players collectively construct an inverted pyramid from 15 hexagonal cards, using three colours and numbers from one to nine, working upwards to eventually reach a set of goal cards. The catch is that everyone’s hand remains hidden. You therefore have to work out what your fellow expedition members might be holding, while making sure each card you play satisfies the placement restrictions. Put a card in the wrong place and your carefully planned ocean voyage suddenly gets rocky.
That limited communication is the game’s greatest strength. Rather than simply discussing the optimal move as in a typical co-op, players have to interpret what others have done, anticipate their options and decide when to commit a card. The result is a wonderfully compact puzzle in which even apparently obvious decisions can become agonising. Six different types of item (including the Wireless Radio, Dog Sled and Inuit Wisdom), provide ways to influence your predicament, making the timing of these limited resources another important consideration.
While the theme of traversing the Northwest Passage does get lost beneath what is essentially a numerical card puzzle, that also gets to the heart of what makes this game so appealing. It isn’t so much an adventure game as a beautifully presented logic puzzle dressed up as one.
Review by Lance Freeman
Yes
A good-looking prediction puzzler that just about keeps its theme afloat.
THE MIND
If The Frozen Passage floats your boat, try this card game where players must work together in absolute silence.
Category: Card Games
Designer: Emi Kuji
Publisher: Oink Games
Time to Play: 20m
Players: 1-4 Players
Age: 8+
RRP: £20
34 Cards
4 Card stands
12 Chips
Rulebook