Bandida Review

Returning to Martin Nedergaard Andersen’s classic, Bandido, with a slight reworking should feel workmanlike. Or workwomanlike perhaps. The central conceit of playing down cards to extend and eventually blocking off the exits for the escaping criminal is the same, but a couple of extra game modes have been added in. Now, as well as catching the Bandida, we’ve got the option to help her escape with the introduction of the ladder card. If you play the ladder card from the deck before it runs out, and close all the exits, then you’ve won. Another mode is about connecting the ‘Bandido super card’ (the start card), if you have the other game, with Bandida’s super card in a 'Romeo and Juliet of the tunnels' situation.

On top of this, additional icons have been added to the game including alarms cards (discard cards from your hand), map cards (remove cards from the board), broken tools (play all the cards from your hand and redraw), as well as others. These add a little more flavour to the game, but the draw remains the same – that central mechanic of everyone working together to build a kind of dominoes tile underground tunnel system. The group’s frustration as they’re forced to add more exits rather than remove them is palpable, as is getting exactly the right card. As a collaborative game goes, it couldn’t get to the heart of the enjoyment of working together much quicker.

Do you ‘need’ this if you already own Bandido? No, not really. But if you don’t own either, it simply makes sense to pick up the slightly extended version of the game. A gentle family classic, and it’s out just in time for stocking filler season. 

Christopher John Eggett

PLAY IT? YES

Designer: Martin Nedergaard Andersen

Publisher: Helvetiq

Time: 15 minutes

Players: 1-4

Ages: 6+

Price: £10

This article originally appeared in issue 48 of Tabletop Gaming. Pick up the latest issue of the UK's fastest-growing gaming magazine in print or digital here or subscribe to make sure you never miss another issue.

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