Kronologic: Cuzco 1450 Board Game Review
Kronologic: Cuzco is the second release in the Kronologic lineup of games, and while this one came out of left field for me, it is a well loved system that people really enjoy. I am generally not the biggest fan of deduction games – mostly because I absolutely suck at them – but something about this one hits a bit different, and makes it enjoyable to play! Let’s dive in!
In Kronologic: Cuzco 1450 you will pick a scenario to begin each game. There are three different types of scenarios, and within each there will be a number of different options with different difficulties. Although I haven’t played all of the scenarios yet, the games we have played have been really great. Each scenario has slightly different rules so we won’t go over all of that now; you can check out the How to Play video below for more information!
The question you want the answer to is whether or not the game is worth it. There is a lot of game here, but perhaps not how you would expect. Yes, there are three different scenarios with different difficulty levels within each. That said, those three scenarios, regardless of the difficulty you pick, are the same story / idea that you are trying to work through. Difficulty just relates to setup. I’ve seen some people arguing there are dozens of options, but that really isn’t the case.
That said, the way the tiles are laid out each scenario are different, so while the gameplay loop for each remains the same, it will be different information you glean each time, making them feel familiar on subsequent plays, but still different. I also like the simplicity of what you are trying to do. It’s hard to figure it out, but understand what you are trying to figure out is very easy. Scenario 1, for example, has you trying to guess at what moment two people visit the same location. Using a combination of people and time tiles, you’ll start piecing that together. What you need to figure out: simple. How you figure it out, that takes a bit more work!
That, ultimately, is what makes any deduction game fun: figuring it out. Some games, though, do it in a much more complicated way. The Search for Planet X, or the Search for the Lost Species are both great deduction games, but they require more setup and a lot more mental fortitude to complete. They are deeper games, yes, but also less accessible games for a wide audience. Kronologic strips away the complexities and provides a clean deduction game that is VERY accessible, perhaps even for folks who don’t generally gravitate to this kind of game. That isn’t to say these puzzles are not challenging, but when you can wrap up a game with knowledgeable players in 30 minutes, that’s a big plus for me.
I’ve heard that if you’ve never played this series before, perhaps pick up the first game, Kronologic: Paris! It is a bit easier to table and understand. It also has a bit more theme. Kronologic: Cuzco is really missing theme. I don’t think the setting really has any bearing on what you do game-to-game, and this could have been plopped into any setting and worked. I also found the central board a little bit of a mess to work with, and ultimately just used my own player sheet when trying to determine where I could go, where I couldn’t, etc. It’s a problem for sure, but one that is fixed by just focusing on your own player sheet.
Overall, really impressed with this one – deduction games are still not really my jam, but I enjoy how quick this one plays, and while I rarely win, it’s nice feeling like you have something to do during everyone’s turn since you are always being fed at least some information!
Article By Adam
