What We Played This Summer: 401 Games Staff Picks

Summer may be over, but a few games definitely earned a spot at our tables this season. We asked some of the 401 Games staff what they enjoyed playing this summer, and the answers couldn’t be more different.

From building the perfect forest and sharing a game with family to balancing self care and throwing foam avocados at your friends, each pick comes with its own reason for becoming a favourite. Here’s what Armando, Jeff, Rafeena, and Cindy played this summer and what kept them coming back for another game.

Armando’s Pick: Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor

One of Armando’s favourite games this summer has been Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor, a cozy card game all about building a thriving forest and finding clever combinations between animals, trees, and plants.

What keeps Armando coming back is the quick pace of each turn and the different scoring opportunities that open up as the game develops. He usually plays with his board game group, Marianne, Grant, and Stefano, with a typical game lasting around an hour. The final scoring can get a little tricky, but for Armando, the gameplay makes it well worth it.

One mechanic he particularly enjoys is having to discard cards into a shared area where other players can potentially grab them. It makes every discard a much more interesting decision.

One of his favourite memories from the game came from one of his highest scoring plays, when he managed to place several birds among his trees and create synergies with the plants and bushes in his scoring area. By the end, he had built a forest full of trees and animals, which is exactly the kind of satisfying moment that makes Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor stand out for him.

Jeff’s Pick: K-Pop Demon Hunters Labyrinth

This summer, Jeff has been playing KPop Demon Hunters Labyrinth with his daughter, Adora. While it’s based on the classic Labyrinth game, the KPop Demon Hunters characters have made this version especially exciting for her.

The game is fairly simple to learn, but there’s still plenty going on, especially when more players join in. A typical game takes around an hour, depending on how quickly everyone plays.

For Jeff, though, the best part isn’t just the game itself. He really values finding games he can enjoy with his daughter, and Adora is always interested in learning something new. That makes KPop Demon Hunters Labyrinth more than just another game they played this summer. It’s another opportunity for them to spend time together around the table.

Rafeena’s Pick: Self Careless

Rafeena’s pick is Self Careless, a game that feels especially relatable to her. With its theme of trying to balance everyday responsibilities while still making time for yourself, there’s a lot about the game that hits close to home.

But there’s another detail that makes it an especially perfect pick for Rafeena: the cat. As a cat owner herself, she loves how the game brings a little bit of that familiar feline chaos into the experience. It’s one of those small touches that makes the game feel even more personal to her.

She’s also a big fan of the artist behind the game, so the illustrations and overall visual style are a big part of what initially drew her to it.

Rafeena mostly plays Self Careless with friends, and she loves that it takes something as ordinary as balancing life, chores, and self care and turns it into a fun and relatable game. Between the theme, the artwork, and of course the cat, it’s a game that feels like it was made for her.

Cindy’s Pick: Throw Throw Avocado

My pick is Throw Throw Avocado, and my favourite part is definitely getting to throw avocados at people or, even better, making them throw avocados at each other. It’s what makes the game so ridiculously funny.

I usually play with family or friends. While you can play with just two people, I think it really shines with a bigger group. Everyone is trying to collect matching cards, and then suddenly someone triggers a battle and everything turns into chaos. It’s competitive, but it’s hard to take the competition too seriously when there are foam avocados flying across the room.

One of my favourite memories playing it was with my family outdoors. We had so much space to run around and hide that nobody could actually hit anyone with the avocados. The battle went on way longer than it should have, and that just made it even funnier.

I also love how easy the game is to understand. You don’t need to be familiar with board games to have a good time, which makes it perfect for family and friend groups. And personally, I think it’s especially fun outdoors. Bring it to the park, a picnic, or the beach, give everyone enough room to run, and embrace the chaos.

- Cindy