Deep Sea Adventure

Great family game, nice and compacted, easy to play on cafe table while having a coffee.

This tiny little box was our first game from Oink, it won't be our last. I'd seen a few reviews suggesting it would be a good little family game - and they weren't wrong. The whole family (9 - adult) have enjoyed taking it turns to dive into the depths and pushing their dice rolling luck, balancing their depth with their weight of treasure. It's nicely balanced and allows players a subtle variety of approaches. It's pretty easy to pick up after a playthrough and from there games move quite quickly. The box is small and the 'board' is laid out flexibly, and it is easy to set up, so it would be a good game to take away and play on the move.

This is a brilliant little game that unpacks into lots of fun. Set-up is very simple, just lay out the submarine board (about 10cm long), lay out the treasure tiles and you are good to go. The game revolves around 3 rounds of you moving your scuba diver along the treasure tile line to collect the most treasure that you can before your air runs out. Sounds simple? Well it is, and that's the hook of the game. Each player keeps moving along the line until someone grabs a treasure tile, as soon as that happens the air starts to run out. This usually triggers all the other players to grab treasure and then head back to the submarine. Only now you are slowed down by the treasure you've gathered and the shared air supply is being depleted by you and the other players. Generally, in our games, this manifested in people cajoling other players to drop their treasure (and thereby extending the air supply) or if you were closer to the submarine encouraging other players to get more treasure. Only those that make it back to the submarine get to keep their treasure and turn it into points. The rest is dropped to the bottom of the treasure line to tempt greedy players into another ill fated attempt to get rich! This is a very funny game, with lots of player interaction with frustration, greed, despair and elation (if you ever get back to the submarine!).

A good game, quick to learn, that is basically game theory (at what point do I give up on 'us' and look after 'me'?) - better with 4 players but does play up to 6. Takes about 20-25 minutes for the full game.

I am a huge fan of games that travel and this game hits all the right marks. You are in a treasure hunting submarine, but you and all your rivals share the same oxygen tank. Of course, in a typical game mechanic, moving doesn't use up oxygen but carrying treasure does. The treasure is worth more the deeper you go and it's easy to get down by hopping over your competitors, but beware, your movement is reduced by the number of treasures you are holding and you are less likely to find others to skip over on your way up. Don't worry though, you don't die if you run out of oxygen, you just drop all of your treasure which falls to the bottom of the pile. Pros: 1. Small robust box and simple components. 2. Easy to learn 3. Really fun mechanics with group resource depletion and push your luck tactics. You could say that you can get really submersed in this easy game!

This is an easy to learn, fun game. Takes about 5 mins to learn it and 10-15 to play each round. This version is more expensive than others but it shows. The quality of the pieces is excellent. It's not a travel version but a full game. It just comes in a small box. All you need is a table top about half metre square. We take it on every holiday we go on and it gets a lot of playtime. It's a great game for kids and families. I'd say under 8s will love the pieces but struggle with the strategy more though.

A quick, strategy game for all the family. A great opener for a game night before getting started on something more substantial. In the game you play a diver, diving from a submarine to collect treasure. The deeper you go, the harder it is to get back to the sub and your shared oxygen supply depletes. Although gameplay is very simple the game can become quite strategic and so it’s much more complex than it appears. The box is tiny, so it’s a great game to carry around with you or take on a trip. It’s very easy to teach and to learn so you can bring your friends up to speed in no time. Very highly recommend this game for gamers of all levels.

Brilliant little game for the family and adults. Have played with my board game geek friends (D&D / Gloomhaven) and have enjoyed it just as much as my kids (9 & 10) do. Easy to learn and great fun for all. Nice you can play up to 6 people. Incredibly small box and so will travel with us everywhere!