Onirim is a unique card game with beautiful, imaginative artwork. Published by Zman games and designed by Shadi Torbey this is the perfect game for those lacking a strong competitive streak.
“You are a Dreamwalker, lost in a mysterious labyrinth, and must discover the oneiric doors before your dreamtime runs out - or you will remain trapped forever!”
Such is the 'Inception'-esque premise you’ll find on the back of the box and the lovely artwork will help your imagination along as you play solo or cooperatively to escape from the dream world. A solitaire style gameplay, winning is largely based on the cards you’re dealt with a smidge of strategy to keep you trying until the end.
Basic Gameplay:
-The basic gameplay is simple. From your hand you select one card to play each turn.
-You need to one card of each of the four colors in order to open a door that will lead you out of the dream world.
-You cannot place cards with the same symbol next to each other.
-You must open four doors in order to finally escape the dream world and win.
-If you run into a monster when drawing from the deck you lose your entire hand or can sacrifice a key to expel the monster.
-Keys can also be used to find doors in the deck. Shuffle the deck if you've gone rifling through it.
-Cards that have been discarded go into a ‘limbo’ pile which gets re-shuffled into the deck.
-If you haven’t opened all the doors by the time you've gone through all the cards in the deck its game-over.
Of course things are a little more complicated than that, especially with the expansions. However, those are the basic tenants to get someone started or give you an idea of the game.
Pro’s:
-Solo & Co-op play
-It’s refreshing to not be competing with people during a card game. It’s also nice to have 1-2 player game in your gaming arsenal for those quiet nights in.
-Design
-The artwork is minimalistic and beautiful allowing the player to get as entrenched in the ‘story mode’ as little or as much as they like. The vibrant colors and symbols make remembering what to do with each card easier.
-Variety
-The basic game is nearly as simple as Solitaire however a large selection of expansions allows the game to stay interesting after you've mastered the basic gameplay. The basic set even comes with a few expansion card sets so you won’t be shelling out any extra money or research time getting the expansions.
Con’s:
-Instructions
-The game’s straight forward but the instructions aren't The minimalist cards are beautiful but having no words are a bit overwhelming to figure out at first. Sorting through the basic and expansion decks is a chore at the start and the rules are far less explicit than they need to be. If you don’t know anyone who is already familiar with the game you may want to look up a video tutorial or review of the game to get the hang of things at first. For as simple as the basic game is you think they could have done a better job outlining gameplay in the manual.
-Shuffling
-Shuffling is required virtually at the end of every turn. It’s a real drag for those that aren’t skilled in the art of shuffling and/or like to keep their cards in pristine condition. Yet the biggest problem with all the constant shuffling in this game is how it breaks up the game play. It’s like taking a little pause after every turn, and the turns go fast. You could end up spending more time shuffling than actually playing the game.
-1-2 players
-While it’s nice to have a game that accommodates a smaller number of players trying to play this game with more than 2 players is nearly impossible and it would be nice if it were a little more accommodating.
In conclusion Onirim is a pretty and interesting game which is perfect for a very niche audience. Do you know someone who travels a lot or is going on a long trip soon? Onirim would be a great game lover’s gift. This game is also great for couples who like tabletop games; it’s perfect for two players and working cooperatively is great for bonding and eliminating any issues with poor sportsmanship.
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