Evaluation of the board game Four Corners

 Evaluation of the board game Four Corners

While I was growing up in Utah, I often became exposed to the concept of the Four Corners. 

This is due to the fact that the Four Corners is located at the point where Utah's, Colorado's, Arizona's, and New Mexico's respective corner boundaries meet. In point of fact, it is the only place in the United States where four states come together at the same point.

When I was growing up, my friends and I used to fantasize about travelling to a place called the Four Corners, where we could be in all four states at the same time by putting our hands and feet on each one (or simply lying down on the crosshair mark).

In spite of the fact that this is the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the phrase "Four Corners," the most recent game released by Calliope Games and also titled Four Corners has nothing to do with any of the aforementioned states.

The board game known as Four Corners, on the other hand, is more of a puzzle-style game in which players compete to finish the goals they were assigned before their opponents finish theirs.

 They achieve this by arranging tiles in the play space in a variety of configurations, which they then twist and rearrange.

The rules of the game Four Corners

The game that is played and understood easily is called Four Corners. At the beginning of the game, each participant is given three Goal cards at random, which they have to keep a secret. The winner of the game is the first player to achieve all three of their objectives.

Players earn a Goal by either completing their entire picture from the corners of four adjacent tiles or by constructing a series of four identical center images that match the image on their card. Players may earn a Goal in any of these two ways.

Following the selection of Goal cards, the board tiles are rearranged into facedown stacks after being jumbled together. The top tile is shuffled into the draw pile, and then it is drawn again and put in one of the four center squares of the game board.

There is a giant picture in the middle of each board tile, and there are several half images in each corner. In addition, there are a few unique tiles scattered throughout the deck. One unique tile of a special kind may be held in a player's hand at any one moment. They are required to get rid of one of their special tiles and then draw another one if they have more than one.

Every player then forms their hand by drawing three board tiles, and the round begins with the first player's turn.

When it is a player's turn, that player chooses one action from the following options:

Put down a tile.

Flip over two tiles.

Swap out two of your tiles.

Create a new Objective.

1. Have them place one of the tiles from their hand.

The player then sets a tile from their hand adjacent to one or more tiles that are already in play, either orthogonally or diagonally, depending on the orientation of the tile. Alternately, the player has the option of placing a tile from their hand in lieu of an existing tile on the board. To successfully complete the level, the freshly put tile's center picture or one of its four corner images must match an existing element on one of the tiles next to it.

2. Turn two of the tiles on the board across an angle of ninety degrees.

The player is responsible for rotating precisely two tiles on the board by a total of ninety degrees in either direction. It is possible for the player to rotate one of the two tiles by 180 degrees rather than 90 degrees if they have a Rotate 180 degree Special Action tile in their hand, which they may discard to do so.

3. Swap any two adjacent tiles on the board.

The player is given the option to switch the locations of two tiles on the board while ensuring that they retain their original orientation. Both of the tiles that were switched had to have an image that corresponds to either the center or a corner of a tile that is next to them in their new places. If a player has a tile with the Double Swap Special Action in their hand, they have the option of discarding it in order to carry out a second swap using either the same tiles or new ones.

4. Take a new card from the Goal deck.

The player draws a new Goal card from the deck and then discards a card from their hand in order to make room for the new card. It is never permissible for a player to finish their turn with a greater number of goal cards than they started their turn with.

When a Goal Is Scored

During their turn, players have one of two options for how they may score a Goal:

Four Corners refers to the process of creating an intersection of four picture corner types that match.

Iconic Sequence refers to the process of assembling a succession of tiles with similar center images that are near one another in any direction (orthogonally or diagonally). These tiles are arranged in a four-in-a-row formation.

Once a player has scored a Four Corners picture, they are required to dismantle the picture by rotating each of the four tiles comprising the image once in each direction, which equals 90 degrees. After successfully completing an Iconic Sequence, the player is tasked with dismantling it by altering the positions of two of the sequence's central pictures.

Players are unable to score Goals during the turns of other players.

Players may replenish their hand with up to three more tiles at the conclusion of their round. If they were successful in scoring a goal during their turn, they will not be dealt another goal card.

When a player reaches their third goal, the game is over for them and they have won.

In addition to playing by oneself, the game may also be played in cooperative fashion with several players.

Can an individual or a full family have fun at Four Corners?

The board game Four Corners is unquestionably a fun activity for the whole family to participate in together. The rules are easy to learn, and there is a lot of variety in the intriguing decisions that may be made during the game.

One aspect of family games that we really like is ones that have rapid turns, so that players don't have to wait an excessive amount of time for their next opportunity. 

The fact that players may only do one action on their turn keeps the game moving well and minimizes the amount of downtime that occurs throughout the game. Having said that, it shifts a little bit as the game progresses.

The first couple of rounds are over in a very short amount of time. On the other hand, when additional tiles are added to the board, the number of choices available during each player's turn will also rise. This implies that the players' turns will start to take longer as they deliberate about which action will provide them with the most advantage.

The fact that you may only do one action during your turn is another aspect that has both positive and negative implications. This is due to the fact that accomplishing your objectives will need more than one activity on your part.

If you are unable to make a move that would allow you to achieve your objective, what move can you make that will get you one step closer to your objective without putting your adversaries in a position to win? However, you are unable to predict the patterns that your adversaries would attempt to use. Therefore, you will need to make an educated assumption and have faith that they won't interfere with your own objectives.

You won't have much success formulating a comprehensive strategy since the status of the board will have changed before it's your turn again.

 You may have optimism, but you also need to be prepared to adapt when the inevitable disruptions to some of your plans occur.

This indicates that the proportion of luck to strategy in Four Corners is significantly weighted toward the luck side of the equation.

However, due to the fact that Four Corners is a more casual game, that level of luck is acceptable.

Another component that we would want to bring attention to is the board itself. 

Because it is so simple to turn the tiles, this game board is ideal for the manner in which it is played.

It is essential that the movement of a single tile does not result in the destruction of the remainder of the tile grid because of all the twisting, shifting, and swapping of tiles that occurs on virtually every round. And in order to fulfill this need, Calliope Games has developed a fantastic board. It is quite simple to lift up one corner of a tile, twist it, or pick it up to exchange it with another.

Additionally, you may get Four Corners in two other themed editions: Galaxy and Kaleidoscope. Because we enjoy the aesthetic of those patterns, we went with the Kaleidoscope version of the book. However, we are certain that a large number of other people will also like the Galaxy edition's design. Pick the one that appeals to you the most.