Review of the board game Journey into the Unconscious

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A set full of beautiful images.

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Last week, a lot of attention was paid to the tabletop adaptation of Worms. This time we’re going into a little more challenging waters because we’re going to look at a board that Cesta does unconsciously, which at first glance tricks the body. In the following paragraphs you will learn how this particular problem works, what it offers and how it develops in terms of expansion.

  • Number of players: 1–4
  • Game time: 90 – 120 minutes
  • Price: 1529 CZK (Tlama Games)
  • Provided by: Muzzle games
  • Age: 12+

Beautiful graphics meet a high degree of difficulty in Journey into the Unconscious.

Psychoanalysis, proposed by the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, is an unusual method that works with the unconscious mind and dream analysis. In the board game “Journey into the Unconscious” you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of psychoanalysis. Here, players “discuss” patients’ dreams, share their thoughts with other specialists, and at the same time regularly drink coffee – an important gaming resource that helps keep them active throughout the game.

Each player at the very beginning receives his own playing field on which he manages clients, ideas and other elements of the game. The game takes place in Vienna, where the player faces patients with various problems, from ordinary to very complex cases. The game mechanism is based on rounds in which players alternately choose one of several actions. One of the keys is the presentation of ideas. The player places his idea tokens on the action space, then evaluates their effect. Each idea can activate the field once or twice, depending on the number of tokens placed and other variables.

Another important event is the “Idea Search”, where the player can pick up his ideas from the table and receive additional game benefits from this in the form of coffee or bonuses from the city map. If the player prefers another option, he can focus on treating clients. Each client can only be healed once per turn, but up to two clients can be healed at the same time. Here players work with dream cards (hidden and explicit), which generate therapy points. Once the therapy ends, the client is cured and the player receives victory points.

After completing the main action, the player moves the inkwell on his board the number of spaces corresponding to the number of ideas he directed. This can unlock new game features such as ideas or note effects. The Inkwell can also activate a reputation meter, which is a key element in gaining victory points and signals that the end of the game is approaching.

The gaming table offers many different effects. Some fields allow you to receive notes in exchange for coffee, which you then place on the game board and use to advance further. Other action spaces focus on exploration, where players can draw cards that open up new possibilities for play and can be used to publish treatises. Last but not least, participants can move around the map with figures of the professor or Freud himself, thereby activating new locations and game options.

At the end of the turn, the player gets the opportunity to turn their heart-shaped boxes into therapy points. As the final round approaches, players collect reputation victory points, insight tokens, completed note lines, healed clients, coffee, heart-shaped boxes, and location-specific symbols. The winner is the player with the most victory points.

You can already enrich the Journey into the Unconscious or visit his world in a different way.

The Journey into the Unconscious: Nightmares expansion adds a dark side to the game. In addition to ordinary patients, you will meet those who suffer from truly terrifying dreams that bring additional challenges. New to this expansion is madness, which gradually increases throughout the game. While insanity does provide some benefits, such as the ability to channel ideas into different areas of action, insanity can result in the loss of victory points because no one wants to be treated by a crazy psychoanalyst.

Another new feature is the cursed location and post associated with the dead, which makes the game even darker and adds a new strategic dimension. However, even this dark expansion includes interesting elements, such as house cats and a record player. These new formats focus on different aspects of the game and enrich the core mechanics.

The Free Association Modules extension provides even more options. It contains five additional modules that can be combined as desired. Among them you will find illusory dreams that add a new layer to working with patients’ dreams, trivial notes that offer additional resources to obtain, or significant studies that allow you to study the psyche in more depth. Another interesting feature is completion cards, which add new opportunities for “interaction” between players.

Before we get to the evaluation, I wanted to take a look at a title that could serve as an alternative to Journey into the Unconscious if you’re not a fan of more demanding games, but despite its accessibility, it offers much of what can be found in the works presented above. Dreamland is an alternative from the same world, where you’ll find tons of great artwork from the “original” game, but works with different gameplay.

It’s where you interpret your cards for customer data and try to treat them that way. There are always more cards, and the difference between your card and the next card in order always determines the value of the therapy token you can flip over. The first one to turn over his chips wins. The pace here is decent, and you can also enjoy the presented images during a game that is not entirely tedious in terms of mechanics.

Journey into the Unconscious is definitely not a game for everyone

In terms of the overall feel of the game, Journey into the Unconscious appears to be a visually appealing and thought-provoking strategy game that may appeal to players looking for a more challenging gaming experience. Although the game may seem simple at first glance, its mechanics are quite complex and require players to carefully plan every step. Mastering the basic rules is key to keeping the game smooth and fun.

With the Nightmare expansion, the game takes on a darker new twist that opens up more possibilities and strategic challenges. If you’re a fan of more challenging board games, you’ll certainly appreciate how Journey into the Unconscious can deepen your gaming experience. On the other hand, if you prefer simpler games, it might be better to start with something more accessible.

Overall, Journey into the Unconscious is a great choice for players who like to delve into details and complex strategy where every move matters. The game offers decent strategic options and, thanks to expansions, opens up a new dimension for those looking for constant innovation and challenge.

We would like to thank the Czech distributor Tlama Games for providing a copy of Journey to the Unknow and additional components.

Source :Indian TV

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