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A while back I was contacted by Yo Leiten Wolff and was asked to look at his upcoming game "There She Is!!" I must be honest that the art on the game box (not final art) was really pleasing to see it reminded me of the import games I used to get on Playstation back in the mid-90s.
Apart from bringing back great memories it intrigued me to find out a bit more about the man behind this game and the game itself. Yo is a 29-year-old who has a great passion for games. Coming from a creative background he has been a graphic designer for the last 11 years.
He has played games since being a youngster and always dreamed of making his own game one day. When playing games like Catan and Carcassonne a spark happened and he decided to make his ideas a reality.
There She is! - The Dream
"There She Is!!" is one of his creative ideas. It’s based on a very popular Korean animation and its one that Yo holds close to his heart. After following the series for years an idea to transform two of his favourite things into one was born.
A card game based on this series was all he could focus on and last year he got the chance to chat with the creators of the animation and persuade them that a board game combining the two was an idea that could work.
Yo explained: "When I first reached out to Amalloc, I was scared, He is Korean, and he told me his English was not very good, but neither is mine, so.... I first told him that I've been a fan of the animation since the start, and that it helped me a lot with my actual girlfriend.
"The animation means a lot to me. Then I explained to him my idea, sent him a couple of e-mails with info about how it would work, our company and our first game (monsters' Party: voodoo Madness), and after all that he agreed to let us use the license to make it. When he said yes, it gave me chills! couldn't believe it. So, I started working on the “There She Is!! the very same day!"
Playing There She is
The game combines set collection with co-op play. Players are omniscient entities trying to help strengthen the bonds between Doki and Nabi (the two main characters in the series) in a world where relationships between different races of animals are prohibited.
I really do think that the art work alone is great but the mechanics and game play are also solid enough. The game consists of five steps and begins with the ‘step #1 card. During a step a predetermined number of rounds take place (depending on the number of players) and are followed by a Resolving Phase.
Once the Resolving Phase is complete, a new set of rounds begin, which are then followed by another Resolving Phase, and so forth. Yo’s explanation of how to play is below.
Rounds
In a round, players will one after the other get to do one of the following actions:
- Draw a card from the Object Stash, play a card from your hand, or do both.
- Activate a character’s skill. The cost must be paid with Positive Signs that have previously been placed on the character’s card.
- Discard the current Object Stash and take one Negative Sign (Negative Signs are simply placed in front of you on the table).
- Search the Object Deck and take two Negative Tokens. To do this, cut the Object Deck in half and search for one Object of your choice in one of the halves. Set the chosen object aside face-down and shuffle both halves together. Return the stack to where the Object Deck previously was and place the chosen Object on top of the Object Deck. (When you choose this action, the next player takes his turn without waiting for you to complete your search action. As a result, he may not choose any action that utilizes the Object Deck; for example, he could not use the Draw action). This restriction applies to all following players taking actions, up until the Object Deck has been placed back next to the Object Stash.
- Discard your hand, draw three new cards and take two Negative Signs.
Note: You cannot share information with other players about the cards in your hand or the card that you searched for using the search action.
After all players have taken their turn, the current round is complete. Move the Round Sign one space forward on the Step Card.
Resolving Phase
The Resolving Phase is triggered when the Round Sign reaches the following space on the Step Card:
- Number six for a one player game.
- Number three for a two player game.
- Number two for a three or four player game.
Note: You cannot share information with other players about the cards in your hand or the card that you searched for using the search action.
After all players have taken their turn, the current round is complete. Move the Round Sign one space forward on the Step Card.
Resolving Phase
The Resolving Phase is triggered when the Round Sign reaches the following space on the Step Card:
- Number six for a one player game.
- Number three for a two player game.
- Number two for a three or four player game.
The Resolving Phase consists of the following steps in order:
- Transfer Objects: Verify the objects (one at time) that are on each Character Card. If the object is needed to complete an active Event or the current Step, place the object the corresponding card. If it is not needed for one or the other, place the object in the discard pile.
- Resolve Events: Players decide whether or not to claim fulfilled event cards. If claimed, the card is discarded and the reward is taken. If left unclaimed, the event card remains active and may be claimed during a subsequent Resolving Phase.
- Activate Continuous Events: Any active event that has the symbol X must be triggered.
- Exchange Negative Signs: Players may exchange Negative Signs between them as they please.
- Reveal Event: Reveal one card from the Event Deck and place it with the active events.
Finally, a new Round begins by placing the Round Sign on the number 0 of the Step Card.
Play continues in this manner until players have either completed or failed the Step. If completed, the players move onto the next Step Card in ascending numerical order. If any Step Card is failed, the players lose the game.
Final Thoughts
When I look at this game a rush of nostalgic feelings cloud my brain and that’s just from the artwork. The game play is also solid enough so this game should appeal not just to fans of the series but also gamers from all back grounds.
During the conversations I had with Yo, its clear to see he is very passionate and will do everything’s that’s possible to see this fund. I recommend everyone watch’s the series as its very well done and will give you a feel for what Yo is trying to achieve here. I look forward to when this hits Kickstarter.