Unsurmountable game description from BoardGameGeek: “You’ve climbed all of the mightiest mountains, yet there’s one towering titan that’s always eluded you: the mountain where anything can happen. In the whisper-thin air the paths twist and shift as you climb, stranding the unprepared and confounding the overconfident. Do you have what it takes to summit this perilous peak?
In Unsurmountable, players will be tackling the rocky slopes of an ever-changing mountain. As the game unfolds, they must place the next piece of the path carefully in order to complete a route to the top while simultaneously meeting any additional goals for the round. It may sound like a walk in the park, but this puzzle has plenty of pitfalls to keep players on their toes.”
Player count: 1 player
Playing time: 15 minutes
Complexity: Low
MSRP: $12.00
Why Unsurmountable is a peaceful game:
Based on the description of Unsurmountable, you might question whether this is truly a peaceful game. The theme of mountain climbing is not one I typically think of when I want a calming experience. But the theme is approached in a light-hearted way. The artwork is done in a cute, cartoony style that reminds me of the Where’s Waldo books from my childhood. On each card there is a mountain climber (or two) engaged in an action. My favorite cards include one where a climber is napping alongside the path and another where the climber is building a snowman.
The gameplay involves something that is often very satisfying and relaxing: building or creating something. In this case, you are creating a pathway up a mountain. At the end of your session with Unsurmountable, you can look at your mountain and think, “I created this!” It’s really neat to see how your mountain came together at the end and come up with a story in your mind of how the climber made it to the top. I love connecting the paths on the cards together and find it incredibly rewarding.
Not only is the mountain scalable in Unsurmountable, but the difficulty is scalable too! There are five difficulty levels in the game. On the first difficulty level, I find it hard to lose. As the difficulty is increased, however, the game becomes a lot more challenging. Scalable difficulty is exactly what I look for in a peaceful game. Depending on my state of mind, sometimes a simple puzzle that is easy to solve is exactly what I need. Other times, I need more of a challenge to focus my attention.
Goodness of fit:
I think Unsurmountable would be a great choice if you are looking for a game that is light on complexity and plays in 15 minutes or less, yet still gives you the satisfying feeling of creating something. The game comes in a wallet, which means you can easily take it with you. It’s a perfect lunch break game because it’s simple and doesn’t take up much space on the table.
Have you played Unsurmountable? What do you think are the most peaceful aspects of it? Let me know in the comments below!
This post is part of my peaceful game series where I discuss tabletop games that I believe have a noteworthy amount of peaceful qualities. Click here to read my previous entry in this series: Floriferous.