- Publisher : Ludonova
- Designer(s) : Isra C., Shei S.
- Artist(s) : Loka Made Studio
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 60 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.68
What's this?
In this game, players are tasked with building the Tōkaidō Shinkansen Line and its stations, while helping to prepare Olympic venues for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
How do you play?
➡️ PHASE 1. There will be different things to do: Reveal an Event card, set the Cost of building a path, take your Income etc.
➡️ PHASE 2. Each player buys a wagon card and places it in their playing area.
➡️ PHASE 3. Actions:
On their turn, each player can perform actions using the Locomotive cards and the Wagon cards.
1. Prepare the terrain: This action allows players to prepare the terrain by placing track tiles or construction site tiles on the board. This helps create connections between different cities and prepares the ground for the construction of stations.
2. Build a path: This action allows players to build a path by spending the corresponding cost. The tracks connect different cities and create routes for trains.
3. Build a station: This action allows players to build a station by spending the corresponding cost. Stations are important points on the train line and allow you to score victory points.
4. Help Olympic Venues: This action allows players to collaborate in preparing Olympic venues by spending the corresponding cost. This allows you to score additional victory points.
5. Obtain new Wagon cards: This action allows players to purchase new Wagon cards to add to their train. Wagon cards offer different actions and abilities that can be used during the game.
➡️ End of turn
Once all players have completed their actions, check if the Current Event card has an end of turn effect, in this case the effect is applied.
➡️ The game ends at the end of the fifth turn, once the last player has finished their turn, after which the players go directly to the final count.
Is it good?
Shinkansen Zero-Kei stands out for its original theme: the construction of the Shinkansen, the Japanese high-speed train. The game offers good programming, placement and opportunism mechanics for the construction of the railway network and stations.
There is a bit of a lack of build-up as the game goes on and games can be quite long with more than two players. I still recommend this game to players looking for an original, clever and interactive strategy game.
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Review Shinkansen Zero-Kei
Positives
- A good thought
- A theme that changes from the ordinary
- Not mean interaction
Negatives
- The “works, laying of rails and stations” mechanics not necessarily intuitive in the first parts
- No “wow” effect
- Too long for more than two players
Breakdown
- Components and illustrations 7.5
- Mechanics 7.5
- Theme 7.0
- Replayability 7.5
- Handling 7.0
- Interaction 7.5
- Originality 8.5
