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Quick Look: Mondrian: Color in Motion

 Publisher: Binary Cocoa
Year Published: 2022

No. of Players: 1 – 5

Ages: 7+

Playing Time: 30 – 60 minutes.

Find more info HERE.

From the Publisher:

Review

As you may remember, while eagerly awaiting for a prototype copy of Shadow Brume to review, Binary Cocoa was kind enough to send me quite a few of their other games to review including both  Straight 4 , Frog Chess and Bullrings . 

This time around, I am covering another family-friendly game called Mondrian. And after you lay down a few of the game’s cards into play on the table, you can easily see why it was given name for a title, as it will very clearly evoke imagery from the famous artist of the same name. 

A game for 2-3 players, Mondrian is yet another of Binary Cocoa’s designs that implement a classic “jump” mechanic akin to checkers. But there is quite a bit more, too. 

Each player is given three cards at the start of the game. Each card consists of three colored boxes that must be placed according to some simple rules on each player’s turn:

-A card can either be placed on top of another card as long as the colors of squares match each other where they overlap. 

Or

-A card can be placed next to another card under the condition that all sides of the placed card match colors of any cards directly adjacent to each box.

If a card was placed on top of another card, any squares that overlap get a scoring piece placed on them, but these don’t count for points just yet ; rather, you need to then “jump” as many adjacent scoring markers as possible to gain these points and add them to your collection by removing jumped pieces from the board. You may do this as many times as possible, again utilizing a similar concept to that of checkers.

When you can no longer jump, a player draws a card and play passes to the next person. Play continues until both of the draw decks are exhausted as well as all cards from each player’s hand. Scores are then tallied for victory.

The review:

I am sad to say that Mondrian is the first game that I have played from Binary Cocoa that hit a relatively big snag. I will first of all compliment the scoring pieces, which are manufactured with an easy-to-grip tip that is perfectly molded top to make grasping pieces a cinch — oftentimes lesser pieces are quite slippery.

And the game is just about pocket-sized for portability…

However, after many plays, we did experience a setback with the cards that are used to make the ever-changing game arena. They are relatively thin, and quite prone to slipping off of each other when stacked. What this can ultimately mean is that things can be bumped out of alignment very easily and make playing the game difficult in not being able to see what colors can be utilized, or leaving gaps that can make it hard for players to realize that a vacant space is either viable or unviable for placing cards on or adjacent to.

Which is a shame, because the game is quite enjoyable otherwise. 

We have gotten quite a decent sum of games played as of yet, and it does have some exemplary things going for it ; it is great for kids and adults, is pleasant to look at, can involve some decent planning and STEM lessons for kids in logic.  

And contrary to most “kids” games (and I am not saying Mondrian is specifically designated just for kids), this one can easily clock in at over 45 minutes, which is quite a sharp contrast to say Bull Rings and Frog Chess, which are usually played in under 5 minutes. 

Another problem can occur if the “growth” of the player area proceeds in the wrong direction if that particular direction just so happens to have presented the best opportunities for players ; you may then find that your cards are approaching the end of the table, and you have no easy way to move the in-cohesive jumble of layered cards to a more central spot. This is doubly compounded by the fact that the game can sometimes take up a large portion of real estate, which can make for some very messy transfers to other spaces…

Final Thoughts :

At its core, Mondrian is a great game, but is beset by a bit of a logistical issue that can at times impede one’s sense of enjoyment. Were it not for this caveat, it would get quite the commendation from me and my family, as it offers both simplicity and strategy, a combination that doesn’t always exist to this extent in family-friendly games. So while I would like to sing unconditional praise, there are some limitations I feel potential buyers should be aware of that can quite literally wreck a game if not careful.

Should you be able to get used to these logistical hurdles, you may just find that Mondrian is still worth pulling out quite often, as is the case with us. I’ve spent the past few days playing over and over with my daughter, and she loves getting a sense of challenge playing against me and testing her mettle against mine. So Mondrian is quite capable of creating great bonding experiences. Just remember to handle it with care!

I do hear from Binary Cocoa that a second printing of Mondrian may be addressing some component issues…I am not too sure what these changes will consist of, but if the slippery card syndrome can be rectified, this one will be a forever keeper!

After reading Jazz’s review, if this sounds like a game for you at the time of this posting
Mondrian: Color in Motion is available for purchase for only $30. Check it out and get it HERE.

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