???? PAX Unplugged 2024 reveals its treasures! Our selection of 7 games, from the strategic Flatiron to the poetic Butterfly Garden. ????
Article written by Loic. Originally from Brittany and recently exiled to Switzerland (especially for his chocolate), Loïc lives and breathes board games. He is always ready to take out cards and boards to have fun and share his boundless passion. A gamer at heart, his motto is “A small game, between two bus stops? “.
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PAX Unplugged 2024
In the tumult of the 150,000 visitors to PAX Unplugged 2024 in Philadelphia, seven games (among others) stood out to liven up our future fun evenings in 2025.
Every year, the world of board games is treated to its share of new products, innovations and discoveries. And most of the time, these new products are presented in preview at the big fun events such as the IFJ in Cannes, the Vichy show, the Gen Con in Indianapolis and, of course, last but not least, the most famous, the most massive, the Spiel Essen in… Essen in Germany. And among these fun, unmissable events, PAX Unplugged (also) occupies a special place.
This event, which takes place in Philadelphia at the end of November, is entirely dedicated to board games, role-playing games and other “unplugged” fun pleasures. So without electricity. Analogue, as they say at 21e century. It offers a privileged space for publishers, authors, illustrators and passionate gamers who wish to share their discoveries, test prototypes, discover the latest playful pearls to come and, of course, meet a dynamic and warm community .
The 2024 edition of PAX Unplugged was particularly rich, with an enlarged lounge, a huge First Look area, an Unpub section for projects in development, and a veritable abundance of free tables. Result: an atmosphere that is both friendly and effervescent, conducive to pleasant surprises and favorites. We would have liked to have been there. But Philadelphia is not next door (to Geneva).
In this article, we will present to you seven board games that stood out during PAX Unplugged 2024. From the most strategic to the most family-friendly, all of them have that little something that makes them memorable. And which will certainly still create buzz in the coming weeks and months. Prepare your meeples and let yourself be guided into the heart of PAX Unplugged 2024.
1. Flatiron
Coming from the creative team which has already been a hit with The Red Cathedral et The White Castle, Flatiron was a great revelation. Intended for two people (with a solo mode), it offers to rebuild the legendary Flatiron Building, floor by floor, column by column.
The mechanics combine pillar placement, color management and expansion of a small card engine offering additional actions. The fine balance between careful planning and tactical flexibility makes every game thrilling. Flatiron impresses quite a bit with its elegance, its depth of play and its aesthetics. We rejoice!
???? Flatiron is already in early stages at Philibert.
2. Creature Caravan
The publisher Red Raven Games was able to make a name for itself at PAX Unplugged with Creature Caravana title anchored in the universe of Above & Below. Here, it’s about optimizing a caravan of fantastic creatures, collecting resources, trading goods and traversing a board full of opportunities and threats. Thanks to simultaneous game mechanics, the pace remains fast and the learning curve fast.
Accessible, original, while retaining a charming universe and a certain depth, Creature Caravan already makes my mouth water quite a bit for fun evenings with friends or family.
???? Creature Caravan is available at Philibert.
3. Zenith
Second game (after the very good Captain Flip) from the new publishing house Playpunk, co-founded by Antoine Bauza, Zenith caught the eye of visitors to PAX Unplugged 2024.
Playable by two or four players, it revolves around a confrontation in “tug of war” mode on several lines. Players manage their cards wisely to obtain resources, activate special abilities and advance on technological tracks.
It all forms a dynamic game, rich in dramatic twists and varied strategies. Expected in spring 2025, Zenith promises to be a must-have for fans of fighting and fierce duels. Big hit announced/guaranteed! Yes, once again, as if we still had to be convinced, even if he is here “only” an editor and not an author, everything that Antoine Bauza touches turns into gold (playful).
4. Butterfly Garden
Capstone had its little moment of buzz at PAX Unplugged 2024 by reissuing Indigoa family tile-connecting game by Reiner Knizia released in 2012 under the name Butterfly Gardenbringing a poetic theme and a nice DA.
This tile-laying game invites you to draw paths to guide butterflies from the center of the board to the exit points, each worth a variable number of points. Simple to access, very visual, it will appeal to families. Its mix of light tactics, subtle blocks and long-term strategies makes it a good title to introduce young and old to the pleasures of ingenious placement. So clearly nothing new under the sun for this game released more than 10 years ago, but we are delighted to see the overhaul.
5. Crafting the Cosmos
Crafting the Cosmospublished by Office Dog (Asmodee North America’s studio), clearly created a buzz thanks to its cosmic SF theme and its deep mechanics. Players manipulate fundamental elements (gravity, time, etc.) in the form of colored balls that they move along a central track. They transform these resources into galaxies and stars, constantly adjusting their strategies according to the movements of the universe.
With its sleek design, elegant mechanics and balance between reflection and adaptation, Crafting the Cosmos is among the great surprises not to be missed upon its release, scheduled for March 2025.
6. Overgrown
Also discovered at PAX Unplugged this year, Overgrown by Good Time Hat won over the curious at the show. Players embody nature, seeking to cover an abandoned city with vegetation, water and sun, then merging these resources to create a lush environment. Pure Cli-Fi!
The main mechanics are based on a clever spatial puzzle, where you combine resources to release others, gradually, until you form dense areas of greenery. Addictive, quick to play, Overgrown looks quite accessible beneath its (apparent) simplicity, while concealing solid strategic depth. Yes, everything we like, in short.
7. The curse
Imagine a cross between the deck building of a Magic: The Gathering and the figurine dimension of Warhammer. This is the promise/prowess of Damn ita project signed Loot Studios. Each player chooses a faction, builds a deck of cards and attempts to summon their troops onto the battlefield.
The twist lies in the need to draw the corresponding card to be able to deploy a unit, creating a constant tension between control, chance and resource management. With a rather inspired artistic direction and a dark universe, Damn it promises to be a fun experience that is both immersive and… fierce.
Conclusion
PAX Unplugged 2024 has once again kept its promises. From the minimalist elegance of Flatiron to the epic dimension of Damn itpassing through the bucolic freshness of Butterfly Garden and the cosmic complexity of Crafting the Cosmosthese seven games illustrate the ever-expanding diversity and creativity of the gaming world. So clearly, once these games are on our tables we will see if they also keep their promise. Maybe in the end they will fall flat and disappoint. Or not.
Let’s keep an eye out for their releases, because these titles are likely to make a name for themselves and become a permanent fixture at our gaming tables! Looking forward to 2025 to see more.
PAX Unplugged 2024 proves to us that the imagination of game authors is matched only by our ability to find space in our already overloaded Kallax!
Methodological note
No, we haven’t been to Philadelphia. And no, we haven’t played these 7 games (yet). For the simple reason that for the most part, they are not yet released.
The selection of the seven games presented in this article is based on a methodical approach to collecting information on the internet. Our team analyzed the reactions and feedback from the community of players present at PAX Unplugged 2024, particularly through social networks and specialized forums. Reviews shared on This is what we call carrying out a… health watch.
Our objective was to offer a selection representative of the diversity of the show, by highlighting games likely to appeal to different profiles. It seems important to us to specify that the impressions reported are based on prototypes or demonstration versions presented during the show. When they are released, the marketed versions may therefore have some differences with the elements described in this article. This article only focuses on 7 games, but it’s obvious that there were many other good games on display at PAX Unplugged 2024.
Don’t hesitate to leave us a comment to let us know about other games released at the Philadelphia gaming fair that have slipped under your radar.
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