The Resistance vs Ice Cool

Even though logic is very useful when determining whose a spy, The Resistance is more about being able to bluff, trick, and sway others. As such, players are always actively engaged in discussions and trying to outplay and outsmart each other. This creates a very social environment which allows the game to thrive.

While there is little variation game-to-game (for example, there will always be two spies when five or six people play the game, and the mission sizes are always based on group size), it's the circumstances, such as which missions are chosen and who participates in them, that change each time. This allows it to be played over and over and over again without losing any excitement.

Players are often very loud and active during gameplay. When everyone gets into the game and starts trying to figure out who the spies are, things can get really fun with theories and accusations flying everywhere. Overall, The Resistance creates a very exciting and entertaining atmosphere full of suspense and bluffing.

It's designed to be played in three to five rounds, with the entire session lasting about 30 minutes.

There are zero complex rules or systems weighing this game down. It's incredibly easy to pick up and play, and new players will understand it immediately. This makes it an excellent game for everyone.

All players remain active and get to participate until the game ends. This is great since there's no way to mess up or have to sit out and watch your friends play.

While The Resistance is flexible and able to be played with as little as five people, the best results are achieved when played with six or more players. Each and every player is engaged and working together to determine who the spies are, which means all members of the group will be able to participate from start to finish. This makes it an excellent game for parties when you want to include everyone.

The game can lead to some awesome moments because of the little penguins. Depending on where you hit the penguin, it will move differently. For example, if you flick the head of it, it will make the penguin jump. This can lead to some crazy trick-shots where someone manages to jump over walls. You can also flick them on the side, which will make the penguin spin. By doing this you could spin through multiple rooms and gather a lot of points or catch several penguins on the same turn.

The gameboard of Ice Cool is big, but it’s quite simple to set up. The playing surface consists of five boxes that all fit in the game’s box. You connect them in the correct places, all of which are marked with colored dots on the edges of the boxes. After that you take the little beige colored fish tokens and place them in the marked spots to keep the gameboard in place, and you’re good to go.

Ice Cool is very straightforward, it all revolves around flicking little penguin pawns. Doorways will have fish pegs attached to them, when you flick a penguin through it, then you’ll receive the fish and get to draw a fish card that gives you victory points. Each round one player will be the hall monitor who will try to catch other penguins and gather their student ID’s by hitting them instead of gathering fish.

The round ends either when the hall monitor has gathered all ID’s or when someone has gathered all three fish tokens. The game ends when everyone has been the hall monitor. The player with the most points on their fish cards wins.

Aesthetically Ice Cool looks very impressive. The playing surface is a 3D school consisting of five different rooms that feature many little details all over the walls – maps, fish, basketball hoops, etc. Everything has a blue, cold-looking color scheme, which kind of mimics an igloo.

The cards also have some great artwork on them. The ID’s are two-sided for boys and girls. Each colored penguin has a different look and style. The fish cards depict, you guessed it, fish. The bigger the point value, the bigger the meal.

The components of Ice Cool are very interesting and well-made. The game’s playing surface is made of five 3D boxes that all fit in the game’s box. The player tokens are four penguins made of hard plastic that are weighted in the base so that they keep wobbling when hit. Throughout the game players gather fish tokens, which are nice and small wooden pieces similar to pegs. There are also some cards in the game – ID cards and fish cards, which are all made of durable cardstock.