Earlier today, Gamewright officially announced the upcoming sequel to the hit cooperative boardgame Forbidden Island, entitled Forbidden Desert. As the press release (below) states, “In Forbidden Desert, players take on the roles of brave adventurers who must throw caution to the wind and survive both blistering heat and blustering sand in order to recover a legendary flying machine buried under an ancient desert city.” (Which, as you may have guessed, will be in four pieces, much like the four artifacts in Forbidden Island.) Designed once again by Pandemic creator Matt Leacock, the sequel game will release this spring, arriving first at the New York Toy Fair mid-February. Forbidden Desert will also imitate its predesessor with an attractive full-color tin while carrying a low price tag ($24.99).
If you missed it, our Gaming News Update podcast interview with designer Matt Leacock, from when Forbidden Island was released, is worth a listen for his insights on designing cooperative games.
Gamewright press release follows:
Gamewright Embarks on a New Forbidden Adventure in 2013
Forbidden Desert, by Matt Leacock, takes cooperative games by storm
Newton, MA – A fierce sandstorm is about to stir up the world of tabletop games with the release of Forbidden Desert, a brand new cooperative family board game by designer Matt Leacock and published by Gamewright. In Forbidden Desert, players take on the roles of brave adventurers who must throw caution to the wind and survive both blistering heat and blustering sand in order to recover a legendary flying machine buried under an ancient desert city. The game is a follow-up to the best-selling Forbidden Island and marks the first time that Gamewright has published a sequel to one of their games.
“When we launched Forbidden Island back in 2010, we had an inkling that we had hit game on our hands, but never to the point that we’d be prompted to publish a sequel,” says Jason Schneider, Gamewright’s director of product development and marketing. “I’m beyond thrilled to see this vision come to fruition.”
One of the key challenges posed to inventor Matt Leacock was to create a game that would contain familiar elements while offering up a completely different in-game experience. “In addition, we wanted it to be simultaneously approachable to new players while upping the ante for those who felt they had mastered Forbidden Island,” says Schneider. All this resulted in a fresh new game based around an innovative set of mechanics, such as an ever-shifting board, individual resource management, and unique method for locating the flying machine parts.
Forbidden Desert will make its trade debut at the New York International Toy Fair (February 10-13) and will be available for public release later in spring of 2013. The game will come in an attractive tin package and retail for a suggested $24.99.
Forbidden Desert TM
Thirst for Survival
Gear up for a thrilling adventure to recover a legendary flying machine buried deep in the ruins of an ancient desert city. You’ll need to coordinate with your teammates and use every available resource if you hope to survive the scorching heat and relentless sandstorm. Find the flying machine and escape before you all become permanent artifacts of the Forbidden Desert!
Contents
49 cards
48 sand markers
24 tiles
6 pawns
5 water level markers
4 flying machine parts
1 flying machine model
1 sand storm meter
1 stand storm meter stand
1 sand storm level marker
Rules of play
Players: 2-5
Ages: 10+
Playing time: 45 minutes
Suggested Retail: $24.99
Availability: Spring 2013
About Gamewright
Gamewright, a leading manufacturer of family games, is best known for such household hits as Slamwich®, Rat-a-Tat Cat®, In a Pickle™, and the Scrambled States of America™ Game. Gamewright prides itself on making games that foster laughter, learning, friendship and fun. Kids, parents, grandparents, and educators all agree that Gamewright makes some of the best games on the planet. For more information, please visit www.gamewright.com.