The analogue PC mystery game »Die Vulkaninsel« by Kosmos
A game that you can “save” at certain points and that draws you into its story sounds like a computer game. But who says that this is only possible virtually? Kosmos’ “The Volcanic Island” is presented as an analogue version of a video game in which you are tasked with investigating mysterious incidents on a volcanic island – and you can stop in between, because your investigations will be extremely demanding and will take time.
That sounds like really exciting gaming fun, which will particularly captivate those of you who like to play cooperatively and with a focus on crime. Find out here what you can look forward to in the adventure game “The Volcanic Island” and how it plays.
Game information for the card game The Volcano Island« by Kosmos
Short description
“Adventure Games – The Volcano Island” is a cooperative adventure game. It works like a PC game – only in analog form. Simple rules allow the parlor game to start quickly. The players slip into the roles of four students who are on the trail of smugglers and mysterious events on a volcanic island. As in a crime thriller, they must solve puzzles, track clues, examine and use items, and make decisions that will affect the course of the adventure. They experience a story together. The course of the game is variable and plays differently in each group, also due to the two different final chapters. If you want, you can have the texts read aloud via the app. Another exciting team experience from the series of cooperative event games from KOSMOS!”
Publisher: Cosmos
Idea: Matthew Dunstan & Phil Walker Harding
Graphic: Andreas Resch, Fine Tuning – Michaela Kienle
Illustration: Udo Smialkowski
EAN: 4002051693169
Released: 2019
About the Adventure Games by Kosmos
The “Adventure Games” by Kosmos can be seen as a kind of escape game derivation, with there being more than one ending to the story. The stories of the games are designed like a point-and-click adventure like some of you are familiar with from the computer. What is also special about them is that you have the option to end them after a chapter and continue playing at a different point in time.
Player:inside type
- board game
- card game
- cooperative game
- thriller
Number of players, age and duration
- 1 to 4 players
- from 12 years
- around 3 x 90 minutes
Contents
- 1 adventure book
- 20 place-name signs
- 120 cards
- 1 guide
- 4 game figures
- 34 tiles
- 2 zip bags
- game guide
The price of »The Volcanic Island« by Kosmos
“The Volcanic Island” currently costs between around 10 and 20 euros, depending on the provider. The RRP in the Kosmos online shop is 14.99 euros.
How to play “The Volcanic Island”
You can choose whether you want to read the text yourself or have it read out to you by the KOSMOS explainer app.
Get the game started
Stack the adventure book and the location and adventure cards so that you can see the backs. You have to make sure that the letters on the cards are in ascending order – you must not see the front!
Now choose your favorite character.
Now you take a location card, an adventure card T1 and T2 and place the location card face down on the table. All other location cards form a face-down stack, under which you place the face-down adventure cards as a stack. Make sure that these are divided according to their numbers and form 3 more stacks:
T3&T4
M1-M5
a1-e3
You lay the adventure cards T1 and T2 on top of each other. Finally, you take the 4 character cards and the turn overview and place them face up in your midst.
That’s how it’s played
When it is your turn, you always go through four phases:
- swap adventure cards at any time
- move character
- Reveal the location card
- perform action.
It’s best if one of you grabs the introductory text and reads it out loud so that you all become immersed in the gameplay. At this point you will already learn the first possible courses of action – this is how it goes throughout the game.
On the location cards you will find numbers that represent your options. You choose one, look for it in the adventure book and read the text. So you search rooms and objects to solve the puzzle of the volcanic island.
You are free to trade adventure cards at any time – either when you are on the same location card or you agree on a free trade, which can take place at any time in the game.
Then you move your character onto an open or within a location card, or you remain standing. As you can see, there are always several options.
You turn over a face-down location card and read out the text. This takes you even deeper into the story, after which you can perform any action:
- investigate a place or
- combine two adventure cards with each other or
- combine an adventure card with a location.
This is how you act through the story, discovering, executing and getting closer and closer to your goal. But that doesn’t mean that everything runs smoothly, because during the game some things, people and places disappear or your options are limited.
In total you play 4 chapters, after each you can stop and “save” it. The best way to do this is to take a photo of your setup.
At the end of each played chapter you get points for the collected cards.
Everything has an end
As soon as you decide on a path you have already taken, the game ends. Then you count the points of the story stack, which you can find using the magnifying glasses in the corner. How the story ends can also be found in the game instructions and depends on the number of points you have collected.
That’s why we like “The Volcanic Island”
- very simple rules of the game
- ideal for smaller children
- cheap price
- is well suited for on the go or to take away
- always a different ending
Our “The Volcanic Island” conclusion
“The Volcanic Island” by Kosmos is not a game that you play “on the side”, because it is too tedious and too exciting. You can pause after a chapter, but there should not be too much time in between. This adventure game is ideal for everyone who likes to play long rounds and cooperatively – this is where the game really blossoms and offers you the appropriate gaming fun. There is a solo mode, but we would recommend at least 2 players.
Worth knowing about »The Volcanic Island« by Kosmos
More adventure games
- The dungeon
- Monochrome Inc
- Grand Hotel Abaddon
- The Gloom City File
- In the fog realm
- Expedition Azcana
Rules of the game in brief
Basic
The place cards tell you via numbers what your options are. Choose one and read the corresponding text from the adventure book. So you search rooms and objects to solve the puzzle of the volcanic island. When it is your turn, you always go through four phases.
Phase 1: Swap adventure cards at any time
You can swap your adventure cards at any time.
Phase 2: move the character
Once you have decided, you move your character to a location card or stay where you are.
Phase 3: Reveal the location card
Reveal a face-down location card and read the text.
Phase 4: Execute action.
This is followed by any action such as B. investigating a location or combining an adventure card with a location.
Collect points
At the end of each played chapter you get points for the collected cards.
End of game and winner:in
Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins.
What kind of game is »The Volcano Island« by Kosmos?
It is a cooperative adventure game that can be interrupted after its individual chapters. You slip into the roles of students investigating a volcanic island and its incidents.
For whom is »The Volcanic Island« by Kosmos suitable?
For everyone who enjoys cooperative exit games where they have to puzzle and combine. The publisher recommends the game for ages 12 and up.
How many players can play with Kosmos’ The Volcano Island?
You can play the game from 1 with up to 4 people.
Who will win “The Volcanic Island” by Kosmos?
Everyone wins together, because they choose the paths together and collect points for solving the disappearance.
