‘Nowhere to Go’ board game review
By Ed Appleby, Contributor
2/5
There is a long line of pedigree when it comes to two-player games. From Mancala (c. 700) to Chess (c. 1475) to Checkers (c. 1150), simple mechanics have ruled the day. So how does a modern spy-themed game stack up?
Nowhere to Go (2012) is a two-player strategy game designed by Hank Atkins and published by Educational Insights. In the game, two players square off by moving a playing piece around an interconnected hexagonal grid and then blocking off a route. Each player takes turns until one cannot move their piece because all escape routes have been closed off.
The game plays very similarly to Santorini (2017) and other grid blocking style games, but lacks the complexity necessary to be truly engaging. The extremely simple rules make this a great game for children or anyone looking to pick up a game and start playing it right away, without any hassle. The games run only about ten minutes, so they’re a great time waster to pull out when waiting for other games.
Looking into the game’s development and the publisher’s reputation, I can tell that Nowhere to Go was developed in order to help the development of children with regard to spatial reasoning, which I wholeheartedly approve of. But with regards to being a two-player game, it lacks the depth of strategy that other games have done better. As an adult, I would give it a pass, unless you have someone younger to play with.
