Tesseract

Tesseract is a compelling, cooperative dice-manipulation game for 1 to 4 players. The focal point of the game is a block of 64 dice, the Tesseract, which sits at the centre of the board on a raised platform. Players will remove cubes to place in their individual labs, transfer them as needed to others, adjust the cube’s values and, importantly, isolate the cubes into the containment matrix, neutralising them.

To contain a cube, a player must have in their lab 3 or more cubes all of one value (a Set) or in sequence (a Run), either all of one colour or having none of the same colours. By filling the containment matrix completely (24 total unique dice), they will stop the reaction and win the game. But if the Tesseract has its last cube removed beforehand – or if 7 breaches occur – the game is lost and our world ceases to exist.

Asymmetric character abilities include a passive, ‘always on’ ability and a unique action that is only available to that player. Research cards earned during play help give players an edge, as do the even more powerful Containment cards, unlocked from the matrix.

Tesseract is a very challenging co-op game, with lots of replay value built into the number of characters and various threat platforms which govern the difficulty. The game scales remarkably well and has a solo mode that is every bit as engaging. The tension mounts quickly as the Tesseract sheds cubes at the end of every player’s turn, primes them and potentially causes Breaches to occur, bringing us closer to disaster.