Ada Lovelace: Legacy of the Analytical Engine (2020)

About this game

"EXTRA! EXTRA! MR X STRIKES AGAIN! In a clear statement that no museum is safe from his mechanisms, Mr X has pilfered from yet another British institute of history..." Ada Lovelace: Legacy of the Analytical Engine is a solitaire roll-and-write legacy game, following our protagonist, Ada Lovelace, as she chases the elusive Mr X around the globe. Over the course of 9 levels, players will examine crime scenes, upgrade their skills, and try to thwart Mr X's evil plans. Each turn, the player rolls two dice and uses them in one of two ways: To place polyominoes on a crime scene in order to search rooms or collect evidence. To trigger insight abilities from the various pieces of collected evidence. Abilities might let the player take bonus moves, fill in more parts of the crime scene, score points, unlock permanent upgrades, etc. After 15 turns, the player's skills are assessed and, depending on how they performed, they can pick from a variety of permanent upgrades to power-up Ada Lovelace's abilities. This might be new polyomino shapes, long-term abilities, or other rule-changing twists. Each level also provides it's own twists on the rules, with unique rules, evidence abilities, layouts, locked areas, folded sheets, overlapping areas, multiple floors, etc. Tacking Mr X will require the player to navigate all these twists and complexities! -description from designer

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 1 player — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 1.5/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 8 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.