Re;ACT: The Arts of War Game Review

Do you like punishing games?

That is the question you have to ask yourself when considering Re;ACT: The Arts of War, a two-person dueling game from designers Chris Lin, MingYang Lu, and Eric Zeringue. Are you okay with a game in which the slightest mistake, especially against someone who knows what they’re doing, can ruin you? Can you find peace in knowing that the smallest miscalculation can cost you a match? You have to be. If you aren’t, you shouldn’t play Re;ACT.

This is the kind of game in which someone can reasonably say, “Oh, if I’d done X instead of Y seven turns ago, everything would have turned out differently.” I think it’s important to know that up front. That implies the existence of a high skill ceiling, but it also reminds me of something I wrote years ago about Mindbug; it can feel, at times, like you are at the helm of an over-tuned sports car.

What are we doing here? Two artists have beef. Which two is up to you and your opponent. There are eight to choose from, each with their own distinct style of fighting. The Dancer flits about the board, leaving glittering fish scales behind, which can deal damage or summon fish familiars. The Calligrapher stains her opponents with ink, marking them for…

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