The saloon doors suddenly burst open behind you as your boots skid across the dusty wooden boards of the sidewalk. A split-second later, gunfire cracks through the afternoon air, the bullet ricocheting off a pail of water, sending startled townsfolk diving for cover. Diving behind an old barrel offers you a moment of shelter, although the sound of heavy footsteps suggests your pursuer is closing in on you. Then, glass shatters somewhere near the jail, followed by the sharp whistle of a bullet passing far too close for comfort. A grin spreads across your face as you raise your revolver and prepare to return fire. Well, that's what you get when you arrive in Rattlesnake by Michael Hardacre from Osprey Games with art by Roland MacDonald.

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Electric-blue leg warmers stretched over striped socks, sequins sparkling beneath a giant mirror ball, while clouds of hairspray drifted through the air. Synth-pop booms from oversized speakers as skaters practise one last spin, one last shuffle, one last gravity-defying move before the judges arrive. It's November 1983, and the biggest competition of the year is about to begin. Jam skaters from around the world have gathered beneath the glittering lights, hoping their best moves will earn them the championship crown. They want to become the next champion of the Roller Disco by Mike Petchey from Huff No More with art by Joss Petchey.

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Dewan in Malay means "hall", and the boardgame Dewan has nothing to do with any hall. It's just the name of the game world. But I'm stuck with thinking "what the hall" whenever I say the name of the game. Dewan is a clean civ game. I am tempted to call it 4X, but it doesn't have all four X's, just eXpand and a bit of eXploit. No eXplore or eXterminate. You start with a little settlement, and

Trishaw Frenzy is a Malaysian design. The designer is Ewe Boon How, and the publisher is LUMA. This is a game about trishaws in Penang. It is a simple game, and I'd even consider it a children's game.  One easy way to describe the game is modernised Snakes & Ladders. This is a roll-and-move game. The board is made up of nine tiles randomly placed and oriented. The squares

Katana Spirits is a light strategy game from Singaporean designer Geoffrey Chia. This game uses several characters also found in other titles from Good Spirit Games. Many of Geoffrey's games have a Japanese theme. Katana Spirits is a game about training yourself as a fighter and then going out kick some gangster butt. This is a game which uses polyomino tiles.  On your turn

The humidity clings to your skin as neon reflections shimmer across rain-slick streets. The city is strangely alive with quiet ambition and louder dreams. Towering skylines loom above bustling districts, each corner a promise of profit, each landmark a prize waiting to be claimed. Deals are struck with uneasy confidence, plans unfold behind knowing smiles, and every move carries the weight of opportunity. In this restless urban theatre, only the sharpest minds will rise above the crowd. Welcome to Singapore Showdown by Eugene Lim from Genie Games with art by Marcus Quek.

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You've been woken from hypersleep. You're still a bit groggy, but it is clear something has happened. Something important. As the captain, you can't waste too much time. You have to get up to speed quickly. As your crewmate gives you a sitrep, it becomes clear that you have to act quickly. It's time to Escape Comics: The Alien Ship by Douglas Beech and Evan Duxbury from Jumping High Five Games with art by Maria Becvar.

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A pair of mirrored birds lean towards one another, their colours bright, but soft. If you look closely, you can see that their bodies are forming a heart. Nearby, Kueh, delicate sweets, sit arranged with care. Judging by their colours and shapes, they promise wonderful flavours. Each one tells a story of ancient traditions and of the practised hands that shaped them. It is a quiet celebration of heritage and harmony, of the culture of Peranakan: Tiles and Tactics by Eugene Lim from Genie Games with art by Eugene Lim.

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Bargello designs are built from vertical stitches, laid in sequence so that colours rise and fall, creating flowing waves, shifting flames, or soft gradients that almost seem to move across the fabric. Used in ornate upholstery in 17th-century Italy and applied to chairs and other furniture, these patterns require precision and concentration. Even a single misplaced stitch will completely break the rhythm. As a highly-skilled embroiderer, it is up to you to make sure your needle is correctly Threaded: A Game of Needles and Points by Ellie Dix from Osprey Games with art by Maria Surducan.

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 Bombastic was first explained to me as advanced tic-tac-toe. It is a two-player-only abstract game played using 9 tiles laid out face-down in a 3x3 grid. Four of the tiles show a circle, another four a cross, and the last one a bomb. Each player is assigned an icon, circle or cross. Your goal is to reveal exactly three of your icon in a row on your turn. Beware. If you ever reveal the

The inner courtyard goes completely quiet as dusk falls. Lantern light flickers softly against white walls and dark timbers. Servants move soundlessly like a gentle breeze, tending to gravel paths and manicured trees. Deeper inside the fortress, careful whispers of politics and ambition drift through the great halls. Everything feels deliberate, and every offering is carefully chosen to seek favour in a world where position is everything. Beneath that calm surface lies quiet competition, subtle manoeuvring, and the constant need to prove one's own worth within The White Castle by Isra C.and Shei S. from Devir with art by Joan Guardiet.

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The salty air filled our lungs as gulls circled above the quayside. The harbour was alive with excited voices and the clinking of coins. Ships came and went, their hulls heavy with stories of distant islands and dangerous encounters. Somewhere beyond the horizon lay our opportunity to make our fortune through trade, charm, or even force. As we stood at the edge of the dock, we mapped our routes as we were Islebound: Emerald Edition by Ryan Laukat from Red Raven Games with art by Ryan Laukat.

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HWC Coffee is a Malaysian specialty coffee chain. They made a card game which was given away for free if you bought coffee (and other stuff) worth more than a certain amount within a single transaction. It is encouraging to see this. I would love to have my game designs used in such projects. Zus Coffee had something like this just last year, a Sembang Raya card game. Something that promotes

A cold wind carried the smell of ash across the fields as the last light of day faded behind the hills. Villages that once echoed with laughter now stood silent, their streets empty. Travellers spoke of strange sights on gloomy roads, shapes moving in the mist, and friends who no longer recognised each other. Somewhere in the land of Aelrathia, a dark mind gathered strength, raising the fallen and bending the living to its purpose. If the rumours were true, an army of the dead would soon march across the land. There was only one thing left to do. We had to venture out and face the Legion of the Necromancer by James Gill from Hammerforge Chronicles with art by James Isaacs.

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In the kingdom of Pilipalod, a wild, evil magic had erased the royal castle, leaving only the foundations visible. Queen Blodwen, King Llew, and Princess Dillie surveyed the empty hill where their home once was with some despair, but mostly patient resolve. Word of the disaster spread, and soon magical creatures gathered to offer their help, and the finest designers of the Magical Architect Alliance arrived, promising that a new home would rise again. Their first task was to rebuild the Flip Pick Towers by Rob Fisher and Adam Porter from Osprey Games with art by Beatrix Papp.

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Surf was up. We had already checked out Mavericks, Praia do Norte and Mullaghmore Head. All that was left was to ride the big breakers at Pipeline. We couldn't wait to show off our best tricks and compete with each other to score the most admiration. It was time to swim out and get on the next Big Wave by Daniel Kenel from Little Dog Games with art by Justin Santora.

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Cards were wildly flying through the air. People were taking turns aiming their cards at the target in the middle of the table. It all looked frightfully confusing, but everyone was happy. Choosing the best card was hard enough as it was, but flicking it correctly seemed impossible. For the cards, it was certainly a Tricky Landing by Mike Petchey from Huff No More with illustrations by Edie Petchey.

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The air thins with each step, and talking becomes almost impossible without a rest. The mountain is relentless, and so are those intent on beating it. Reaching the peak requires patience and knowing which route to take and what to leave behind. No one climbs alone, and no one fails alone either. The summit awaits and promises unmatched Tranquility: The Ascent by James Emmerson from Lucky Duck Games with art by Tristam Rossin.

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