As far as board game concepts go, this one is pretty out-there. The Big Squeeze, a new engine-builder currently crowdfunding on Backerkit, puts you in charge of a humble lemonade stand - then expects you to keep sales up during a literal apocalypse.
Simple, right? All you need to do is gather your ingredients, make lemonade to sell, and use the cash to upgrade your stand. Each turn, you move and take just one action. Your lemonade seller offers some asymmetric abilities, and you'll pick up a few new tricks if you make enough lemonade, but that's all there is to it.
At least, until the apocalypse begins. Half-way through, the game flips on its head (and its board).
The sweet granny that always brought you cookies is suddenly a maniacal alchemist. Her turns are now as explosive as her recipes, as The Big Squeeze is designed to set up absurd chain reaction combos. As the Backerkit page says: "it's a race to unleash your combo before anyone else!"
Based on the campaign testimonials, this looks to be a fairly light, beginner-friendly board game. It mixes satire with a big dose of silly, which is as strong a combination as sugar and lemons. Hopefully the final product is just as sweet.
The base game is available for $39. Pledging an extra $10 gets you a cosmic mini-expansion, and there's also a deluxe upgrade for $69. It's pretty no-frills as far as crowdfunding pledges go, with the deluxe version adding fancy wooden components and a sleek box sleeve.
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