Game Night is an ever-popular past time, both in our home and many others across the country. From time to time we enjoy adding a new selection to the shelf. This is where Beasts of Balance by Sensible Objects Ltd. comes into play. 

Beast of Balance is an interactive app enabled game. Cleverly stack Artefacts atop the Plinth in order to build your animal kingdom. Feed, migrate, and crossbreed beasts by carefully placing additional Artefacts onto the Plinth before life forces run low and animals become extinct.  Fill your menagerie with a world of fantastical beasts, always available for viewing. Be careful how you stack! Unbalanced towers will not only cause your beasts to fall, but set off a volcanic eruption which will destroy your kingdom.

Beasts of Balance includes twenty-four beautiful Artefacts designed to stack in surprising ways and a game base, referred to as a Plinth. Artefacts used for game play include Element Artefacts, Miracle Artefacts, Cross Artefacts, Migrate Artifacts, and Beast Artefacts. The Beasts of Balance tabletop game can be purchased from Amazon for $99.95. Full game play requires the download of the free Beasts of Balance app, available on the Apple Store and Google Play for select digital devices. 

The Beasts of Balance app is a colorful world of possibility. Game play begins with a brief tutorial on how to use Artefacts and the Plinth to build your animal kingdom. Once players have familiarized themselves with the interface, play begins. Beasts of Balance may be played both in a group setting and as single play. Suggested play is for ages 7-100.

We used Beasts of Balance to enhance game time with extended family the moment it arrived. Eight of us gathered around the table to play, ages ranging from 10-80. We took a quick moment to familiarize ourselves with the Artefacts and download the app. After the brief tutorial we set about playing. We chose to play the game as a group, taking turns placing Artefacts on the Plinth in a clockwise direction starting with the youngest player. The initial game was rather short as we tested proper positioning of Artefacts. After playing several games, we were able to stack the Plinth using more than half the Artefacts before our stack tumbled and our kingdom was destroyed.

Beasts of Balance quickly became a family favorite. The six of us in our immediate family played it several times that same evening, and have played it on a regular basis since. On more than one occasion, we have used Beasts of Balance as single players. The purpose of single play was to test our skills of balance, steadiness of hand, the ability to maintain our ecosystem without losing a creature, and experiment with the multitude of possibilities in creating new beasts. 

Beasts of Balance is a truly fun game. The Artefacts themselves are lovely; beautiful and skillfully made. Whether in a group or as a single player, the game itself is challenging and entertaining. We found players of all ages enjoyed Beasts of Balance, bringing friends and family together in an hilarious test of skill. A favorite element of the game is the ability to create new creatures for the menagerie, which are able to be viewed whenever the desire should arise. 

Game night is always a family favorite, especially when we can combine play with skillful challenge. We're pleased to call Beasts of Balance our own, enjoying hours of family fun. We look forward to sharing this with many more friends, introducing them to this incredible game.

- Product review by Cristina Grau, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2018