Staff pick: The Initiative

Imagine stepping back to 1994, joining a group of teenagers who discover a mysterious board game called The Key. This is the premise of The Initiative, a co-operative board game by Unexpected Games that blends story, strategy, and code-breaking into a unique experience. Players don’t just play a game; they help these teens navigate a pivotal chapter in their lives through missions connected by an interactive comic book.

Staff Pick: The Initiative by Unexpected Games

A Story That Pulls You In

"The Initiative is such a fun blend of mystery puzzle solving and modern board games. It’s fully co-operative and has a really fun story you uncover by reading a page of the included comic book each time you play, with a campaign of missions, each taking about 30-60 minutes to complete.

You’ll each play as one of four teenagers in 1994 who have found a mysterious board game called "The Key”, the game within the game. This is where you will work together to avoid obstacles and navigate the board to collect and uncover the file tokens with hidden glyphs on them. When you find the matching glyphs as the ones on the mission's hidden message card, you will reveal letters to help you decipher the hidden phrase.

To win the mission, you have to do this before you run out of cards to play, the different colours of card will determine your actions and movement, and you will use these along with your individual special powers. If you fail the mission though, you still get to keep playing the next missions but you may have different results in the story or may not get some rewards.

There’s additional puzzles to solve hidden within the game and comic but I'm not going to spoil any of that here; just know there were times we were so excited by the extra details that we were yelling. The story is also very reminiscent of 90’s pop-culture with some heartwarming moments where you help the teens through those tough teenage scenarios.

If you like escape room games or co-operative games like Pandemic or Forbidden Island, this is definitely one to check out!" - Maddy, mysterious and masterly.

Who Will Enjoy This Game

The Initiative by Unexpected Games offers a fresh take on cooperative board games by mixing narrative, strategy, and puzzles in a way that feels both challenging and rewarding. Its episodic structure and interactive comic book create a rich story world that players can explore together. Fans of board games that require teamwork and critical thinking will find plenty to enjoy and the nostalgic 1990s setting adds charm and a sense of discovery, especially for those who grew up in that era or enjoy retro themes.

If you enjoy games that tell a story and require teamwork to solve mysteries, The Initiative is worth trying. It invites you to unlock adventure, one chapter at a time, and discover what lies behind The Key. Come by Mind Games Melbourne - 145 Swanston Street, gather your friends, dive into the 1990s, and see if you can help these teens through their journey.