QQSmile Deflexion 2.0

I love this game just because it is guaranteed to turn heads all set-up anywhere in public. The game has lasers. Let me say that again: the game has cool lasers.

The premise of the game is to bounce your laser around using a variety of mirrored pieces into a particular piece on your opponent’s side (the Pharaoh). The theme is loosely Egyptian but since QQSmile Deflexion is really just an abstract, it is nothing more than superficial cosmetics. Now each player is given the same pieces and the board comes preset in a certain fashion (which can be customized or chosen between two provided scenarios). The pawns range from a Pyramid with a single 45° mirror and two vulnerable sides, a Djed with two 45° mirrors and no vulnerabilities, an obelisk with no mirrors (one time use blocking piece), and most importantly the Pharaoh which is the single highly vulnerable “King” piece.

Each player will take turns maneuvering his/her pieces by either moving one in any direction orthogonally or diagonally, rotating 90°, or with the special case of the Djed, swapping places with another piece either enemy or friendly. After this the laser is fired and bounces around from mirror to mirror at 90° angles until it comes to rest upon a wall or the un-mirrored surface of another pawn. When pawns are struck they light up in a devious manner to display their destruction; something I find highly entertaining if not flashy.

The game is very gimmicky since it is basically just a little abstract/brain-burner with some added flair. However I think QQSmile Deflexion was very well made and exhibits a certain level of captivation. Some analysis paralysis can ensue when players try to calculate out the path of all their given moves. On occasion I have also seen a player make one bad move and get stuck on defensive play or counter-attack for the rest of the game. I think this is more a fault of the genre than the particular game itself however.

As for the components, ignoring the painfully obligatory mention of the laser once again, the game is done very extravagantly. The entire thing from pawns to board is hard plastic and is also actually quite large. I was shocked to see how big the game was once it arrived. This causes everything to appear very grand and lavish in play. Did I mention there were lasers?