The spin-off title of the popular Kingdomino tabletop gaming title, Dragomino, has been awarded the coveted Kinderspiel des Jahres 2021, part of the globally revered Spiel des Jahres or Game of the Year awards held in Germany.
Developed by Bruno Cathala, Marie Fort, and Wilfried Fort, Dragomino is published by Pegasus Spiele and Blue Orange and follows the gaming mechanics of Kingdomino, challenging kids to find the most baby dragons in their new roles as dragon trainers.
The title is the first declared recipient of an award in this year’s Spiel des Jahres, securing its Children’s Game of the Year accolade. Dragomino beat competition from the likes of Mia London, Storytailors, Dream Catcher, Hipp Hopp Hippo, Inspector Nose, among others.
“Dragomino is an impressive example of how you can turn a family game into a children’s game. This sister game to Kingdomino brings an interesting fantasy atmosphere to the table. Children will feel confident playing after just one game. The clever balance of luck and tactics means children will always want to dive into the world of the domino dragons,” read a statement from the Spiel des Jahres jury.
Dragomino Kinderspiel des Jahres accolade leads a roll out of announcements that will continue over the coming weeks. Further award winners of the Spiel des Jahres 2021 will be revealed on July 19th.
Among the titles nominated this year is Kosmos Games’ The Adventures of Robin Hood by Michael Menzel, a take on the classic folk tale in which players can move across an open board with no set track.
It is joined by two other shortlisted finalist for the Spiel des Jahres award: MicroMacro Crime City by Johannes Sich, which sees players attempt to uncover the truth about crimes by searching the game’s images for the story, and Zombie Teenz Evolution by Annick Lobet, a follow up title to the wildly popular Zombie Kidz: Evolution.