Is Zatu Games Zed's Subscription Box still available?

No. Zed's Subscription Box has since stopped running. This review of the December 2020 box is kept as an archive of what the board game subscription was like.

What was inside the December 2020 Zed's Subscription Box?

The December 2020 box contained the board games ShipShape and Jetpack Joyride, the Cracker Games Imp Box holding six small Christmas family games from The Dark Imp, and microwave popcorn branded by Big Potato Games.

What did Zed's Subscription Box cost?

It retailed at £51.99 GBP ($65 USD) on a month-by-month basis, including shipping within the UK. Zatu also offered a more expensive New Releases box for subscribers wanting newer titles.

What was the best item in the December 2020 Zed's Subscription Box?

ShipShape stood out: a short, light 2019 bidding game designed by Rob Daviau with high production values, rated 6.9 on BoardGameGeek and said to work well with three players. The reviewer valued it at $27 USD.

Was the December 2020 Zed's Subscription Box worth it?

The reviewer valued the contents at $72 USD, just over the £51.99 GBP cost, but only because of the relatively expensive Cracker Games. It was seen as a good way to try different games rather than clear value against buying games directly.

Zatu Games Zed’s Subscription Box Review – December 2020

Zatu Games Zed's Subscription Box has since stopped running. This review is kept as a record of what the box was like; every edition we opened is on the Zatu Games Zed's Subscription Box page.

Zed’s Subscription Box is a monthly board game subscription box released by UK firm Zatu Games.

It retails for £51.99 GBP ($65 USD) on a month-by-month basis. That price includes shipping within the UK.

Zatu also offer a New Releases box, but that one is more expensive. This one is billed as containing some of the best games around, along with surprises.

The December 2020 box is the first one of this type I’ve ordered. It was shipped in late November to arrive right at the beginning of the month. There’s no information card provided. The items arrive in a standard cardboard box, with Zatu on the side and Zatu tape used to seal the box.

Box Contents

ShipShape Board Game

ShipShape is a 2019 game, designed by Rob Daviau and published by Calliope Games.

It is a short game (30 minutes), light in complexity and using a bidding system. The game has high production values and is rated 6.9 out 10 on BoardGameGeek.

This looks fun and I’m told it works well with three players, which not that many games do.

You can see ShipShape on Amazon.com. Based on that and the direct selling price on Zatu, I’ll value this at $27 USD.

Jetpack Joyride Board Game

This is a 20 minute game, suitable for both adults and children and based on a puzzle game originally released for mobile phones. It looks like the board game version was originally developed as a Kickstarter release in 2019. This is published by Lucky Duck Games.

The game involves fitting shapes in a grid and making paths, different to many other games. It comes in a small box.

The BoardGameGeek rating for this one is 6.8 out of 10. It looks more suited for a younger audience with limited replayability.

Here is where you can check out Jetpack Joyride on Amazon.com. The value for this one is $20 USD.

Cracker Games – The Imp Box

This is more interesting and the type of product I’d probably have glossed over had it not been in a mystery box.

It’s a product from The Dark Imp firm, with six small games inside reusable Christmas cracker style packaging. The games are all simple and use the same pieces, but are designed to be played by families at Christmas.

Very fitting for the season and this could be fun.

I can’t see this discounted anywhere. I’ll value it at a healthy $25 USD.

Microwave Popcorn

This popcorn is branded by Big Potato Games. I’d have thought crisps (aka potato chips for North American readers) would have been more apt, but this is different. Nice packaging.

I don’t think I can assign a value here, but a little treat in a mystery box never goes amiss.

Box Review

This one is hard to review objectively. This is a good way to try out different games, but I’m really not convinced the value is there compared with just choosing games for yourself.

On the positive side, I get $72 USD of value, which just goes over the cost price. But that is really solely due to the Cracker Games, which are relatively expensive for what they are.

I do look forward to playing ShipShape. That looks fun and I like the fact the box has lighter games in it. But don’t expect to get new releases or award winners (there is a more expensive box type on offer for those).

There aren’t really many options for board game subscription boxes. I don’t see myself as a regular subscriber, but I may well try this again.

Box update

Zatu Games Zed's Subscription Box has since stopped running, so the subscription link that originally sat here has been retired. You can still browse every Zatu Games Zed's Subscription Box review on this site.