The History & Resurrection of the Fireball Island Board Game
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- Опубліковано 5 кві 2023
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Join us on a thrilling adventure as we explore the story behind Fireball Island, the classic board game that captured the hearts of gamers everywhere in the 1980s. From its rise to popularity to its eventual decline, we'll dive into the nostalgia and examine the game's unique mechanics that made it such a beloved addition to family game nights.
But the story of Fireball Island doesn't end there. With the help of a successful Kickstarter campaign, the game has risen from the ashes and been restored to its former glory thanks to Restoration Games. We'll take a look at how the game's mechanics and gameplay experience have been updated for a new generation.
We'll also explore the legacy of Fireball Island and how it has influenced the gaming industry over the years. From classic games to modern tabletop adventures, the impact of Fireball Island can still be felt today.
So join us on this journey through the rise and fall and rise again of Fireball Island, as we celebrate the enduring legacy of one of the most iconic games in pop culture history.
SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firebal...
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1...
mojo-nation.com/chuck-kennedy...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_...
www.oakpark.com/2011/12/06/ho...
/ fireballisland
mojo-nation.com/restoration-g...
restorationgames.com/fireball...
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Thanks for doing this video. FI was a real labor of love for us. Glad so many folks have enjoyed it.
I love the new version! Gave it out as gifts for Christmas last year. I heard there is expansions?
I loved this game as a kid.
I wish the new version of the game was still available to purchase from Restoration Games, but sadly it appears it is no longer in print.
Just came here to say one thing….FIREBALL!
I have it and all the expansions! My family of all ages love it! My avatar is from Batman Gotham City Chronicles so I hope you take that feedback seriously. I love games that draw their players in and Firebl Island is a riot.
Some friends and I busted this out last year and played "Fireball-Fireball Island". Everytime your character got knocked over in any way, you had to do a shot of fireball
I have this game! Every time we roll a 4 on the die to go cave-hopping, you are required to say: "I'm dogmeat!" Just like the commercial for Fireball Island.
I will never forget the pure joy I felt getting this game on Christmas morning 1986. Such a classic board game. Great Video Dan & Greg.
They don't make games like that anymore. So many unique and creative ones.
I worked with Chuck Kennedy at a toy company. He was one of the nicest, most talented and humble people I’ve ever met.
I immediately recognized that gem stone for this game as it was originally something else. Back in the 1978, there was a board game from Milton Bradley, called "Laser Attack". The game featured a black space station in the middle of the board that looked kind of like a Death Star. It had windows all around it and there was a light inside. You would spin the knob on the top like a spinner, and the light would always shine out one of the windows. The players controlled these clear, plastic, space ships. I remember that you had to move around the game board and pick up these crystal bombs that were floating out in space and you would stack them on your space ship. Each turn, you would spin the knob on the space station, and if the light was shining on your ship, it lit up, and I recall that you had to drop all the space bombs and go back to your start. You had to get all the crystals and move your ship up to the space station, and stick your crystal bombs in all the windows. When you spun the light in the space station, if the light ended up pointing out a window with one your those crystal bombs in it, you would win the game. The crystal in Fireball Island was those crystal bombs that were used in Laser Attack. They also used those game pieces as jems in the Milton Bradley card came called "Dragonmaster", released in 1981. I actually owned both games. That game piece kept showing up in so many games that they made.
The artwork for Fireball Island was fantastic. I will never forget the picture that displayed the look of pure terror on the explorer's face when the fireball was chasing him.
Don't forget the tiny tiny boat art.
Yeah, the new version isn't much of a replacement because they changed the art and the new stuff just isn't as good. It's too cartoony and misses out on the classic adventure feel.
There's a certain charm to the artwork in that game that you can't recapture the feeling of.
And the intensity of that hand, absolutely GRIPPING the talisman.
The pathways on the original board were pretty perfect for my micro machines. Loved it.
Oh man, you should have tried another Milton Bradley game, Crash Canyon!
As a kid I found this game at a thrift store for dirt cheap, with everything still included. It didn't dawn on me until much later just what an amazing find that was
I would like to see a look back at the horror board, SHRIEKS AND CREAKS. It involves a tombstone connected to a stereo
We had a similar game, but it was a skull and you Pressed one of three switches with a crucifix.
Is it where there were like Pantheon of creatures. As you moved through a haunted house?
Speaking of familiar names, the board game Dark Tower has seen a similar refresh to Fireball Island. Even more interesting is that while Fireball was split up into tiers, thus making a slightly larger game board, it was the tower itself that changed for that game due to newer tech available. Both were brought to life again by Restoration.
I was going to suggest doing this one next - interesting story with a game pitch, lawsuit, and new life years later.
I have a Dark Tower app on my phone. I haven't played it yet but I look forward to trying it out. I've always loved adventure games. I'm fascinated with living out my fantasies about doing epic adventuring crap in a fantasy magic world
Now we’re talking. One of the greatest games/toys of all time. So glad to see this episode.
The history of Milton Bradley sounds surprisingly interesting. Any chance of doing a video specifically about them?
I was just talking with my Sister about this game the other day, we often bring it up from time to time because it was our favorite board game out of a vast collection from our childhood. It's one of the few games where we ziplocked all the pieces up, never losing anything.. must be because we cherished this game and thought it was extremely special, which it definitely is!
This and HeroQuest were my white whales of board gaming as a kid. Thanks for another great trip down memory lane.
💯
I have never been able to play HeroQuest with someone else, but I do have an old Amiga version I play solo. It's fun. I like HQ a lot. It's just a fun game
I've pieced together a coherent set over the years of the original, and even picked up a secondhand copy so I've got sort of a giga set now. I also kickstarted the recent rerelease. As an old D&D player HeroQuest has been fantastic, especially with a now ten year old in the house.
Fireball Island's the one I always wanted to play and just never found a complete copy or people to play.
Oh yeah? Does your kid play? Do they enjoy it? That's pretty sweet that you assembled a giga set. Did it take long to get it all together?
@@hezekiahramirez6965
When my son was in Pre K his teacher told me he was having trouble concentrating when they were going over numbers. So, I pulled out the old Dungeon board game, it came out in the mid 70s and was/is related to Dungeons and Dragons, but it's just a board game. Fun and simple.
He was enthralled and perfectly behaved for an hour while we played.
So, I introduced him to Dungeons and Dragons proper, when he turned 6 I ran him through the first adventure I played through, the Village of Hommlet.
I had shelved a lot of my games when my wife got pregnant, there were more important things to worry about. But now that he's older we've been going through them here and there. Super Dungeon Explore, Hero Quest, Space Hulk, Dungeons & Dragons, etc.
My wife's a teacher, so I run games for the local high school kids sometimes and I'm working on a campaign with the town librarians + friends and family.
As far as the Giga Set. I first picked up a rather forlorn copy at a yard sale in the mid 90s. It was only missing the dice, but it was clear it had been loved and forgotten. Over the years, I picked up any cheap remnants I found here and there. Including a box of D&D books that had the dungeon tiles/boards for HeroQuest inside for $20. I don't go out of my way to pick them up, but when I see them I get them. I've given away a couple of sets but my "stock" remains pretty solid.
Got to play the prototype when restoration games was promoting the kickstarter, backed it instantly we love this game
We had fireball Island back in the day. It was a massive box, but the game was so much fun. Eventually, we got bored with the base game play and came up with our own cards and "expansions" that we made with Legos and construction paper. I don't know what happened to it. Recently, I was able to play the Kickstarter version at a friend's house. It felt like a completely new experience. The more fleshed out cards and different modes really impressed me.
Very happy to see you spotlighting board games - especially Restoration Games. Thank you!
I owned the original as a kid, and now I own the new version. Great game.
Dang, I totally forgot about this game. I have barely started the video, but here's an updoot right away for bringing back the great memories!
A board game I always wanted as a kid because of those epic commercials
😂😂😂😂
The board game is dope af in its own right, but man, I can still vividly remember that commercial.
The TV commercial for this game was so epic that 10-year-old me fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I got it for my birthday and I remember being pretty underwhelmed by it and only played it a couple of times. I ended up selling it at a garage sale a few years later for like $5. I kind of wish I still had it I have a feeling that adult me would appreciate it a lot more now than I did as a kid.
I have never even heard of this board game at all. The name Fireball Island sounds like a 60s action movie where the hero is on an apocalyptic island where everything is on fire.
The trees? On fire.
The grass? On fire.
The rocks? On fire.
Restoration Games' version is wonderful. Just played it with family and friends not long ago!
Loved this game as a kid. I wish I still had it, but it belonged to my brother and he isn't terribly nostalgic about holding onto stuff like that, pretty sure our mom gave it away. Meanwhile I still have most of my board games that weren't destroyed by mildew in the basement.
Oh, I loved this game as a kid. My friend had it and I always wanted to play it when I went over. Though most people don't even remember it's existence when I mention it.
So glad that this got another shot recently! Probably my favorite game from back then. I don't think I ever knew/met anyone else that had it either.
I always loved fireball Island and was ecstatic when the new version came out as well. I still own both versions. When I saw this channel that I've been following for a while did a video on it I legit squealed with glee.
I don't remember the original game, but I played the recent version with my friend and his two young sons nearly two years ago. We had a blast! Thank you, Restoration Games, for bringing this one back to life!
Had the original as a kid. Loved it.
Got the remake now, and it's awesome.
I had That One Friend That Has Every Toy, and he had this game. Even at that age I felt like it was a little too simple rules-wise, but it was dope just for its presence on the table and getting to roll the marble down the hill to fling your buddy's explorer off the bridge.
Loved hearing the history of this game from my childhood. Playing as a kid was amazing and I was so excited to back the new version by Restoration Games.
Awesome video!!! Loveee playing Fireball Island thanks to a friend who introduced it to me a few years ago and it has easily become one of my favorite games since then. Really enjoyed this breakdown of the history of the game 🥰
I managed to "rescue/borrow" my FI from my parents house days before most of my childhood toys were all destroyed in a fire. It's officially an heirloom now.
I was lucky enough to have FireBall Island as a kid and it got a lot of use. Whenever the extended family got together the kids would play. We were competitive and it was always great fun. It remains in my collection to this day and sooner or later will get a BattleReport over on my channel.
I had fireball island as a kiddo in the early 90s. It really was the most amazing board game for a kid.
I had never heard of this game until I saw this video, and I feel like I missed out on something incredibly cool as a kid. What an excellent idea for a board game, I'm really glad it didn't just fade away like so many others did.
My cousin had this game. It was super fun, yeah. Worth playing today, I think
Check out Board James episode on this AVGN
Never heard of it either. Glad to know I am not alone.
I literally remember the commercials for this and I remember maybe seeing them in the stores at the time too.
But I never actually played it, and never knew anything about the restoration games version. Truly fascinating.
One of my absolute favorites as a kid. My parents bought it for me at kings castle land toy store. It was the greatest boardgame ever to a 8 year old.
Thanks for unlocking yet another childhood memory for me Dan!
Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers made our weekends so much fun in the 80's. Tables full of family or friends rolling dice, joking and munching. No phones, no social media, no cares in the world. What a great era to be alive.
One of the best Christmas presents I ever got! From the moment those commercials aired I had to have it. I think it was the only thing I put on my Christmas list at age 7 or 8. And you’re absolutely right that it doubled as a toy. When my younger sisters didn’t want to play and no friends were around I was content just moving the pieces around and fireballing them to my hearts content. Such an epic game and life experience. Haha. And that is no exaggeration!
Great video, brought back fun memories of this and Crossbows & Catapults.
Got this for Christmas when it came out. It was the only board game that also worked as an action figure landscape!
I got this for Christmas in the late '80s and man what a gift. My favorite board game I've ever played.
You are KILLING IT on these videos!
Awesome video- please do Dark Tower!!!! I was OBSESSED with that game as a kid, and still remember it fondly. Thank you all so much for making these amazing videos.
Nice video! Fascinating stuff as always.
I used to drive micro machines on the fireball island board. It was definitely a toy cross over for me.
I love how deep cut these videos are getting!
My brother, sister and I had the original Fireball Island back in the 80s, and of course, besides playing the game as intended, we would also use the island 3-D board for other playing purposes.
A little fun fact: in the 1988, Tom Hanks film, "Big," during the time when Hank's character "Josh" is a "grown-up," the box for "Fireball Island" can be seen on a shelf in the larger, second apartment that Josh rents.
I had this game and LOVED IT. So amazing.
Got the game for my birthday in the 80's and I still have it today, in box, all accessories there. A few years ago I brought it to a game night because it had such a mythic aura around it that they were chomping at the chance to play.
As a kid the marketing worked. I saw the commercials and asked for it.
Man, I loved those vacuform games as a kid. I got Fireball Island after playing it at my cousin's house. Later, my parents got me Crash Canyon, which featured a vacuform game board, but in this one you were the fireball. Well, not exactly. In that one, you were a car driving around a track that was often sloped. Once you reached your final space, you had to let your car go, which meant you might roll forward, backward, or even off the track. Also had Tornado Rex, which was awesome.
I love any game that includes the theme of a quest of some sort. Sounds really wild and dramatic! I like the spooky mountain design, very dark and mysterious! I will certainly look this game up in the future.
What is it with red plastic marbles knocking over tiny plastic men that makes kids so BLOODTHIRSTY and HAPPY at the same damn time?!
It was this game, and Weapons & Warriors, and by God, Im glad I got a chance to play both of these as a kid. I consider myself lucky. :)
Thanks as always for coming out with these incredible nostalgic videos you guys!
I had this game as a kid. My older brother and I played it all the time. One of my favorite games
I have my original Fireball Island from when I was a kid. It is still complete in the box. I have fond memories playing it with my friends back in the day.
Oh man, I loved this game as a kid!
My older brother had the original Fireball Island. We haven't played it in years, but we still have it and love it.
I didn't have friends to play this game, so it frequently was terrain for Transformers and Sektaurs and various dinosaurs. This is absolutely one of my favorite toys of the 80s.
My father picked up the board at a garage sale in the ‘90s, but we never had any of the other pieces or knew how to play. Pretty sure we used it as a base for Lego figure adventures. Then a few years back I got to play the recreation at a board game cafe and had a great time!
I had an original! One of my favorite childhood "board" games.
I got this for Christmas when I was 9 and I was the coolest kid in the 3rd grade.
Now do videos for Dark Tower, HeroQuest, HeroScape, Forbidden Bridge and Key to the Kingdom.
I remember the commercials when I was a kid, but never played it. I have The Curse of Vul-Kar now because I'm a sophisticated adult.
It's a little more niche, but if you're doing board games I used to play a game called Star Fleet Battles. It's still out there, but it's not nearly the same level of glory that it was back in the day. I've always wanted to have a comprehensive history of the game, even though I don't play any more.
I had a friend who had the game, we played it together. I was always enchanted by the physicality of the board, it felt almost like a turn-based variation on Donkey Kong: ascend, dodge the projectiles thrown from the top, get to the objective.
I was obsessed with this game as a kid. A year or so ago, I found a kick starter to remake the game, and got myself a brand new copy from them.
Never heard of that until now. Fascinating info secret galaxy
Fun video! Thank you! I wanted very few board games as a kid. This one, Torpedo Run, and Crossfire, mainly. Never got any of 'em.
OMG this video is amazing. I got Fireball Island for my 10th birthday in 1986. It was the coolest thing ever. Until no one ever played it with me. This game board was about the coolest thing I had ever seen when I was 10 LOL
Now that you did this video. Are you going to do a video on "Tornado Rex?" I would absolutely love to see that. It was and remains my favorite board game of all time.
Fun fact: the Colombo Detective game couldn’t get the likeness rights to Peter Falk, so all the art of Colombo, including the cover, depicts the detective looking away from the viewer.
I had this when I was a kid. Loved it.
One Christmas I was gifted a magic set. You know, one of those “150 illusions” in a box? Bottom line, I wasn’t a fan, so I returned it to Toys R Us, then I looked around to see what else I could buy with my newly acquired cash.
A box in the game aisle caught my eye: “Fireball Island”. I bought it, I loved it, and I protected it through the many moves my military family undertook.
My copy of the game survived for decades until a family member tripped and fell onto the game board. I went ahead and bought a pirate-copy of the game board so I could continue to play it to this day.
A+ video!
What a crazy cool game, I want it!
I loved this game as I kid. Such great memories playing this when my friends came over. This was the main event of many a sleepovers! This and Hero Quest!
Broadsword!!🗡
Loved playing this game.
OMG I forgot about that game! Thanks for the nostalgia 😮
Aww, no mention of Crash Canyon. Still, Fireball Island is a timeless classic.
I LOVED playing this!!!!
Bought the original for $20 in ‘86 and still have it. Still fun as an adult and always a hit at game night. Sponsored the new kickstarter on principal alone though I’ve only played the new version once or twice because everyone wants to play the OG. We really need a straight reissue.
Forever remember one visit to my grandparents. They said to my brother and I to chose one thing each (anything) in Toys R US. I chose Torpedo Run (pleasing gramps who was a WW2 Navy Vet). My brother chose Fireball Island.
My buddy had FB Island back in the 80s. Every time we pulled out that giant box it blew my mind.
Every time i think you must be running out of ideas that delight me you go and do something like this episode. 10/5 stars
100% forgot about this game until viewing this video. now the memory is coming back to me.
I got the original for Christmas in 1987, and I definitely used the board as a staging ground for action figure roleplay as often as I played the game itself. (If you flipped the board over, it was a very cool wintery hellscape). I also stored the gem in the chest cavity of my Sixshot toy.
I recieved Fireball Island for Christmas '88. I still have it today!
I did indeed have this in the 80s and I LOVED it!! Some day I shall have it again.
Still got mine from childhood. So cool. 🔥🔥🔥
Fireball island was my favorite board game of the 1980s. As well Hero Quest. I got mine at the going out of business gold circle department store Mayfield Hts Ohio. It was the last one they had, day before they had 6 left to one left.
My parents bought me this for Christmas from Fedco back in 86. My kid brain was too dumb to understand the rules and had never actually bothered to learn to play the game. However I loved the sheer novelty of having a "3D" board to play on, and mostly served as a play area for my cousin's GI JOE figures to set up base before launching an attack against "He-Man's base" which was really just the He-Man Fright Zone playset with the plastic snake puppet.
Man that snake puppet could sure eat alot of Joes.
Fireball Island is my all time favourite board game. Just an amazing game.
10:03 - "We'll see who brings in more _honey!"_
-- "He's still thinking about bees..."
Oh man it sounded familiar to me right when I saw the board I felt like a kid again. This why I love you guys❤
I had this! No one would play it with me.
Great Stuff, as always!
This looks like an awesome game! Never heard of it before.
Beautiful. I'd love to have this -- or as you said (kind of), just a board, on which to play other games or cutom rules. Thank you always!