Two Unexpected Indie Hit Video Games Are Getting Board Game Adaptations
Two standout indie gems from recent years are making the leap from screens to tabletop, receiving official physical board game adaptations. Party House, easily one of the crown jewels of the retro-inspired compilation UFO 50, is being transformed into a dedicated deckbuilder, while the brilliantly subversive 2019 puzzler Baba is You is headed toward a competitive board game format.
<p>Within the expansive <em>UFO 50</em> library, <em>Party House</em> remains uniquely engaging. The digital original challenges players to throw legendary bashes and draw in high-rolling VIPs while carefully dodging the watchful eyes of local law enforcement and the fire brigade. Success relies entirely on managing your guest list to maximize profits and popularity without crossing the threshold into total chaos. While guest arrivals are governed by a touch of randomness, downtime between parties lets you reinvest earnings to expand your venue or recruit fresh faces into your rolodex.</p>
<p><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3746047/party-house-the-best-party-game-that-isn-t-a-party" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Party House: The Deckbuilding Game</em></a> introduces a few clever iterations to that foundational loop. The physical adaptation expands support to four players, streamlines cash and popularity into a unified resource, and merges venue capacity with the police bust mechanic into a single metric called "Trouble." If your party accumulates more than seven Trouble, you are forced to cut the festivities short and pivot immediately to the shopping phase.</p>
<div class="display-card video large no-badge">
<div class="w-adsninja-video-player">
<div class="an-ignore">
<div class="adsninja-video-player emaki-video-player emaki-video-player-4b5959975fc7e956" id="emaki-video-player-4b5959975fc7e956">
<script>
window.valstream = window.valstream || {};
window.valstream.queue = window.valstream.queue || [];
window.valstream.queue.push(function(){
const fallbackContent = `<button class="prem-player-close">x</button>`;
const fallbackToNativePlayer = function(){
console.warn('Failed to load AdsNinja video player.');
const container = document.getElementById('emaki-video-player-4b5959975fc7e956');
if(!container){
return;
}
container.innerHTML = fallbackContent;
const videoPlayerContainer = document.getElementById('emaki-video-player-4b5959975fc7e956');
if(videoPlayerContainer){
const videoPlayer = videoPlayerContainer.querySelector('video');
if(typeof Waypoint !== 'undefined' && videoPlayer){
const videoPlayerWaypoint = new Waypoint.Inview({
element: videoPlayerContainer,
enter: function(direction){
if(direction == 'up'){
this.element.classList.remove('video-player-floating');
}
},
entered: function(direction){
if(direction == 'up'){
this.element.classList.remove('video-player-floating');
}
},
exit: function(direction){
if(direction == 'down' && !videoPlayer.paused){
this.element.classList.add('video-player-floating');
}
},
exited: function(direction){
if(direction == 'down' && !videoPlayer.paused){
this.element.classList.add('video-player-floating');
}
},
offset: -50
});
}
const closeButton = videoPlayerContainer.querySelector('button.prem-player-close');
if(closeButton){
closeButton.addEventListener('click', function(){
videoPlayerContainer.classList.remove('video-player-floating');
if(videoPlayer){
videoPlayer.pause();
}
});
}
if(videoPlayer && typeof Waypoint !== 'undefined'){
videoPlayer.addEventListener('fullscreenchange', function(){
Waypoint.refreshAll();
});
}
}
};
if(!window.an || typeof window.an.monetizeVideo !== 'function'){
fallbackToNativePlayer();
}
else{
window.an.monetizeVideo(
'.emaki-video-player-4b5959975fc7e956',
JSON.parse(`{\"name\":\"Instream-InContent\",\"groupName\":\"content\"}`),
JSON.parse(`{\"trackingId\":\"in-content\",\"playlist\":[{\"title\":\"Party House The Deckbuilding Game \\u2014 Teaser Trailer\",\"description\":\"\",\"length\":\"0:46\",\"mimeType\":\"video\\/mp4\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/video.polygonimages.com\\/2026\\/08\\/party-house-the-deckbuilding-game-teaser-trailer-1785687580.mp4\",\"thumbnailLink\":\"https:\\/\\/static0.polygonimages.com\\/wordpress\\/wordpress\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2026\\/08\\/party-house-the-deckbuilding-game.jpg?fit=crop&w=1024&h=576\",\"textTracks\":[{\"kind\":\"subtitles\",\"label\":\"English\",\"language\":\"en\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/video.polygonimages.com\\/2026\\/08\\/party-house-the-deckbuilding-game-teaser-trailer-1785687580-1785687671.vtt\",\"default\":false}]}]}`)
).catch(fallbackToNativePlayer);
}
});
</script>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3746042/baba-is-board-game" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Baba is You: The Board Game</em></a> channels the eccentric, vocabulary-altering logic of the original puzzle masterpiece into a competitive head-to-head experience where players race to link an "Is You" modifier with an "Is Win" condition. Neither of these titles would have seemed like obvious candidates for tabletop translation on paper, yet both translate remarkably well to the physical hobby space.</p>
<p>Jon Perry, the original creative force behind <em>UFO 50</em> and <em>Party House</em>, spearheaded the design for <em>Party House: The Deckbuilding Game</em>. Similarly, <em>Baba is You</em> creator Hempuli Oy lent their expertise to the board game adaptation, collaborating alongside Peter C. Hayward—designer of <em>That Time You Killed Me</em>—and publisher Bitewing Games.</p>
<p>The joint <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitewinggamesnick/baba-is-you-the-board-game" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Kickstarter campaign</a> to bring both <em>Party House: The Deckbuilding Game</em> and <em>Baba is You: The Board Game</em> to life officially launches on September 15.</p>
<aside class="display-card article article-card small no-badge active-content" data-include-community-rating="false" id="what-your-favorite-ufo-50-game-says-about-you" data-nosnippet>
<img width="440" height="248" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="A screenshot of a game in UFO with various human characters shooting at each other, standing in front of a lighthouse and a building" src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ufo50_ss12.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=220&h=124&dpr=2" bad-src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ufo50_ss12.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=220&h=124&dpr=2">
<span data-field="label" class="article-card-label"><label>Related</label></span>
<div class="w-display-card-content regular article-block">
<h5 class="display-card-title">What your favorite UFO 50 game says about you</h5>
<p class="display-card-excerpt">You can learn a surprising amount about someone whose heart belongs to Onion Delivery.</p>
<div class="w-display-card-extra">
<div class="total-info extra-comments">
<label class="total-info-label">Posts</label>
<span class="num">1</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="w-display-card-details">
<div class="w-display-card-meta"></div>
</div>
</div>
</aside>Source: Polygon
Related articles
48 Years Later, Anime’s Most Beautiful Sci-Fi Space Epic is Officially Making a Comeback
Spider-Man Still Can’t Escape the MCU’s Most Divisive Peter Parker Tradition, 9 Years Later
Spider-Man Just Missed Breaking Avengers: Endgame’s All-Time Box Office Record
10 Wild Locations for GTA 6 That Would Have Been Better Than Vice City
Top Steam Multiplayer Games Under $10
God of War TV Series Makes Yet Another Shocking Recasting Decision
The Dark, 41-Year-Old Marvel Comics Easter Egg Hidden in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
10 Best Games Like Baldur’s Gate 3