Spirit Island - Cooperative Strategy Board Game

Spirit Island lives up to its incredibly high hype and I wish I was not so late to the party. Every aspect of this game is incredibly thoughtful (well designed), fun, and offers so much variety. The replay value is insane. Typically, I'm one of those people who believes that a board game should never take more than 1 hour of time otherwise it turns into more of a stressful experience. Spirit Island completely proves me wrong . . . even with the 2+ hour play times (including set up and play through) I can't get enough and never feel board. I also love how all of the game mechanics make sense and feel completely natural to the story of the game itself. Nothing feels like a mechanic that was just added to "fix" some issue. I've also read that the makers of this game go through years of game testing to make sure they get everything right: it really shows. My only word of warning is that this game does take at least one or two play-throughs before you get your bearings and you should sit down with it for the first time on a day when you are not tired from work, but the instruction booklet is very well written and that helps a lot. If you are on the fence after hearing good things about this game, just get it. You won't be disappointed.

I’ve owned Spirit Island for seven years and only recently started playing it with others. Until then, it was my main solo game, usually with three spirits at once. I’ve never won against an adversary or a scenario, but I always enjoy the challenge. Components: Beautiful art, solid pieces, and spirit boards that feel alive. The production quality matches the depth of the game. Set up time: Long, especially with expansions and multiple spirits. It takes a while, but the table presence makes it worth it. Ease of teaching: Not simple, but learnable with patience. My roommates were better at keeping track of everything than I am, though they’re used to long D&D campaigns and complex games. What I find great: It’s endlessly replayable. Every spirit, power card, and combination changes the experience. The strategy runs deep and always feels fresh, even after years. What I like less: Bookkeeping can get heavy, especially when managing multiple spirits solo. I often switch to the Steam version for convenience, but I still prefer the physical game when I have the time. If I were stranded on an island or stuck in a zombie apocalypse, this is the one game I’d pack in my bunker.

This game is not related or connected to Settlers of Catan in any way, but follow along with me for a minute here - the following "story" will give you a good idea of the highly thematic game-play present in this game. Imagine the world/game of Settlers of Catan. A new island is discovered, and invaders from afar flock to the new lush land in search of new homes and resources. Ready to conquer and colonize the new paradise, they begin by creating a few modest towns, and then the race for territory begins. Eventually one particular group of colonists win the race for land, and are crowned the new de-facto rulers of the not-so-newly-discovered island. But something awakens from the land itself. The colonists actions have blighted the land, displaced and taken advantage of the native tribes of the land, and disturbed and upset the spirits that the natives worship. The ancient god-spirits of the island have been angered and they now exert their powers and influence upon the land. Crops wither, volcanoes erupt, the jungle grows rapidly to take back the land claimed for townships and roads. The rains, rivers, and ocean itself seems intent on destroying bridges and boats, flooding crop land, and sometimes raining destruction from above. Raging storms of thunder and lightning, savage wildlife, and the very earth beneath seem intent to drive the invaders out, or kill them. Wicked nightmares plague the settlers, and the natives themselves revolt. Welcome to Spirit Island. The game is, like I said, highly thematic, and a ton of fun to play - with a huge variety of game setups and play choices - no two games are ever the same. You take on the roles of the Spirits of the island, attempting to drive away the colonists through fear and population reduction. The Dahan (the natives) can help, but are mostly powerless until/unless aided by the players/spirits. A fully cooperative game, all players either win together, or lose together. The core game mechanics of the game are "deck-building", "resource management" , and "area control". Although the area-control is done in an interesting manner that is slightly different from most other area-control games; you're actually trying to reduce the invaders area-control, and you do so by using your cards/powers - which are limited to being 'cast' on areas near your 'influence markers'. All in all a very good modification on some popular traditional core mechanics. I really can't say enough good things about this game. There are several different spirits to choose from, and each have unique abilities, making the game quite varied from play to play, and spirits will even change from player to player based on play style of the person. There are several optional (and highly recommended) adversaries to choose from (basically you get to pick who won the island - choosing from historical kingdoms like France, Brittan, and Prussia) that keep the game challenging as you progress in player/group skill. And finally, the expansion, and a few of the promo items available out there are really awesome as well and add a lot to the game - as well as a new expansion slated to show up in 2019 sometime. tl;dr: This is my (and my friends) new favorite game. Hands down.

Incredible game, maybe the best board game ever made. There IS a learning curve but once you stumble through your first couple games and it "clicks" you cannot find a better game, I'm convinced. Works well with solo play, roommates, family, gamer friends, everyone I've taught this game to seems to really love it.

Spirit Island is a great cooperative strategy game. It has excellent gameplay, a strong theme, lots of variety and replayability, and scalable difficulty. In the reverse of most games, you are the island driving off the settlers. As the awakening spirits of the island, you protect your natives while afflicting the invaders with fire and flood. The spirits vary in their style and complexity, from the simple and defensive Vital Strength of the Earth, to A Rampant Spread of Green that bolsters its ally spirits, to the Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares who seeks to literally scare the invaders back to Europe. Make the game as simple, complex, or difficult as you like in your choice of spirits and opponents. Each adversary has seven levels of difficulty, so you can pick what kind of challenge you want and how much. The gameplay has many simple pieces that are collectively complex. The rules at each point are straightforward, but new players can get lost in the number of steps and options, each happening at multiple points on the island. The game eases you into this by letting you add complexity in layers, so your first game will have maybe half the complexity of a full-on game. Still, this is not a casual game. If you like strategic play and planning ahead, this will be a great experience. The game has a high skill ceiling that rewards planning and cooperation. Gather your friends and save Spirit Island! (Or you can play alone. It works great as a solo game, too.)

• We just finished our first play-through of this game. It’s 11:19 PM and we began at 6pm. Cracking open the box and watching videos on set-up, play through, reading the instructions (WITH AN INDEX) took about 1.5 hours of that time. (As a couple we seek almost ALL 2 player games - we have a board game room dedicated, so we are avid players. Our favorite right now is Viticulture/ and we do use the Tuscany (Complexity 3.32) addition sometimes in that game. This game, unlike that, is cooperative which is what attracted us to this one. We had read just about every review we could on this and it was mixed- like anything polled by the public it will be smash-up of reviews and opinions, so we just went for it and bought the game. This was a kickstarter and we support that site / and cause, you give money to the smaller companies to support them, so that too was a deciding factor for us. Somehow we won our first game and there are special rules for first play through so I think we got a boost from those. We had to take breaks here and there and we pretty much thought we were getting smashed and would lose the whole time we played UNTIL- we began causing fear and the terror level rose for the invaders (you’ll understand if you buy the game) Meaning : The game isn’t OP and beginners can win- it is balanced and very interactive between game players (again we only play 2). HOWEVER (again) It is NOT a walk in the park - rather a jog through a rain storm and should come with a blanket and pillow due to needed a mental nap after playing. (To be fair it was our first time) It is complex but not complicated - strategy is required for both current play and future play- So thinking, overthinking, projection and guessing are all required. It rates a 3.97 as complexity and Idk about that rating but I’d say I doubt I’d be very interested in many over 4 if that is accurate. Together we played season one legacy Pandemic (Complexity 2.83) and had a blast, we have played Bioshock - Siege of Columbia (Complexity 2.9) and this is the most complex we have played until this. We will play again and it seems enjoyable- maybe ask me again after my mental nap. I’d say take an afternoon / and play , make sure you have the time to afford the game out of respect and learn it properly before placing it on your game shelf or repurposing it. Other info : The game is built well- nice art- nice pieces and plenty of little bags to hold all the things trying to invade your spirit land ! The shipping seems to be an issue with everyone ( damage) we too had a semi-warped board and a crunched insert - Also you can flip the board over - for playing campaign mode. More defined and meant for more experienced players. More lands, more staring invaders etc.... Can be played solo vs islanders (Good luck with that one) Make sure your mind is well rested ! Enjoy gamers !! GAME ON and GOOD LUCK !

Spirit Island is one of those board games that will never leave the table once you get a consistent group going. It is a co-op game in which players each assume the role of a nature spirit defending an island against an invading force (which can either be nameless or customized to represent various historical empires). Every game follows a similar pattern of feeling hopelessly outmatched at the beginning, slowly growing in power, and finally turning the tide, and that power fantasy feels great every time. You will not win every game of Spirit Island, but you will always have edge-of-your-seat fun. And since the game is co-op, you can share that thrill with your friends. Though many factors help the game's replayability, including randomized board layouts, invasion patterns, and card draws, what I love most about the game is the selection of spirits to play as. The base game comes with 8, and it can be expanded even further with the two expansions. Each spirit has a completely different playstyle, especially when working in tandem with different teammates. As a result, spirit island will feel very different every time you play it. But if that variety still isn't enough customization for you, you can also play against different enemies or even custom scenarios included in the game that modify the rules. The only major downside to spirit island is the complexity of the rules, which makes it quite heavy for anyone unaccustomed to the "crunch" of heavy board games. I would not recommend it as your first game, or for someone looking for quick, light fun. But for anyone who loves strategy, customization, and amazing game design, spirit island is an unparalleled experience.

Spirit Island has several things in common with other cooperative games with role-specializations. What sets it above and apart for me is the way in which you manage your own player board to increase the power and presence of your spirit. As the game progresses, managing the island becomes more challenging, but your spirits become more effective at handling whatever the settlers throw at you. Each spirit has its own special ability and innate power, in addition to a hand of cards that provide other powers. This will feel familiar if you've played Sentinels of the Multiverse. A key difference is that the heroes of Sentinels draw powers from a personal deck containing multiple copies of several cards. In Spirit Island, every card is unique, and new ones come from decks shared among all players. Cards also provide elements that might activate innate powers in addition to the effect of the card itself. Spirit Island uses a rondel mechanic similar to Concordia or Century: Spice Road, in which played cards are discarded from your hand, but all cards can be retrieved anytime the player chooses (in lieu of other options). Some spirits play best by putting out many cards at once with low energy costs that consistently activate their innate powers. Other spirits take advantage of their boundless energy by quickly cycling through a smaller hand of devastating power cards. Even though the game is fully cooperative, I never get the feeling that the spirits are supposed to like each other. They exist only to protect the island, and will work together toward that end, but managing your own player board and building a unique personal hand of cards creates a sort of thematic aloofness befitting a game about ancient spirits. There's no social deduction or secret individual objectives. Just destroy the cities and help the native inhabitants preserve the status quo of their island. It's complex, challenging, lengthy, and brilliant.

Original and in proper condition.

A (longish) TL;DR: This game is very good. People who are experienced with board games can pick this game up and play fluidly in just a few turns, but it can initially be overwhelming for casual players. The game is quite difficult, especially at first, but everything is tied together very well thematically and is very much less luck based than most cooperative board games; therefore, the (base) game is easier to play and win the more you play, but there are several ways to increase the difficulty once it feels too easy. Everyone playing feels important and all choices matter. Replay value is very high, and nobody I've played it with has had anything negative to say about it. Pros: + Thematically Consistent + Truly 1-4 players (even single player is fun and challenging) + Various difficulty levels and options for gameplay variation offer high replay value + High-Quality pieces with great art + Very hard to take control of other players - everyone feels important and their choices matter POSSIBLE Cons: - Overwhelming at first (many different pieces and gameplay elements) - Can be difficult to teach because of the above point - Seemingly few 'scenarios' and 'adversaries' (but ultimately enough once you understand how they work) - Generally very challenging for new players even with the most simple set-up Neutral Points: ~ Long play time for casual players (30-40 minutes for single player, 60+ minutes with 2 players, and easily 90-120+ minutes with 3 or 4 players, especially if playing with new players) ~ In-box dividers/piece holders are flimsy and bulky, but box includes many resealable plastic bags for pieces ~ Random elements are a small part of the game, but are very predictable, fit with the theme, and don't feel 'luck-based' ~ NOT kid friendly. Don't be fooled by the colourful art - This game is challenging and complex for many adults, and I wouldn't even want to try playing it with anyone younger than a board game savvy 13 year old (I'm thinking of my younger siblings and cousins around that age as examples: some are definitely able to play and some I wouldn't let touch the box) Things to keep in mind when first playing the game: * If you can, learn the game with 2 players first, with the rule book and online FAQ open - learning with a single player will likely result in a quick and brutal loss that won't teach you enough, and learning with more than 2 players will likely result in a jumbled mess which will take far too long. Playing with several people is much easier when at least one person already knows how to play. * USE THE 'EASY' CHARACTERS - Seriously, their rules and powers are much easier to manage, and you can eliminate the deck building portion of the game as you learn the more integral elements * Don't be discouraged by the difficulty of the game. This game is hard to beat at first. Once you learn some strategy through trial and error, victory is much easier (which is why scenarios, adversaries, and blighted island cards are in the game, all of which increase the difficulty and/or complexity)

Jogo veio em perfeito estado. É um jogo muito complexo, com uma dificuldade bem alta. Ele é coop, o que pode ser frustrante quando é tão difícil de ganhar.

Everything nice

Se lo he regalado a mi novio que es un fanático de los juegos de mesa. Lo único malo (aunque eso no es problema del producto) es que está en inglés. Pero el juego es genial