The board game media is very full of reviewers. Most times I check out a new channel, they don’t do things well enough to compete with the channels I like. BUT! Your channel is different. Clearly the product good editing, I love the way that you animate the game pieces to underscore your point. Your style of editing is not something I’ve seen in board gaming. But these aesthetic decisions are also far from shallow. Because everyone is talking about the new hotness, it can be hard to add anything meaningful to the conversation. Your video is the best video I’ve seen on harmonies. Love the overarching structure and also felt every point you made was well considered. Happily subscribing!
Nice comparison/contrast of these three games. I am a long-time fan of Cascadia and been thoroughly enjoying exploring Landmarks. As a solo player a huge bonus are the brilliant scenarios and offer an escalating challenge.
I like Cascadia the most. I agree with you it is the most satisfying. Also, I could not quite put my finger on why Harmonies didn't jibe with me. Now, I understand why. There were just too many frustrating moments with no mitigation, like you explained.
Funny you say that I just broke the rating down to categories and harmonies just beat out cascadia. On paper it feels like it should be just as good or better but it’s just a feeling. I am actually editing a bit of a comparison right now to Life of Amazonia which was recommended in the comments somewhere in this video. It is definitely a next level above the two from a complexity standpoint. Spoiler alert I do recommend it if you like either cascadia or harmonies
Cascadia has quickly moved into my entry level game to pull out in a group. My wife is a big fan, and she doesnt like to learn new games, she picked it up really fast. Nice take on the comparison of these 3 games.
I got Calico first and thought it was ok. I haven't played it again since getting Cascadia. I haven't culled Calico but I may as well. Harmonies looked really cool when you first introduced it. However, if it's even more restrictive than Calico, it's probably not for me. I still think I'd like to try it but won't rush out to buy it. Thanks for the comparison video!
Excellent and well-considered opinions. Thanks, I’ve never played any of the trio; kinda weird Cascadia and I haven’t crossed paths yet, but now that I know she’s spoken for it makes more sense! The Marry/Kiss/Kill decision space for this context is hilarious and I hope it makes a reappearance!
Harmonies is the only game for us as a couple that we kept playing and couldn't stop like a PC game. It was so much fun! Probably we are quite picky about board games because over the years we tried 20-30 board games and none of them gave us this kind of experience. We always bought new games, tried few times, then never opened them again sadly. I think the main reason was that we didn't really want to compete against each other much but want to have fun together while co-op board games are extremely boring for us at the same time. Harmonies fill that niche for us that we don't necessarily feel like competing against each other but rather trying to beat your own previous records. Every game play feels different and creative with different set of cards to play with. Another thing we love the most is that it is not flat cards and board but towers of blocks and cubes that entertain your eyes visually just much more satisfying and fun.
Glad you found a game to love with your partner. If you don’t like compete might I suggest co op games. The best of which that I recently have played is daybreak. I have a video up for that one.
I started playing it more since coming to BGA and I can get over the game ending early. It is really frustrating working on your masterpiece and it abruptly ending because someone is not building up at all. I would love an expansion with bigger and more varied maps. Reguardless it is a solid game.
Great video. I wish prices in Brazil were as good as they are in US. And among the 3 the first one will be Harmonies. The fever of new releases got me 😅
I hear you FOMO is real, its also a new and unique puzzle so if there other are boring or of no interest then by all means harmonies is the pick, thanks for the kind words...
ahh tiny towns that is one with a thick layer of dust in my collection, always thought it needed more but never motivated enough to go get the expansions
Great coverage on Harmonies! Looks like a neat game but I just sold Calico & Cascadia so I’ve come to learn that pattern building games aren’t my favorite style!
It’s funny now that it is on BGA people all of a sudden are pointing the mistake out :) I noticed that as well. Not sure what alt terrain you are referring to?
@@Neon_Gorilla Not sure why it's funny. Alternative field with more spaces for tokens and different river's scoring. I think it also adds some points to variability.
Yeah I misspoke but doesn’t change the main critique which is the game end trigger. Still a great game I enjoy and now that it’s on BGA the flaw is even more apparent. In general game end triggers related to anything but skill is poor design imo.
I'm very happy with Cascadia in my collection. It's the only of these 3 I've played, and I'm not looking to get either of the other two. If I were to get a second one, though, I'd go with Calico for sure. Not sure why, but Harmonies does not look or seem interesting to me at all. Also, I loved this format of taking similar games and comparing their merits against each other. If you go deep enough and specific enough in the comparisons (which I absolutely think you did here!), it turns out much more compelling and useful than a straight-up review.
thanks Fabio, I think comparison makes for more compelling and interesting assessment of a game. Most of these games in a vacuum are good the questions is if they deserve your time and money over another...At least that is the way I think about it.
I m always surprised that Azul 4 did nt made a hit and is never in top tier list comparaison. Probably because it s not easy to learn, (and ugly!). But in all category you mentioned, it s waaay better. Systems they ve create is truly a masterpiece in tile placement.
Oh I think plenty of people talk about and use it to compare. In this instance I think it’s a degree or two away from calico and cascadia in form. I think these are all derivative of Azul they but they add theme, sprawling pattern building and especially cascadia and harmonies a second dimension in placement along with secondary goals.
@@Neon_Gorilla Thank for you reply. Just to be sure, I don t talk about Azul 1 but But Azul 4 Queen s garden. For example you compare the space management between restrictive (calico) to open (cascadia). or also how to pick up tile or get the possibility to keep some to play it later... Azul 4 bring a super clever way to solve and spice up all this. little tiles covers large piece of extension that can be added to your own board. Discovered piles change content each turn (very dynamic, there is always a surprise), you can pick from 1 to xx tile (many variability), your board extend through the game (feel of progression), large tiles count as tiles, point, payment and space (many flexibilty of use).
I got Calico in my early phase of really getting into gaming and I loved it, played it a ton of times, but now that I have alot more games, I just don't want to play it anymore compared to all my other choices. I played Cascadia recently and I'd say it was a little better then Calico, but still not something I have any desire to play again. Compared to both of those I would much rather have Life of the Amazonia, which is a bag builder/tile layer that I liked quite a bit, the tile laying and goals part is very smilar to Cascadia, but as a bag builder you have alot more choice of what you are buying instead of a few tile choices. I recently bought Aqua, which I am worried will hit the same way Calico/Cascadia do, but the artwork is so much better for my tastes, I should get it played this week and can report back. Harmonies looks really interesting and I hope to try it at some point
Aqua keeps slightly interesting me each time I see the box. Amazonia fell off my radar for some reason but looking at the reviews it should probably be back on. Thanks for watching!
I just played life of Amazonia and thought of you, thanks for mentioning it, if feels like a evolution of all of these games and might just the next level.
@@Neon_Gorilla Glad you hear you played it, I look forward to a review video with your thoughts compared to the others! I think evolution is a perfect description.
Cascadia is my least favorite and I have played with landmarks. I feel like I am going through the motions. Calico is my favorite. I have played harmonies the other day and really liked it. I would need a few more plays to decide if it surpasses calico for me.
I think your opinion is totally valid. I think each persons brains work in different ways and wouldn't call your opinion outlandish. I did not make up may experience. To me the finite puzzle in calico certainly creates friction but the possibilities are limited by the board. The possibilities of your decisions each turn are significantly reduced by this nature and the number of spots left constantly decreasing. Cascadia's decisions space is so much more vast. Every single turn has an increasing number of possibilities depending on the number of tiles already laid. Cascadia with landmarks weight is nearly identical to calico so it seems like a judgment call and personal propensities. I am happy to hear your case past just calling it outlandish though.
I was also really surprised by this! But I think Neon Gorilla has argued his case very well, and it does make sense. Also: different brains, and all that. (My wife plays Root and Cascadia like a champ, but goes completely haywire with positioning-based games like Onitama or That Time You Killed Me.)
Calico is a stinker imo. Almost every game I’ve played devolves into everyone just taking whatever tile is top decked because the market is stale and no one wants them. The problem is by late game, some tiles will give you 0 points. Harmonies has the problem to a lesser degree. Cascadia has a point salad approach which leads to less feel bad feelings. The duration of Harmonies seems to be its saving grace.
In my experience over many 2 players plays of calico I have not seen that problem, I typically complete all of the goals in either color or pattern, the brain grind comes with trying to do both and I can definitely see if you are holding trying to perfect your board how you would get locked up. I do agree the last couple tiles are usually throw aways. In harmonies it might be to a lesser degree because you select 3 at a time and are essentially picking from 15 tokens but the problem comes with what to do with the other 2 tokens that you don't need. This problem happens a couple times per games and that is more than enough to wreck your masterpiece. I agree with your Cascadia take and hadn't thought of harmonies duration as a feature. It is listed as 30-45 same as Cascadia but does feel a tad shorter. I wonder if that is because set up and takedown is easier?
Maybe haven’t played them. All three draft and lay tiles according to placement objectives and all three have secondary scoring objectives that have to deal with a second placement dimensions outlined by variable goals. Pretty close IMO but like I said haven’t played ther ones you mentioned.
Reef and Neotopia both use cards to dictate the tile patterns like Harmonies. Calico does not use cards and Cascadia uses “community cards” and both are more free form.
@@davebelcher3307 Cascadia has quite a few animal pattern cards that dictate patterns and are variable in each game like the standard scoring of harmonies and landmarks also adds personal scoring goals like harmonies animal cards.
This confirmed everything I thought about Harmonies and is why I never picked it up. Just too much like Calico. Cascadia for life. But Calico the most chill? Bruh.
Pick up a tile place a tile, each turn less possibilities to where to place it seems pretty chill to me but to each their own. Cascadia has more options of play with more tiles to choose from the option to use a pine cone to pick any combo and an ever expanding boards with more and more options of placement. Simply put cascadia has infinitely more possibilities on each turn. Everyone’s brain works different though you are not the first to disagree.
Of these three games, I have only played Cascadia, which also happens to be my wife's favorite game, so we have played it a lot. I feel like the decision space is not as wide open as your description implies. I find that I am always balancing 3 often competing factors: terrain, animal locations, and animal tokens. These impact tile selection AND placement and frequently require compromises. While the nature tokens do allow some mitigation, they tend to be in short supply. Still, I enjoyed your presentation and learned about the other two games Thank you!
Thanks for watching and your feedback. Re: cascadia being wide open just because of the lack of board relative to the other two it certainly feels like there is more opportunity to me. Just my opinion though having played all three.
![Digital Circus Episode 4 [TRAILER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/abZtsmMUbJo/mqdefault.jpg)
The board game media is very full of reviewers. Most times I check out a new channel, they don’t do things well enough to compete with the channels I like. BUT! Your channel is different. Clearly the product good editing, I love the way that you animate the game pieces to underscore your point. Your style of editing is not something I’ve seen in board gaming. But these aesthetic decisions are also far from shallow. Because everyone is talking about the new hotness, it can be hard to add anything meaningful to the conversation. Your video is the best video I’ve seen on harmonies. Love the overarching structure and also felt every point you made was well considered. Happily subscribing!
thank you for the detailed review of my review :). I really appreciate the kind words!
Nice comparison/contrast of these three games. I am a long-time fan of Cascadia and been thoroughly enjoying exploring Landmarks. As a solo player a huge bonus are the brilliant scenarios and offer an escalating challenge.
I have never played it solo. I will have to try that out. Appreciate you watching.
Discovered your channel by searching more opinions about Harmonies... Instantly subscribed, very special style 👌
Thanks Hans, Glad you gave me a chance. I look forward to seeing you around!
I like Cascadia the most. I agree with you it is the most satisfying. Also, I could not quite put my finger on why Harmonies didn't jibe with me. Now, I understand why. There were just too many frustrating moments with no mitigation, like you explained.
Funny you say that I just broke the rating down to categories and harmonies just beat out cascadia. On paper it feels like it should be just as good or better but it’s just a feeling. I am actually editing a bit of a comparison right now to Life of Amazonia which was recommended in the comments somewhere in this video. It is definitely a next level above the two from a complexity standpoint. Spoiler alert I do recommend it if you like either cascadia or harmonies
I own the other 2 games and was considering Harmonies. Nice video; subbed :)
Awesome welcome aboard thanks for giving me a try!
Cascadia has quickly moved into my entry level game to pull out in a group. My wife is a big fan, and she doesnt like to learn new games, she picked it up really fast. Nice take on the comparison of these 3 games.
Thanks Frodo. Yeah cascadia is the perfect filler\starter game.
Great video! Great production! instant subscribe, looking forward to more.
Welcome aboard Marcelo. Appreciate the kind words.
I got Calico first and thought it was ok. I haven't played it again since getting Cascadia. I haven't culled Calico but I may as well. Harmonies looked really cool when you first introduced it. However, if it's even more restrictive than Calico, it's probably not for me. I still think I'd like to try it but won't rush out to buy it. Thanks for the comparison video!
Your welcome. Thanks for watching!
Excellent and well-considered opinions. Thanks, I’ve never played any of the trio; kinda weird Cascadia and I haven’t crossed paths yet, but now that I know she’s spoken for it makes more sense!
The Marry/Kiss/Kill decision space for this context is hilarious and I hope it makes a reappearance!
I actually forgot about the marry kiss kill format. I should bring it back…good suggestion!
Harmonies is the only game for us as a couple that we kept playing and couldn't stop like a PC game. It was so much fun! Probably we are quite picky about board games because over the years we tried 20-30 board games and none of them gave us this kind of experience. We always bought new games, tried few times, then never opened them again sadly. I think the main reason was that we didn't really want to compete against each other much but want to have fun together while co-op board games are extremely boring for us at the same time. Harmonies fill that niche for us that we don't necessarily feel like competing against each other but rather trying to beat your own previous records. Every game play feels different and creative with different set of cards to play with. Another thing we love the most is that it is not flat cards and board but towers of blocks and cubes that entertain your eyes visually just much more satisfying and fun.
Glad you found a game to love with your partner. If you don’t like compete might I suggest co op games. The best of which that I recently have played is daybreak. I have a video up for that one.
Wow I was about to pass on this game but your review has me thinking twice.
@@RPG_Bliss it’s definitely fun. We are still getting it to the table.
Playing solo is also fun!!! I enjoy Harmonies a lot!
@@benneyjunior6192 if you like harmonies and want to take it to next level. Check out my latest video
I just got harmonies and we’ve been loving it, so made me watch this.
Cascadia sounds good, reviews of calico never made me want to get it.
I started playing it more since coming to BGA and I can get over the game ending early. It is really frustrating working on your masterpiece and it abruptly ending because someone is not building up at all. I would love an expansion with bigger and more varied maps. Reguardless it is a solid game.
Très intéressant / Very interesting, argumented, demonstrative. Like a lot
Thanks
I own the three, but Cascadia is the king too
great minds think alike
Great video. I wish prices in Brazil were as good as they are in US. And among the 3 the first one will be Harmonies. The fever of new releases got me 😅
I hear you FOMO is real, its also a new and unique puzzle so if there other are boring or of no interest then by all means harmonies is the pick, thanks for the kind words...
Harmonies reminds me of Tiny towns. It has similar feeling of tight space and planing what might work on the board.
ahh tiny towns that is one with a thick layer of dust in my collection, always thought it needed more but never motivated enough to go get the expansions
@@Neon_Gorilla I love that game. Although I have just the base game, the expansions didn’t recieve a print in my country.
Great coverage on Harmonies! Looks like a neat game but I just sold Calico & Cascadia so I’ve come to learn that pattern building games aren’t my favorite style!
Yeah my other wife might divorce me if I ever sold them.
The thumbnail really lured me in here
I hope that was a good thing.
11:00 you can build a building with two red tokens. Also, maybe I missed it, but didn't you mention an alternative terrain of harmonies, did you?
It’s funny now that it is on BGA people all of a sudden are pointing the mistake out :) I noticed that as well. Not sure what alt terrain you are referring to?
@@Neon_Gorilla Not sure why it's funny.
Alternative field with more spaces for tokens and different river's scoring. I think it also adds some points to variability.
Some of the complaints about harmonies are based on misunderstanding the rules. For instance you can make a building pint of 2 building tiles.
Yeah I misspoke but doesn’t change the main critique which is the game end trigger. Still a great game I enjoy and now that it’s on BGA the flaw is even more apparent. In general game end triggers related to anything but skill is poor design imo.
4:05 you can place as many animal cubes as you want/can every turn. You're only limited to drafting a maximum of one animal card
Thanks
Totally agree
Sweet, thanks for watching.
Great video! Does not help for me between Cascadia and Harmonies, but that’s alright 😂
Enjoy them both. ;)
I'm very happy with Cascadia in my collection. It's the only of these 3 I've played, and I'm not looking to get either of the other two. If I were to get a second one, though, I'd go with Calico for sure. Not sure why, but Harmonies does not look or seem interesting to me at all.
Also, I loved this format of taking similar games and comparing their merits against each other. If you go deep enough and specific enough in the comparisons (which I absolutely think you did here!), it turns out much more compelling and useful than a straight-up review.
thanks Fabio, I think comparison makes for more compelling and interesting assessment of a game. Most of these games in a vacuum are good the questions is if they deserve your time and money over another...At least that is the way I think about it.
I m always surprised that Azul 4 did nt made a hit and is never in top tier list comparaison. Probably because it s not easy to learn, (and ugly!). But in all category you mentioned, it s waaay better. Systems they ve create is truly a masterpiece in tile placement.
Oh I think plenty of people talk about and use it to compare. In this instance I think it’s a degree or two away from calico and cascadia in form. I think these are all derivative of Azul they but they add theme, sprawling pattern building and especially cascadia and harmonies a second dimension in placement along with secondary goals.
@@Neon_Gorilla Thank for you reply. Just to be sure, I don t talk about Azul 1 but But Azul 4 Queen s garden. For example you compare the space management between restrictive (calico) to open (cascadia). or also how to pick up tile or get the possibility to keep some to play it later...
Azul 4 bring a super clever way to solve and spice up all this. little tiles covers large piece of extension that can be added to your own board. Discovered piles change content each turn (very dynamic, there is always a surprise), you can pick from 1 to xx tile (many variability), your board extend through the game (feel of progression), large tiles count as tiles, point, payment and space (many flexibilty of use).
@@truc0anh yeah I have it and think it’s clever I just think it too is in a class if it’s own. Thanks for watching.
@@Neon_Gorilla Yep. And thanks for your video!
I got Calico in my early phase of really getting into gaming and I loved it, played it a ton of times, but now that I have alot more games, I just don't want to play it anymore compared to all my other choices. I played Cascadia recently and I'd say it was a little better then Calico, but still not something I have any desire to play again. Compared to both of those I would much rather have Life of the Amazonia, which is a bag builder/tile layer that I liked quite a bit, the tile laying and goals part is very smilar to Cascadia, but as a bag builder you have alot more choice of what you are buying instead of a few tile choices. I recently bought Aqua, which I am worried will hit the same way Calico/Cascadia do, but the artwork is so much better for my tastes, I should get it played this week and can report back. Harmonies looks really interesting and I hope to try it at some point
Aqua keeps slightly interesting me each time I see the box. Amazonia fell off my radar for some reason but looking at the reviews it should probably be back on. Thanks for watching!
I just played life of Amazonia and thought of you, thanks for mentioning it, if feels like a evolution of all of these games and might just the next level.
@@Neon_Gorilla Glad you hear you played it, I look forward to a review video with your thoughts compared to the others! I think evolution is a perfect description.
@@kimklisiak6421 working on it now :)
11:00 you can place buildings on top of buildings
Thanks
Cascadia is my least favorite and I have played with landmarks. I feel like I am going through the motions. Calico is my favorite. I have played harmonies the other day and really liked it. I would need a few more plays to decide if it surpasses calico for me.
Harmonies is still being played in my house so that is a good sign. Calico is good but I have probably played it the most out of them all.
This is the only time I’ve seen someone claim that Calico is more chill than Cascadia. Sorry but this is just outlandish.
I think your opinion is totally valid. I think each persons brains work in different ways and wouldn't call your opinion outlandish. I did not make up may experience. To me the finite puzzle in calico certainly creates friction but the possibilities are limited by the board. The possibilities of your decisions each turn are significantly reduced by this nature and the number of spots left constantly decreasing. Cascadia's decisions space is so much more vast. Every single turn has an increasing number of possibilities depending on the number of tiles already laid. Cascadia with landmarks weight is nearly identical to calico so it seems like a judgment call and personal propensities. I am happy to hear your case past just calling it outlandish though.
I was also really surprised by this! But I think Neon Gorilla has argued his case very well, and it does make sense. Also: different brains, and all that. (My wife plays Root and Cascadia like a champ, but goes completely haywire with positioning-based games like Onitama or That Time You Killed Me.)
Calico is a stinker imo. Almost every game I’ve played devolves into everyone just taking whatever tile is top decked because the market is stale and no one wants them. The problem is by late game, some tiles will give you 0 points. Harmonies has the problem to a lesser degree. Cascadia has a point salad approach which leads to less feel bad feelings. The duration of Harmonies seems to be its saving grace.
In my experience over many 2 players plays of calico I have not seen that problem, I typically complete all of the goals in either color or pattern, the brain grind comes with trying to do both and I can definitely see if you are holding trying to perfect your board how you would get locked up. I do agree the last couple tiles are usually throw aways. In harmonies it might be to a lesser degree because you select 3 at a time and are essentially picking from 15 tokens but the problem comes with what to do with the other 2 tokens that you don't need. This problem happens a couple times per games and that is more than enough to wreck your masterpiece. I agree with your Cascadia take and hadn't thought of harmonies duration as a feature. It is listed as 30-45 same as Cascadia but does feel a tad shorter. I wonder if that is because set up and takedown is easier?
Do you know about the rec to remove tiles for certain player counts? It makes the tile distribution more even.
Harmonies seems much more similar to Reef and Neotopia than Cascadia or Calico.
Maybe haven’t played them. All three draft and lay tiles according to placement objectives and all three have secondary scoring objectives that have to deal with a second placement dimensions outlined by variable goals. Pretty close IMO but like I said haven’t played ther ones you mentioned.
Reef and Neotopia both use cards to dictate the tile patterns like Harmonies. Calico does not use cards and Cascadia uses “community cards” and both are more free form.
@@davebelcher3307 Cascadia has quite a few animal pattern cards that dictate patterns and are variable in each game like the standard scoring of harmonies and landmarks also adds personal scoring goals like harmonies animal cards.
This confirmed everything I thought about Harmonies and is why I never picked it up. Just too much like Calico. Cascadia for life.
But Calico the most chill? Bruh.
Pick up a tile place a tile, each turn less possibilities to where to place it seems pretty chill to me but to each their own. Cascadia has more options of play with more tiles to choose from the option to use a pine cone to pick any combo and an ever expanding boards with more and more options of placement. Simply put cascadia has infinitely more possibilities on each turn. Everyone’s brain works different though you are not the first to disagree.
Um, you can’t have Cascadia because she’s already married to me. Unless she’s not telling me something.
lol, I didn’t know I had competition!
Oh wow this just got super awkward. Gonna go grab some popcorn, brb
Calico all the way. Why? Cats.
I do love cats as well. Fan of isle of cats?
@@Neon_Gorilla Never tried it!
@@HorseIRL well if you a cat fan its a must
Of these three games, I have only played Cascadia, which also happens to be my wife's favorite game, so we have played it a lot.
I feel like the decision space is not as wide open as your description implies. I find that I am always balancing 3 often competing factors: terrain, animal locations, and animal tokens. These impact tile selection AND placement and frequently require compromises. While the nature tokens do allow some mitigation, they tend to be in short supply.
Still, I enjoyed your presentation and learned about the other two games
Thank you!
Thanks for watching and your feedback. Re: cascadia being wide open just because of the lack of board relative to the other two it certainly feels like there is more opportunity to me. Just my opinion though having played all three.