Reason #3 and #4 of “why you shouldn’t play” could be resolved by increasing the difficulty level. There are 2 primary way to do this (flip the board over and use the thematic map or play with an adversary); there is a chart in the back of the rules book that shows numerous difficulty options. If you use an adversary on level 4 or higher you will be on your toes every turn/round; you might think you have things all wrapped up and heading toward a victory then you flip an invader card with a Stage II escalation and everything gets blown up
Just FYI I read (somewhere) that the creators *deliberately* made the colonist pieces out of cheap plastic-all the colonist stuff is made with artificial materials and the spirit/dahan stuff is made out of more natural materials. It's thematic.
10:10 As a big fan of SI, I would still say that Spirit Island is the most anti-climactic ending board game I've ever played. I've had 50+ playthroughs and even still I get thrown off by how quickly the game ends. Suddenly the fear card reveals that you can win by removing cities, and in 80% of cases you can just remove the cities and you've won. I wish they designed the game so that you're moved closer to the goalpost rather than the goalpost moved to you via the shifting win conditions in fear cards. There is a great feeling in developing your powers and keeping the board clean, but most of the time that doesn't matter if the fear is progressed sufficiently. That is fine as a mechanic, but it creates a jarring experience when win conditions are moved around.
I was hyped about the game, then I saw a gameplay video that literally put me to sleep. Now I saw your video and I’m hyped again. Unfortunately, shops in The Netherlands somehow only have an expansion on the shelf. Everything seems sold out.
SO the Solvable issue is solved (if you want it solved) by Branch and Claw, With the Event cards adding a degree of Randomness. The amount of power cards ,could be simplified like the intro spirits with a pre selected set , and i just dont have an issue with the components generally (though many do) though the explorers are a little fragile. But great review
Before playing the game, I was thinking about how to quickly paint up the invaders. But when I then played it, I saw that it was a very smart design choice to make them how they are. They stand out on the board. They clearly look like they should not be there. Thus I can't agree about the components.
Echoing others 3 and 4 of your list can be countered by the random events in Tooth & Claw. Last time I played we had lost on the board when an event prevented game a ending ravage and we sneaked in a win.Very cool. The previous time we lost because we failed to deal with an event when we were about to win which was inexcusably loose play! I would not play without the events it is not the variety it's the uncertainty - especially since Alpha players can still be a (small) issue. My one against is that the base game is a bit too easy and the difficulty scaling is not very organic and is a bit of a faff. It took several games to remember the extra effects from phase 2 cards for example. In general it is easy to forget to do bad things!
I played this once so far. I love brain burners, and this was up there. I tried the forest spirit (moderate complexity) on my first run, and I almost felt like I bit off more than I could chew. Have you played Brass: Birmingham? I have a smaller collection, as my friend had money while I was in grad school and purchased all the games we were interested in, but this is my favorite Euro I own, and one of the better ones I have played. Have you played it? A 5+ 5- video would be interesting to see.
I've played Brass once and loved it! I feel pretty confident Alex has played it as well but I'm not sure what his thoughts are on it. I've taken over the 5 Reasons videos at this point as Alex is super busy over on his own channel (which you should absolutely go check out). However, I only review a game like that once I've played it either 20 hours or 20 plays. Brass probably won't be reaching that anytime soon (I don't own it) but be sure to check out some of the other reviews we've put up lately!
Dude! So good review! This video style, 5 pros and 5 cons.. well done!! Really thinking in buy it. Do you have some video like this about Arkham Horror 3ed? Thank you so much! Cheers from Brazil!
Hey thanks, William! There are several of this style video on the channel right now but none for AH3. Alex is the creator of these and is also the owner of Board Game Co which is my sponsor. Lately his channel has really taken off so he’s busy over there with daily video releases. I don’t believe he’s done this style of review over there but he has a ton of great content if you want to go check it out! Just RUclips search Board Game Co.
This was a really useful video for me. I thought Spirit Island will be great to try but i now know its not for my group even though I may personally enjoy it.
What were your reasons for thinking it’s not for your group? I would still give it a try since you were interested. Perhaps you could rent it or try the app for a month. The app is only $2.00 for a month of the full game and 1st expansion, no ads. It gives you a good chance to really try it out to see if you like it.
For what it's worth: unless you really Hate games that take a lot of thinking or Hate cooperative altogether, this is an awesome game. Even people I know who don't like cooperative games now love it because it's done right (people work together; no one tells others what to do). And even the level of thinking involved can be very easily altered: the game itself has TONS of variability and that includes the difficulty level (very easy to very very hard), even while you're learning it!
@@joelhoogerhyde8229 that's true im not a fan of most co op games pandemic and the likes. but spirit island just does it for me and a big reason for that, is how thematic it is
Controlling 3 spirits is great, but it is an absolute burn brain. Oop. See what I mean? One of only two games I will play solo, but I have never won playing by myself.
It truly just takes practice. There are some spirits with unique cards that that have little to no impact if you are playing solo with a single island. I honestly feel like I can close a game quicker playing two spirits solo if there’s a good combo.
It's currently $64 on Amazon (in US). Part of the reason it's went up is the pandemic (a lot of people bought out stock of board games) and also they just released a new expansion for the game which means production for new copies of the original was halted a bit but should be fixed over the next few months.
It also has a bunch of wooden and plastic components. While some of the components aren't the nicest compared to kickstarter miniature games, It really isn't a problem
@Tadqwerty29 i agree, the plastic invader/blight-tokens symbolize the new world as opposed to the wooden/cardboard tokens from the island. This adds even more feeling to the game I think. Fantastic game, gj on the presentation alex
Reason #3 and #4 of “why you shouldn’t play” could be resolved by increasing the difficulty level. There are 2 primary way to do this (flip the board over and use the thematic map or play with an adversary); there is a chart in the back of the rules book that shows numerous difficulty options. If you use an adversary on level 4 or higher you will be on your toes every turn/round; you might think you have things all wrapped up and heading toward a victory then you flip an invader card with a Stage II escalation and everything gets blown up
Just FYI I read (somewhere) that the creators *deliberately* made the colonist pieces out of cheap plastic-all the colonist stuff is made with artificial materials and the spirit/dahan stuff is made out of more natural materials. It's thematic.
10:10 As a big fan of SI, I would still say that Spirit Island is the most anti-climactic ending board game I've ever played. I've had 50+ playthroughs and even still I get thrown off by how quickly the game ends. Suddenly the fear card reveals that you can win by removing cities, and in 80% of cases you can just remove the cities and you've won. I wish they designed the game so that you're moved closer to the goalpost rather than the goalpost moved to you via the shifting win conditions in fear cards. There is a great feeling in developing your powers and keeping the board clean, but most of the time that doesn't matter if the fear is progressed sufficiently. That is fine as a mechanic, but it creates a jarring experience when win conditions are moved around.
I was hyped about the game, then I saw a gameplay video that literally put me to sleep. Now I saw your video and I’m hyped again. Unfortunately, shops in The Netherlands somehow only have an expansion on the shelf. Everything seems sold out.
SO the Solvable issue is solved (if you want it solved) by Branch and Claw, With the Event cards adding a degree of Randomness. The amount of power cards ,could be simplified like the intro spirits with a pre selected set , and i just dont have an issue with the components generally (though many do) though the explorers are a little fragile. But great review
Before playing the game, I was thinking about how to quickly paint up the invaders. But when I then played it, I saw that it was a very smart design choice to make them how they are. They stand out on the board. They clearly look like they should not be there. Thus I can't agree about the components.
Echoing others 3 and 4 of your list can be countered by the random events in Tooth & Claw. Last time I played we had lost on the board when an event prevented game a ending ravage and we sneaked in a win.Very cool. The previous time we lost because we failed to deal with an event when we were about to win which was inexcusably loose play!
I would not play without the events it is not the variety it's the uncertainty - especially since Alpha players can still be a (small) issue.
My one against is that the base game is a bit too easy and the difficulty scaling is not very organic and is a bit of a faff. It took several games to remember the extra effects from phase 2 cards for example. In general it is easy to forget to do bad things!
Just ordered my copy :)
I played this once so far. I love brain burners, and this was up there. I tried the forest spirit (moderate complexity) on my first run, and I almost felt like I bit off more than I could chew. Have you played Brass: Birmingham? I have a smaller collection, as my friend had money while I was in grad school and purchased all the games we were interested in, but this is my favorite Euro I own, and one of the better ones I have played. Have you played it? A 5+ 5- video would be interesting to see.
I've played Brass once and loved it! I feel pretty confident Alex has played it as well but I'm not sure what his thoughts are on it. I've taken over the 5 Reasons videos at this point as Alex is super busy over on his own channel (which you should absolutely go check out). However, I only review a game like that once I've played it either 20 hours or 20 plays. Brass probably won't be reaching that anytime soon (I don't own it) but be sure to check out some of the other reviews we've put up lately!
Is there a deluxe version planned in the future? The sub quality of the component contribute to the brain burner aspect in my experience
Well done! 5 reason's you'd like it and 5 reasons you wouldn't. great stuff! i'm adding this to my collection for sure! thanks!
Played it for the first time 4 days ago.
Yes, you should play it.
:)
Nice video. I like the components though. I find the board is easy to understand at a glance, largely because of the simple, contrasting pieces.
Dude! So good review! This video style, 5 pros and 5 cons.. well done!! Really thinking in buy it. Do you have some video like this about Arkham Horror 3ed? Thank you so much! Cheers from Brazil!
Hey thanks, William! There are several of this style video on the channel right now but none for AH3. Alex is the creator of these and is also the owner of Board Game Co which is my sponsor. Lately his channel has really taken off so he’s busy over there with daily video releases. I don’t believe he’s done this style of review over there but he has a ton of great content if you want to go check it out! Just RUclips search Board Game Co.
@@BoredOnlineBoardOffline Thank you so much!
You’re really good at what you do, Alex!
Thanks for this review! im buying this game for sure!!!
You nailed it! So good summary! I would just add the amazing iPad version you can learn all that and play quicker!
Isn't out already? I'm playing on my note 20 ultra
Reason No. 3 gets countered by the branch and claw expansion which addds randomness
This was a really useful video for me. I thought Spirit Island will be great to try but i now know its not for my group even though I may personally enjoy it.
What were your reasons for thinking it’s not for your group? I would still give it a try since you were interested. Perhaps you could rent it or try the app for a month. The app is only $2.00 for a month of the full game and 1st expansion, no ads. It gives you a good chance to really try it out to see if you like it.
I've been on the fence with this one for months now! After watching this video.. I still am 😅 but good video Alex keep it up!
For what it's worth: unless you really Hate games that take a lot of thinking or Hate cooperative altogether, this is an awesome game. Even people I know who don't like cooperative games now love it because it's done right (people work together; no one tells others what to do). And even the level of thinking involved can be very easily altered: the game itself has TONS of variability and that includes the difficulty level (very easy to very very hard), even while you're learning it!
@@joelhoogerhyde8229 that's true im not a fan of most co op games pandemic and the likes. but spirit island just does it for me and a big reason for that, is how thematic it is
Controlling 3 spirits is great, but it is an absolute burn brain. Oop. See what I mean? One of only two games I will play solo, but I have never won playing by myself.
It truly just takes practice. There are some spirits with unique cards that that have little to no impact if you are playing solo with a single island. I honestly feel like I can close a game quicker playing two spirits solo if there’s a good combo.
love this video idea, thank you
Anytime!
Why is this game so expensive? It retails for about 80$.
It's currently $64 on Amazon (in US). Part of the reason it's went up is the pandemic (a lot of people bought out stock of board games) and also they just released a new expansion for the game which means production for new copies of the original was halted a bit but should be fixed over the next few months.
It also has a bunch of wooden and plastic components. While some of the components aren't the nicest compared to kickstarter miniature games, It really isn't a problem
@Tadqwerty29 i agree, the plastic invader/blight-tokens symbolize the new world as opposed to the wooden/cardboard tokens from the island. This adds even more feeling to the game I think. Fantastic game, gj on the presentation alex
This is one I want, but I want a deluxe version. I really need a 3D printer. :)