Spirit Island

In many regards, Spirit Island is a game of whack-a-mole, the same way that chess is kind of like tic-tac-toe. As the invaders explore the island, you work to prevent them from building towns and cities and blighting the land, oftentimes by killing the explorers and destroying their communities, though you can also manipulate the explorers and towns to prevent them from damaging the land. Each of the eight spirits plays very differently, especially when playing the more complex ones. Plus there are many ways to change the game by playing against specific invader nationalities or playing alternate scenarios, which can dramatically change the way the game is played and, more importantly, can add to the challenge of the game. It might be a little too heavy for more casual players, but if you can get into it, you'll likely play it for months or years.

I played 2 games with 3 players and 1 by myself, all with low difficulty, to understand how to play. I love the game already. It seems that we'll be able to play many times without feeling like it's gonna be repetitive: you can play a different spirit with different powers, against different enemies with different levels of difficulty, and adding scenarios for more changes, with 2 types of maps as well... And there are many different cards, so you'll never have the same hand. It's a lot of strategy, some cards can help you and change the game, but it's not relying on any dice or pure luck. You really have to work your way to victory! Love it, excited to play the many games to come.

I had always seen this on top of best game lists, and I see why. The game flow is SO clean and tight. I am a big fan of Root and this was a similar style game. But what's great is it's co-op. So instead of my friends dreading playing for 2-3 hours just to lose, we get excited to replay and can all win together. Also, it's easy to scale on difficulty! The rules can be hard to grok, so make sure to give yourself grace to learn. There are FAQs online to address frequently mistaken rules for beginners. For example, blight only removes ONE presence, energy persists across turns, etc.

just take some time and review game flow so you can leed your games and than you will not fill flow of time during your games

Spirit Island is the best board game I have ever played. It is incredibly complex, but with a little time investment, you get one of the deepest and most fun board game experiences you'll ever have. If you like high replayability and complexity and large player choice, this is a great game for you.

This is everything everyone has said it would be. Glad. I finally bought it.

This game has a bit of a learning curve, but once you’ve got it down it’s so smooth and fun. I’ve played around 6 games now including two or three solo (none over two players yet). It takes some time to teach, but not too bad. Expect your first game to take around 2-3 hours until everything clicks. Fast-paced area control, a deck-building aspect, “fire fighting,” and micromanaging… what’s not to love?! There’s tons of characters to play and it’s so fun trying to make them work together to solve the puzzle and win. Very satisfying when you beat the game. I’ve got around 12 new strategy games this year and this is my favorite for solo and 2-player. Check it out!

I enjoy this game. The only issue I have with it is a concern with most co-op games in that one person can end up taking over the game and trying to play everyone else's turns.

Players control spirits on a small island being colonized by an foreign invader. They must work together to repel the invaders using a large deck of spiritual powers that can push, pull, harm, and frighten the unwelcome visitors. This game's crowning jewel is the asymmetry, as it comes with eight spirits that each boast radically different playstlyes and unique powers.

Rules are not too complicated but gives many many options when it is time to take your turn