You have convinced me to buy this game: I liked games you can play solo or cooperatively and theme based games. I haven't regretted it since. The game is really fun but the fun comes through planning a few steps ahead and seeing the results of your choices instead of instant reward. I was impressed by the amount of content this game had. You get 8 spirits to play as, two sides of the playing board, 3 adversaries and 4 scenarios. With this amount of content I believe I won't have to buy an expansion pack soon. I love how main rules are fairly easy to understand but after learning them you have barely scratched the surface. After all, each card in the game is different and provides unique effects. I was engaged by the theme and the lore. I am not the person who gets into the story of the game but this time it was different. The amazing thing is that the description, backstory of the spirit does indeed represent the play style making the world be so much more believable. The game also has a balanced learning curve: there are easier spirit to play as, you can play without a Blight Card, get rid of the first move of the Invaders. You are also given basic strategy to move through the game smoother. After gaining more experience with the game you can play with Scenarios, Adversaries and so on. To sum up, the game is great. Thank you for bringing this game into light with a straightforward and entertaining video.
@@matthewmatyszczak1024 late reply to your message too, and obviously I am not the op, but in my opinion the solo is great. It is my favourite solo game, and many others favourite too. In fact as of writing this, I have owned the game for almost 4 years and only ever played it solo physically (I have done multiplayer online though), but I have never got bored and am always excited for new expansions (but as op says there is a lot of variety even in just the base game). Each game feels different due to the spirit and adversary combo, and you can tailor the difficulty to your liking and even the type of difficulty too! I could talk about the game and why its great for hours lol.
@@matthewmatyszczak1024Horizons is awesome - it arguably has a much better roster of spirits for teaching new players. My one tip is to print off adversary cards if you find Horizons to be too easy.
I like watching these short 3 min reviews first, then if i am interested i go watch a longer one getting the whole spectrum of the game. Any ways great review as always😀
Thank you! You've condensed everything down so well that everything clicked even faster than with text reviews for me. Very impressive, and very informative!
Spirit Island, my game of the year for 2017 and I think an instant classic. Reminds me so much of the legends of the Taniwha I heard growing up in Aoetearoa/New Zealand. Have you played this one? If so, who is your favourite spirit?
Got this game for my 40th birthday off my partner, after playing it probably 7 or 8 times in the space of 5 days, i can see why its rated so highly. Have already ordered Feather and Flame, and Jagged Earth/Branch and Claw are straight on the wishlist, ready for when i can find them in stock in the UK :D
Subbed as well. I really like Thunderspeaker her ties to the Dahan. Mechanically and thematically enjoyable. Ocean's Hungry Grasp is also wonderfully unique, even among this collection of spirits.
Thunderspeaker is one of my favs as well, along with "sharp fangs" I quite like the mobile spirits, and tend to like playing as the early game "firefighter" on the team while everyone else powers up. I still have not played Oceans, but he's been used in our games. What a beast
They just released the digital version on Steam and oh my spirits this game is ADDICTIVE and I see why it's the number one solo game. I've never lost a game 3 times in a row and wanted to play more. The complexity of the game is mitigated a little in the digital version by the UI not allowing you to do illegal things. Great review of a great game and wow I really can't wait to play some more!
Yep, was plying it today, lost my first 2 player game because the way you think about an app is different and i was skipping too fast through decisions. Won with 3 on my next play
Unofficial 5p language dependency meter - should you pick a copy in another language? 2p. Icon/colour/number dependent, 1p text dependent, 0p reading dependent - 0 1p Minimal verbal communication / Full cooperative - 1 1p Available rule book in different languages - 1 1p Zero cultural/political aggression - 0 -1p Multiple modern mechanisms - 1 Final language dependency: 1p. Find a copy in a language that your group speaks fluently.
I'm generally a filthy casual, but since finding your channel have been getting more and more into gaming regularly (responsibly of course - our city is on lockdown) I've wanted this game since I came across the review 6 months ago and finally got it today! Feel like I have leveled up!
Tricky question, as there isn't anything quite like spirit island in terms of theme and mechanically, its a little different to most just because of how distinctive each players actions are in the co-operative experience. I'd say Defenders of the Realm might be the closest thing to a Spirit Island as far as a simple version of the game mechanically, while acknowledging that they are really different games.
@@3MBG I agree, music ramping up, when unnecessary, and trying to follow your voice was very difficult. I enjoy your videos and this doesn’t change my perspective of you or your channel, just trying to Offer helpful feedback.
This is the board that comes with every version of spirit island. The board is double sided. Most people only ever show the high contrast beginners side of the board. But every version of the game also has the thematic version on the other side.
I'm not sure I know what you mean. No mat was used in the video, other than a black table cloth. All components shown are in the game box as far as i'm aware. If you're thinking about the green side of the board, that's just one side of the board, the other is brightly coloured.
Ah, that's just the back of the board. Its double sided. One side is bright regions, and is for learning the game. The other side, the one I used, is green and uses the more advanced rules and setup. I used it because it looks better. But tis just the board pieces sitting on a black table cloth. Nothing additional and Its in the box
I know right. It does use some stuff from the expansion, which is one of the reasons people use it in vids I suspect. And its far easier to see which regions are what type. But this one looks SO much better. There is a playmat for 6 players in that style as well.
Me and my brother are new to board games like these, we've played a handful lot of videogames like RPGs and turn based tactics and we want to try Spirit Island is it too complex for us?
Its certainly at the high end of complexity for board games. But it does come with a lot of modules you can add slowly. For example, if you start off with low complexity spirits, using the recommended power progression cards, you can ease into the game. I'd also recommend checking out a "how to play" video if you get stuck
A bunch. Each spirit plays differently, and they work together in combination differently. Then there are scenarios and invader types which change up the game. And then, there are the expansions, which add more spirits and powers. I don't think you can get bored of the game easily, unless the core idea of it doesn't work for you (which is possible for any game)
Ryan Gonzales If you are motivated enough you can definitely enjoy the game as your first complex board game. Re-playability is really high. If you follow the recommendation of the rule book and start with less complex Spirits and if you are using the power progression cards then it can get in to the game easier. I strongly recommend The rules explanations from “JonGetsGames” channel . This way you can learn the rules easier and you use the rule book as reference to review single details. It’s a great game 😁
Hello! My friend finally ordered this game but since he is a moron, he bought the original game and the Jagged earth expansion, but he forgot the Branch and claw expansion :D . Do you think the new expansion will be playable without it?
Spent about 40 hours on it. It's very well done, but still just the core game at this stage. Really looking forward to when they add the bonus tokens and stuff from Branch and Claw
I'm new into this board game world and I'm searching for some interesting games to buy, so your channel instantly became my "goto" channel, really well done! I want a nice game to play solo and I really like the core ideia of Spirit Island and Mage Knight. I know they are not probably the perfect choice for a beginner, but if you had to pick one, which one would it be? Thank you and congrats on the awesome content!
Spirit island. I think it has a stronger theme thats connected to its gameplay more than Mage Knight, but is comparable in terms of replayability and game decisions. Mage Knight for me is a great mechanical game, that feels a little robotic at times. Still, both are classic heavy weight solos
Why does this board look so cool? This isn’t the one from the retail version, is it? The board is the main reason I’ve stayed away from this one. But that board you have looks amazing
That board is in the retail version. The board pieces are double sided, and the green side has markers on it used in the expansions. The hi-visibility side is really just for learning the game, oh, and if you want each player board to be equal.
Not a fan. I feel no immersion in this game and it played out pretty much the same way every time. Haven’t lost a game yet and it always feels like your about to lose… then you win. Can’t see what all the fuss is about personally.
You have convinced me to buy this game: I liked games you can play solo or cooperatively and theme based games. I haven't regretted it since. The game is really fun but the fun comes through planning a few steps ahead and seeing the results of your choices instead of instant reward. I was impressed by the amount of content this game had. You get 8 spirits to play as, two sides of the playing board, 3 adversaries and 4 scenarios. With this amount of content I believe I won't have to buy an expansion pack soon. I love how main rules are fairly easy to understand but after learning them you have barely scratched the surface. After all, each card in the game is different and provides unique effects. I was engaged by the theme and the lore. I am not the person who gets into the story of the game but this time it was different. The amazing thing is that the description, backstory of the spirit does indeed represent the play style making the world be so much more believable. The game also has a balanced learning curve: there are easier spirit to play as, you can play without a Blight Card, get rid of the first move of the Invaders. You are also given basic strategy to move through the game smoother. After gaining more experience with the game you can play with Scenarios, Adversaries and so on. To sum up, the game is great. Thank you for bringing this game into light with a straightforward and entertaining video.
My pleasure, I hope you enjoy it
Late reply, but how is it solo?
@@matthewmatyszczak1024 late reply to your message too, and obviously I am not the op, but in my opinion the solo is great. It is my favourite solo game, and many others favourite too. In fact as of writing this, I have owned the game for almost 4 years and only ever played it solo physically (I have done multiplayer online though), but I have never got bored and am always excited for new expansions (but as op says there is a lot of variety even in just the base game). Each game feels different due to the spirit and adversary combo, and you can tailor the difficulty to your liking and even the type of difficulty too! I could talk about the game and why its great for hours lol.
@@thedeltastrat nice! I just got the horizons game on sale for $9, I’ll see if I like it! Thanks for your reply!
@@matthewmatyszczak1024Horizons is awesome - it arguably has a much better roster of spirits for teaching new players. My one tip is to print off adversary cards if you find Horizons to be too easy.
I like watching these short 3 min reviews first, then if i am interested i go watch a longer one getting the whole spectrum of the game. Any ways great review as always😀
Thank you! You've condensed everything down so well that everything clicked even faster than with text reviews for me. Very impressive, and very informative!
This is your #1 of 2018. I gave it a try this morning and another excellent recommendation. I think the expansion is worth getting.
The expansion really feels like the full game to me.
I had absolute zero experience with modern board games but had mastered MTG so I backed this on Kickstarter and I’m glad I did.
MTG is such a deep and rich game, that most modern board games will be easy picking from that start. So many mechanics in magic
Wonderful production quality and concise info makes me your newest sub :D
Cheers JJ. Enjoy your stay here :)
Best short summary
Well done; great format.
"Recommend Mage Knight" is a dangerous rabbit hole lol
Spirit Island, my game of the year for 2017 and I think an instant classic. Reminds me so much of the legends of the Taniwha I heard growing up in Aoetearoa/New Zealand.
Have you played this one? If so, who is your favourite spirit?
Great review. Thanks!
Got this game for my 40th birthday off my partner, after playing it probably 7 or 8 times in the space of 5 days, i can see why its rated so highly. Have already ordered Feather and Flame, and Jagged Earth/Branch and Claw are straight on the wishlist, ready for when i can find them in stock in the UK :D
Oof, I can't find Feather and Flame anywhere. It's always sold out.
I want this game badly. Looks so good
Love the World Conquerer theme song!
Subbed as well. I really like Thunderspeaker her ties to the Dahan. Mechanically and thematically enjoyable. Ocean's Hungry Grasp is also wonderfully unique, even among this collection of spirits.
Thunderspeaker is one of my favs as well, along with "sharp fangs"
I quite like the mobile spirits, and tend to like playing as the early game "firefighter" on the team while everyone else powers up.
I still have not played Oceans, but he's been used in our games. What a beast
They just released the digital version on Steam and oh my spirits this game is ADDICTIVE and I see why it's the number one solo game. I've never lost a game 3 times in a row and wanted to play more. The complexity of the game is mitigated a little in the digital version by the UI not allowing you to do illegal things.
Great review of a great game and wow I really can't wait to play some more!
Yep, was plying it today, lost my first 2 player game because the way you think about an app is different and i was skipping too fast through decisions. Won with 3 on my next play
@@3MBG Glad you've picked it up and are enjoying it as well.
Stay safe and live well.
Unofficial 5p language dependency meter - should you pick a copy in another language?
2p. Icon/colour/number dependent, 1p text dependent, 0p reading dependent - 0
1p Minimal verbal communication / Full cooperative - 1
1p Available rule book in different languages - 1
1p Zero cultural/political aggression - 0
-1p Multiple modern mechanisms - 1
Final language dependency: 1p. Find a copy in a language that your group speaks fluently.
Cheers for doing these. It really helps to have some bilingual do it
@@3MBG happy to. I'll try to improve the format so it will read in less than 3 minutes :)
love that youre able to tell all this info in 3 mins ! awesome work
Awesome. I understand games with your help 🤯
Just came accross your channel, you rock man. Subbed :)
I'm generally a filthy casual, but since finding your channel have been getting more and more into gaming regularly (responsibly of course - our city is on lockdown)
I've wanted this game since I came across the review 6 months ago and finally got it today! Feel like I have leveled up!
No such thing as a filthy casual :)
Will you be covering the Jagged Earth expansion, when it releases?
Unknown. I've asked for a copy, have no received a response to date
Any update on this?
What game would you recommend that's similar to Spirit Island but less complex?
Tricky question, as there isn't anything quite like spirit island in terms of theme and mechanically, its a little different to most just because of how distinctive each players actions are in the co-operative experience.
I'd say Defenders of the Realm might be the closest thing to a Spirit Island as far as a simple version of the game mechanically, while acknowledging that they are really different games.
This ominous music is way too much lmao
Lol, i dunno, colonialism is pretty ominous stuff.
@@3MBG I agree, music ramping up, when unnecessary, and trying to follow your voice was very difficult. I enjoy your videos and this doesn’t change my perspective of you or your channel, just trying to Offer helpful feedback.
The design of this board is excellent and doesn't seem to be available in the market now. Can you please confirm which version this is?
This is the board that comes with every version of spirit island. The board is double sided. Most people only ever show the high contrast beginners side of the board. But every version of the game also has the thematic version on the other side.
How do you get the mat used in this video?
I'm not sure I know what you mean. No mat was used in the video, other than a black table cloth. All components shown are in the game box as far as i'm aware. If you're thinking about the green side of the board, that's just one side of the board, the other is brightly coloured.
@@3MBG The gamemat at 0:31. It's different than the regular ones.
Ah, that's just the back of the board. Its double sided.
One side is bright regions, and is for learning the game. The other side, the one I used, is green and uses the more advanced rules and setup. I used it because it looks better. But tis just the board pieces sitting on a black table cloth. Nothing additional and Its in the box
@@3MBG Everybody else shows the other side. But this side is much nicer.
I know right. It does use some stuff from the expansion, which is one of the reasons people use it in vids I suspect.
And its far easier to see which regions are what type.
But this one looks SO much better.
There is a playmat for 6 players in that style as well.
Me and my brother are new to board games like these, we've played a handful lot of videogames like RPGs and turn based tactics and we want to try Spirit Island is it too complex for us?
Its certainly at the high end of complexity for board games. But it does come with a lot of modules you can add slowly.
For example, if you start off with low complexity spirits, using the recommended power progression cards, you can ease into the game. I'd also recommend checking out a "how to play" video if you get stuck
@@3MBG i see so its possible to make the game less complex at the start nice to know :))
What about replayability?
A bunch. Each spirit plays differently, and they work together in combination differently. Then there are scenarios and invader types which change up the game.
And then, there are the expansions, which add more spirits and powers.
I don't think you can get bored of the game easily, unless the core idea of it doesn't work for you (which is possible for any game)
Ryan Gonzales
If you are motivated enough you can definitely enjoy the game as your first complex board game. Re-playability is really high.
If you follow the recommendation of the rule book and start with less complex Spirits and if you are using the power progression cards then it can get in to the game easier.
I strongly recommend The rules explanations from “JonGetsGames” channel . This way you can learn the rules easier and you use the rule book as reference to review single details.
It’s a great game 😁
I second the "jon gets games" video recommendation. He's one of my 3 "goto" channels, along with Watch it played and Gaming Rules.
What card sleeves do you use?
The FFG ones.
I know they're 2 different games, but which one is easier to play: Arkham horror or Spirit island? It's gotta be the latter right?
I learned them 12 years apart, so not really a good judge.
This game is so good.
Really well done and concise, you've got another sub for sure.
Cheers Orayne. That was the first vid I ever did too. Hopefully, you find some of the later ones improve in quality.
Is this game only co-op? or can it be played competitively?
No, its a pure co-op. And as far as i am aware there are no plans to add a competitive mode
@@3MBG Thanks for clearing that up bud :D
Kudos !!
Hello! My friend finally ordered this game but since he is a moron, he bought the original game and the Jagged earth expansion, but he forgot the Branch and claw expansion :D . Do you think the new expansion will be playable without it?
Not sure, jagged earth hasnt arrived for me yet
Yup. It can be played without B&C
I actually prefer skipping branch and claw as the two spirits seem the least interesting to me.
@@billable1861 ok but the expansion also adds a bunch of new event, fear and blight cards and also minor and major powers
Have u tried the PC version? If yes, what do you think about it?
Spent about 40 hours on it. It's very well done, but still just the core game at this stage. Really looking forward to when they add the bonus tokens and stuff from Branch and Claw
I'm new into this board game world and I'm searching for some interesting games to buy, so your channel instantly became my "goto" channel, really well done!
I want a nice game to play solo and I really like the core ideia of Spirit Island and Mage Knight. I know they are not probably the perfect choice for a beginner, but if you had to pick one, which one would it be? Thank you and congrats on the awesome content!
Spirit island. I think it has a stronger theme thats connected to its gameplay more than Mage Knight, but is comparable in terms of replayability and game decisions. Mage Knight for me is a great mechanical game, that feels a little robotic at times.
Still, both are classic heavy weight solos
Why does this board look so cool? This isn’t the one from the retail version, is it? The board is the main reason I’ve stayed away from this one. But that board you have looks amazing
That board is in the retail version. The board pieces are double sided, and the green side has markers on it used in the expansions. The hi-visibility side is really just for learning the game, oh, and if you want each player board to be equal.
This game should come with the tagline "Because the real monster is imperialism."
Yes!
The Game looks like fun, just got it today. Unfortunately the manual included with it is TOTAL SHIT.
Hahahaha, yeah, not the best
I wish the art and components weren't so damn ugly
I dont mind the art, the components are pretty average in places though.
Did not like this game at all. Found it boring, and felt Pandemic on the board.
To each their own, but the decision space is considerably more open than pandemic
Not a fan. I feel no immersion in this game and it played out pretty much the same way every time. Haven’t lost a game yet and it always feels like your about to lose… then you win. Can’t see what all the fuss is about personally.
are you playing it solo, with 1 spirit on basic difficulty?
Should I as an European be triggered by this game? : )
Some folks clearly are. I've had essays written in my comments about it by some upset European dudes.
@@3MBG Hehe, weird. I can assure you that you ain't going to get that from me.