I love the game and when I am through the campaign 2, or 3 times I will put it on my shelf till I forgot the most and then play it again. For me, it feels like a good TV series that I want to rewatch every couple of years. I finished it for the first time today and can't wait to play it again. I can understand the complaints other people have, but I'm a role player and I love the game for the adventure book style.
I initially soured on it as I bought it for my daughter and me to play it but there is one ending which would defo give her nightmares which pissed me off as it was never mentioned in the ks. That said I did like it solo and it certainly kept its value 😊
For me, this is one of the best gaming experiences I ever had. I love the ease of play, it's really about the journey, it's dark and heavy, and it made me feel things I never did in any game. This War of Mine came close, but for me this was something special. You describe it as a fun charming game, but for me it's so far from that, it's heavy, it's deep and if you get into the story you actually might cry. I really think we experienced this game in a totally different way. Mechanically I get you, but the way you talk about it almost makes me think we played something completely different. You're saying it's maybe fun to play with your kids, but how I experienced this, my kid has to be at least 12 or so to let them play this game, like I said, it's dark and heavy... Not the gameplay, but the story. And this might be a critique actually, it's really not what it looks like at first sight. But man I love it and I'll play it again with my girlfriend and let my friends play it with their girlfriends and talk about the experiences we had. To each their own, but if you love breezy gameplay combines with an awesome emotional story, pick this up! Just know what you're getting into...
It's a relatively old video. However if anyone comes across this comment please, please, do yourself a favor. Go, open the game and read all chapter 5 endings and you will understand some things you didn't before. It's "cheating" but since you are not going to play it again it's perfectly fine. It's not just a board game, it's a treasure box. Trust me :)
I was mortified by the ending that I got. It is my worst rated game I've played and some scenarios took so many times. It was already sad with the 3rd to last outcome I got with Eila's "friend"
Alex, this is a great review. I've played through Eila and your review very closely parallels my experience. I really enjoyed the experience of playing this but I'm not sure that I would do it again. I would like to play it again but there's not much more to unlock relative to the time that it would take. I would give it a 4 out of 5. However, like you, I would recommend that, if you can, borrow or trade for the game. It's a bit pricey for amount of gameplay and the relatively low level of replay-ability. I still really enjoyed the experience though. It's very much like an escape room game. If I could forget everything I knew and play again, I would definitely do it again.
Like many people I really enjoyed the experience of playing Eila, I got it from the KS campaign a couple years ago and played it with my boyfriend. I'm not angry about the ending(s) but I am really disappointed. The story reminded me of an otome game-like experience where the first time you play you almost always get a bad ending first except I didn't know to expect it. I feel there are so many different directions they could have gone and still had multiple endings available which would have created a better gaming experience. I honestly love the charm, choose your own adventure and the accessibility of it. If another game was made using this same game system I would probably buy it in a heartbeat.
Chapter breakdown is pretty much this: Prologue = skippable Chapter 1 = basic Chapters 2-4 = enjoyable Chapter 5 = NIGHTMARE! It was punishment rather than actual challenge. Like, how did people actually beat it (without cheating)? I either ran out of time or ran out of resources. In the end I just pretended I beat them just to see how many battles there were in a row and what the ending was like - jikes!
@@nikosmessis I read all endings, my issue is less about the ending of the story (though it does kinda suck if you unintentionally do anything the game considers immoral as you immediately are locked out of one of the endings, no redemption possible). My main issue is the mechanism of the last chapter. You are punished and then punished some more. Your supply fills up with fear (and if you don't have the correct item from the early game to manage fear you are completely out of luck), the battles require far more than the dice rolls can give you and there are so many in the row that even if you manage to get through with some inventory space left for usuable resources they are completely depleted long before you are able to get to the last battle, let alone able to actually beat it. The game has looong since left the collection.
@@mkitten13 if you actually do not make "immoral choices" there is very little battle in the last chapter! Also the hidden ending, I think actually explains the meaning behind all this!
@@nikosmessis I did a full replay, making sure I did zero immoral choices (and even the first time around the "immoral" choice I made was very accidental as I misread a card) and still got 6 battles, so that is complete BS
@@mkitten13 there is not a single reason to be rude. I played the game with moral choices and had no problem winning some easy fights in the end. In the second playthrough with a different group, they made the bad choices and still won all of the battles using the correct spells and items.
@@BoardGameCo I can’t say what happens due to spoilers but it’s a lot more than just a storyline. It answers the question “what is the point of all this” in a creative and emotional way. At least do yourself the favor of peeking in the booklets and seeing what would unlock 😅
@@BoardGameCo Agree with the other poster. I can totally understand the feeling (and might feel the same way if I put in all that effort and got a "bad" ending and the game was like, "just play again"). If you're not going to play again, just read the other "good" ending for the final chapter, I agree that if you don't a large portion of the experience is ending. And I also agree it's not great for the designer to make you replay the entire game to be able to see it if you didn't have an optimal playthrough the first time.
Adored this game. I enjoyed it being lightweight but yes I did have to restart the game because I didn’t gather enough or right items to continue. The combat definitely could have been better. That being said my experience in this game was fantastic I just wish replayability was high. It’s on the shelf until I forget some stuff about it 😂
I got to demo this at PAX, I almost bought it but I decided to pass. It just seemed way too light for me, and with the few chapters, I didn’t think it was worth it. If it goes on sale or I find it for cheap I will probably give it a shot though.
I played this with my wife, and to me playing with a loved one is the peak way to play this, the collaboration, and adding to the weight of the story took it to another level. She literally cried at the end of the game, and it's her favorite game ever. I find it a little weird that in Alex's entire ending review, he doesn't talk about the emotional weight of the story, which for me, is the draw. Just say "It's a choose your own adventure with some mechanics" is like saying an Oscar winning movie is a "a cop drama movie set in Asia". The story IS the game, and the way the mechanics meld with the story is what makes it special. See that Meg rated it in her top 20. You can't review an emotionally weighty memorable story like a toaster. Though I fully do agree with "except for the ending", I think it's not too much of a spoiler to say, there is one "best" ending, and then a number of not best endings that might kinda make you feel like you "lost" even though you went through the whole game. I would also caution people from playing with kids just because "it's charming" as it has some very dark themes including loss, horror elements etc. It's 12+ on the box. So again, to me, it's a great adults couples game, especially played with a more casual gamer.
I didn't feel that much of an emotional weight. I understand that some might, but for me there were too many things that made the experience feel by the numbers as opposed to an oscar winning movie. For me I did feel punch in the gut moment of "congrats for playing this game....also you lost. Not that there's anyway you could know to have done anything differently...but you lost." I'm happy it worked for you, for me I recommend playing it, but not buying it until you've played it.
@@BoardGameCo That's fair. I think the main issue is that the most emotional weighty way to experience the game is to experience that best ending on the first playthrough, but that's actually quite challenging and most people will have a sub optimal experience, which is an issue with the design for sure. And most will not play through again to get that ending and thus we'll just end with pretty sour experience
I really enjoyed Eila. I played it three times in one week and then sold it for close to what I bought it for. Definitely got my moneys worth but I never need to play it again.
I love the game and when I am through the campaign 2, or 3 times I will put it on my shelf till I forgot the most and then play it again.
For me, it feels like a good TV series that I want to rewatch every couple of years.
I finished it for the first time today and can't wait to play it again.
I can understand the complaints other people have, but I'm a role player and I love the game for the adventure book style.
I'm glad you're enjoying it :)
I initially soured on it as I bought it for my daughter and me to play it but there is one ending which would defo give her nightmares which pissed me off as it was never mentioned in the ks. That said I did like it solo and it certainly kept its value 😊
Eila is such a charming game and I hope more people become aware of it and get to try it out.
For me, this is one of the best gaming experiences I ever had. I love the ease of play, it's really about the journey, it's dark and heavy, and it made me feel things I never did in any game. This War of Mine came close, but for me this was something special. You describe it as a fun charming game, but for me it's so far from that, it's heavy, it's deep and if you get into the story you actually might cry. I really think we experienced this game in a totally different way. Mechanically I get you, but the way you talk about it almost makes me think we played something completely different. You're saying it's maybe fun to play with your kids, but how I experienced this, my kid has to be at least 12 or so to let them play this game, like I said, it's dark and heavy... Not the gameplay, but the story. And this might be a critique actually, it's really not what it looks like at first sight. But man I love it and I'll play it again with my girlfriend and let my friends play it with their girlfriends and talk about the experiences we had. To each their own, but if you love breezy gameplay combines with an awesome emotional story, pick this up! Just know what you're getting into...
It's a relatively old video.
However if anyone comes across this comment please, please, do yourself a favor. Go, open the game and read all chapter 5 endings and you will understand some things you didn't before.
It's "cheating" but since you are not going to play it again it's perfectly fine.
It's not just a board game, it's a treasure box. Trust me :)
I got a copy today!!! The box is not organized by chapters wtf
I was mortified by the ending that I got. It is my worst rated game I've played and some scenarios took so many times. It was already sad with the 3rd to last outcome I got with Eila's "friend"
Ya....it feels like a bizarre twist.
Alex, this is a great review. I've played through Eila and your review very closely parallels my experience. I really enjoyed the experience of playing this but I'm not sure that I would do it again. I would like to play it again but there's not much more to unlock relative to the time that it would take. I would give it a 4 out of 5. However, like you, I would recommend that, if you can, borrow or trade for the game. It's a bit pricey for amount of gameplay and the relatively low level of replay-ability. I still really enjoyed the experience though. It's very much like an escape room game. If I could forget everything I knew and play again, I would definitely do it again.
Like many people I really enjoyed the experience of playing Eila, I got it from the KS campaign a couple years ago and played it with my boyfriend. I'm not angry about the ending(s) but I am really disappointed. The story reminded me of an otome game-like experience where the first time you play you almost always get a bad ending first except I didn't know to expect it. I feel there are so many different directions they could have gone and still had multiple endings available which would have created a better gaming experience. I honestly love the charm, choose your own adventure and the accessibility of it. If another game was made using this same game system I would probably buy it in a heartbeat.
Chapter breakdown is pretty much this:
Prologue = skippable
Chapter 1 = basic
Chapters 2-4 = enjoyable
Chapter 5 = NIGHTMARE!
It was punishment rather than actual challenge. Like, how did people actually beat it (without cheating)? I either ran out of time or ran out of resources. In the end I just pretended I beat them just to see how many battles there were in a row and what the ending was like - jikes!
Please, do yourself a favor. Go, open the game and read both other endings and you will understand some things you didn't before. Trust me :)
@@nikosmessis I read all endings, my issue is less about the ending of the story (though it does kinda suck if you unintentionally do anything the game considers immoral as you immediately are locked out of one of the endings, no redemption possible). My main issue is the mechanism of the last chapter. You are punished and then punished some more. Your supply fills up with fear (and if you don't have the correct item from the early game to manage fear you are completely out of luck), the battles require far more than the dice rolls can give you and there are so many in the row that even if you manage to get through with some inventory space left for usuable resources they are completely depleted long before you are able to get to the last battle, let alone able to actually beat it. The game has looong since left the collection.
@@mkitten13 if you actually do not make "immoral choices" there is very little battle in the last chapter! Also the hidden ending, I think actually explains the meaning behind all this!
@@nikosmessis I did a full replay, making sure I did zero immoral choices (and even the first time around the "immoral" choice I made was very accidental as I misread a card) and still got 6 battles, so that is complete BS
@@mkitten13 there is not a single reason to be rude. I played the game with moral choices and had no problem winning some easy fights in the end.
In the second playthrough with a different group, they made the bad choices and still won all of the battles using the correct spells and items.
If you have not played until the “right ending”, you haven’t experienced this game to the full. That ending was mindblowing for me.
I refuse to do it again just for the sake of funding the right ending.
@@BoardGameCo I can’t say what happens due to spoilers but it’s a lot more than just a storyline. It answers the question “what is the point of all this” in a creative and emotional way. At least do yourself the favor of peeking in the booklets and seeing what would unlock 😅
@@BoardGameCo Agree with the other poster. I can totally understand the feeling (and might feel the same way if I put in all that effort and got a "bad" ending and the game was like, "just play again"). If you're not going to play again, just read the other "good" ending for the final chapter, I agree that if you don't a large portion of the experience is ending. And I also agree it's not great for the designer to make you replay the entire game to be able to see it if you didn't have an optimal playthrough the first time.
Adored this game. I enjoyed it being lightweight but yes I did have to restart the game because I didn’t gather enough or right items to continue. The combat definitely could have been better. That being said my experience in this game was fantastic I just wish replayability was high. It’s on the shelf until I forget some stuff about it 😂
I got to demo this at PAX, I almost bought it but I decided to pass. It just seemed way too light for me, and with the few chapters, I didn’t think it was worth it. If it goes on sale or I find it for cheap I will probably give it a shot though.
I played this with my wife, and to me playing with a loved one is the peak way to play this, the collaboration, and adding to the weight of the story took it to another level. She literally cried at the end of the game, and it's her favorite game ever. I find it a little weird that in Alex's entire ending review, he doesn't talk about the emotional weight of the story, which for me, is the draw. Just say "It's a choose your own adventure with some mechanics" is like saying an Oscar winning movie is a "a cop drama movie set in Asia". The story IS the game, and the way the mechanics meld with the story is what makes it special. See that Meg rated it in her top 20. You can't review an emotionally weighty memorable story like a toaster. Though I fully do agree with "except for the ending", I think it's not too much of a spoiler to say, there is one "best" ending, and then a number of not best endings that might kinda make you feel like you "lost" even though you went through the whole game. I would also caution people from playing with kids just because "it's charming" as it has some very dark themes including loss, horror elements etc. It's 12+ on the box. So again, to me, it's a great adults couples game, especially played with a more casual gamer.
I didn't feel that much of an emotional weight. I understand that some might, but for me there were too many things that made the experience feel by the numbers as opposed to an oscar winning movie. For me I did feel punch in the gut moment of "congrats for playing this game....also you lost. Not that there's anyway you could know to have done anything differently...but you lost."
I'm happy it worked for you, for me I recommend playing it, but not buying it until you've played it.
@@BoardGameCo That's fair. I think the main issue is that the most emotional weighty way to experience the game is to experience that best ending on the first playthrough, but that's actually quite challenging and most people will have a sub optimal experience, which is an issue with the design for sure. And most will not play through again to get that ending and thus we'll just end with pretty sour experience
what sleeves do you use from the big cards
I really enjoyed Eila. I played it three times in one week and then sold it for close to what I bought it for. Definitely got my moneys worth but I never need to play it again.
I both really appreciate it and don't need to play it again