Gamewright - Forbidden Island - Cooperative Strategy Survival Board Game, 2-4 Players

We're on a bit of a cooperative board game kick lately, and Forbidden Island did NOT disappoint! After loving Pandemic, we were looking for something similar, and this one was a blast. The whole "island sinking" thing really amps up the tension – you're constantly scrambling to keep tiles from flooding while trying to find the treasures. It's a really fun and unique mechanic.We played with four players, and it was the perfect amount of challenge. Each player has a different role with special abilities, so you really have to communicate and work together to succeed. There were definitely some tense moments where we thought we were going to get swamped, but we managed to pull through in the end! It was a really satisfying feeling to escape with all the treasures.The game is easy to learn, but there's still plenty of strategy involved. It's perfect for a family game night or a get-together with friends. We loved that it's cooperative, so everyone's working towards a common goal. If you're looking for a fun and engaging game that will have you on the edge of your seat, Forbidden Island is a great choice. Highly recommend it! Five stars!

Plenty of people have done an admirable job of explaining the games in their reviews, so this is instead an attempt at a comparison between a number of games, the pros and cons of each and which may suit different people best. The games in question are: Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, Castle Panic, Smallworld, and Forbidden Island.We have had Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne (with a number of expansion packs) for quite a few years now, and only recently added the other games above. We usually either play just as two adults, or with our two older children (age 9 and 8), and so our conclusions are based on how these games work in those settings. So here's what we've found:Settlers of CatanWe got this around the same time as Carcassonne and initially just didn't latch onto it. Partly it's that it's supposed to be 3 players or more, and we often play as just two of us. Once we found online some instructions for playing as 2 players it came out more often, and as time's gone by it's become fairly 50-50 whether we play Settlers or Carcassonne on a quiet night in. The choice will usually depend on how much we want to think. With Settlers, you're always planning and calculating; with Carcassonne, you're taking it a card at a time.Who should get it: Settlers is well-known as one of the great modern games. I'm not as sold on it as some people, and it takes quite a while to learn and feel comfortable with, but once you get the hang of it, it is an entertaining and enjoyable addition to a games collection. There are several 2-player rule variations out there if you need them and they work well (we found one that worked for us and we've stuck to it). But this isn't a game for kids; I would suspect not until they're 16 or so. Amongst other things, I think they'll find it too dull.CarcassonneThis has been a favorite for years now, and everyone we've played it with has gone off to get it themselves. We usually play without farms because it then becomes less directly competitive and more sociable. Kids can play it, adults can play it, it's relaxed, it's fun and it's simple to learn. Here's one nice thing about it: you don't have to be constantly thinking and planning ahead. You don't know what card you're going to draw next time, so you just play one card at a time. You're encouraged to discuss where to put a card, and since you don't know what piece you're getting next, your comments to another player are usually pretty unbiased.Who should get it: In my experience, pretty much anyone, except those who want ultra-competitive games. The first few expansion packs are also well worth getting, but don't bother with anything from Mayor onward.Castle PanicThe kids love this one, again it's simple to learn and it has the added bonus of allowing them to get out their aggressive instincts and go postal on monsters! They don't like the `master slayer' option, but prefer just straight cooperative play. After the first few plays, I've found the basic game is too easy, and so we're experimenting with making it more challenging, such as starting with no walls, or drawing 3 monster cards at a time instead of 2. I think Castle Panic will become a game that we get out pretty regularly to play.Who should get it: People with kids, who want to play cooperative games. Could be fun as a party game too!SmallworldWhile the kids have enjoyed playing this, I think their interest is starting to wane already. I suspect it will work better as a game with a group of adults, or when the kids are older. It has a lot going for it, especially the creative cards and board, but as others have noted - what's with the box for the tokens? Very poorly designed and adds unnecessary annoyance. Most of the time when playing we've found it's not too directly competitive, it's easier to attack lost tribes or declining races, so generally it doesn't get too personal!Who should get it: I think this would make a fun addition to a games collection, but I don't think it would be a go-to game, especially with kids. The rules are more complicated to learn and explain than the other games, and this makes it hard to just sit down with new players and get on with a game. Having said that, we've enjoyed playing it , and I think it'll get pulled out every now and then over the years.Forbidden IslandAlthough the kids would prefer Castle Panic, when we've played Forbidden Island (at my insistence!) they've thoroughly enjoyed it. As the island starts to collapse in a heap toward the end of the game, the tension levels rise and people are on the edge of their seats! The game always ends with voices rising in pitch and tension as cards get turned over - it's fun! It's a pure cooperative game, and that works well for us as a family - no one feels bad, we're all in it together. We're still using the `Normal' level of play, maybe we'll notch up a level soon!Who should get it: If you like cooperative games, I think this is excellent to have. I love how easy it is to set different difficulty levels, and it's definitely the game that's had the most excited tension - Castle Panic has this at times, but not sustained (at least as the basic game). It doesn't have the whole monster thing going for it that Castle Panic does, and I think that's why the kids haven't latched onto it so quickly (kill trolls or wander round an island getting treasure - which is your average kid going to choose?) but I suspect that long-term it'll have more staying power.

You're on a quest to retrieve the four lost treasures from an island that sinks as you journey on it. Will you make it out or will the island swallow you whole?Rules (trying to keep it short):Basically, this is a co-op game of your players (2-4) vs. the island, removing the element of competition with each other but retaining it against the island. The island is set up of tiles which start flooding before the game even starts. A tile that is flooded once gets into flooded state (which has a well drawn flooded version on the back). If a flooded tile is flooded, it gets removed from the game. Players have the ability to dig up a flooded tile, which is essential to winning the game. Each player also represents a character, which gives them a special ability (e.g. the pilot can move to any tile once per turn). Each player can also have up to five treasure cards, which consists of any of the four treasure cards and a few special cards. When a player has more than five cards, he must discard down to five. When a player has four of the same treasure card, he qualifies to retrieve that treasure. The game starts with each player having two.On a player's turn, they can take three actions, an action being:1) move to a nearby tile2) restore a flooded tile3) retrieve a treasure (must be on the treasure's tile and have four cards of that treasure)4) give a card to another player on the same tile5) special ability that your character hasAfter making actions, the player draws two treasure cards and then has to draw an amount of flood cards based on the flood meter. The flood meter starts off at a level (default is 2, although one can change this) and increases in the game if a player draws the waters rise treasure card. The waters rise treasure card also causes flooded cards to reshuffle ON TOP OF the flood deck, meaning that any recently flooded tiles may quickly become removed. This card adds a level of excitement to the game and has caused us to hold our breath quite a few times. When all four treasures are retrieved, all players must go to the helicopter tile and one player uses a special treasure card to win. Losing occurs when the wrong tiles flood.Thoughts:Forbidden Island is a game that I was unsure of when I first tested it on my own. However, bringing other people in and setting a mentality of "The Island is out to get us" really adds a level of enjoyment to the game. The game also has pretty nice artwork of the tile and its flooded versions, making it nice to look at.One thing that's really neat about the game is that it's not static. To make the game more difficult, one can start off with a higher flood meter, which can dramatically change how the game moves. There are also variations on the game, which chiefly consist of setting up the island different from how the rulebook says (see [...]. I've even seen a variation where a player's starting tile can be used to teleport that player back if someone else lands there.Gameplay is quick, generally taking only thirty minutes. Cleanup is pretty quick too. It's not hard to want to play again afterward.