About
Forbidden Island is a co-operative race against time board game designed by Matt Leacock. The goal is to collect four ancient artifacts from the island and escape by helicopter. However, as soon as you set foot on the island, it begins to sink into the ocean!
Players draw cards each turn, hoping to get four-of-a-kind for each artifact, while simultaneously trying to stop the island from sinking right under their feet. The fun, fantasy theme of collecting ancient artifacts and escaping a magic island that’s sinking into the sea is an excellent choice for kids and adults alike!
Full disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I get a commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products I truly enjoy, in the hopes that you’ll enjoy them, too.
How Heavy?
This game is light, which means that it’s easy to learn and play.
This Game is Best for…
Kids, parents, parties, and less experienced gamers.
GARLIC
Here at Cedar Creek Games, we rate games based on the GARLIC scale, a 6-point system to give you a good idea whether this game will flavor your collection with delightful taste, or whether it will just stink up the whole house.
A game can score up to 10 points in each of six categories, to give you a well-rounded view of the game. Then, we’ll total up the scores at the end. Let’s go!
Gameplay – 8/10
As mentioned above, this game is an ideal choice for kids (ages 10+), so hardcore gamers may find it less appealing. That being said, as an avid board game lover, I still love this game. It’s easy to learn, and has fun, streamlined gameplay, along with multiple difficulty levels to keep it challenging.
The main strategy is to get the right cards into the right peoples’ hands so that you can capture the four relics and escape the island. The only reason this style of game suffers a bit is that it seems like the more players you have, the more difficult it gets (the opposite of what you’d expect).
You see, the goal is to get four-of-a-kind of one type of relic card into one person’s hand (which lets them recover one artifact). The more people there are scattered around the island, the more cards are being drawn each turn, and the harder it is to get four-of-a-kind to any single person.
That being said, the difference is a slight one, and the game is straightforward enough that this difference isn’t backbreaking.
Artwork – 10/10
The artwork in this game is beautiful! Plain and simple.
Rules – 10/10
Rules are clearly explained in the rulebook, which is laid out in a way that makes sense and is easy to navigate. Different sections help make certain info stand out, and illustrations are used to depict how things work. Bravo!
Luck vs. Strategy – 8/10
The luck in this game comes from which cards you draw to go into your hand, as well as which ones you flip to flood the island each turn. Because the Waters Rise! cards are distributed randomly throughout the flood deck, a string of early Waters Rise! draws can set your team way back before the game really gets going. Conversely, if you don’t draw most of them until late in the game, it can be a breeze.
The combination of all these elements gives it a 50/50 split of luck and strategy. Fortunately, only the most unlucky of breaks will totally knock you out of the game as long as you and your team communicate well and don’t separate too far across the island.
Intuitiveness – 9/10
This one is fairly easy to learn. With the help of the good rulebook, and gameplay designed for kids, it should be pretty easy for just about anyone to jump in.
Component Quality – 10/10
The pieces of this game are outstanding! Not only are all the cards and island tiles durable and well-printed, and not only do they come in an awesome tin with a sectioned container, but there are even custom-molded acrylic pieces to represent the four artifacts! I would give this category an 11 if I could!
Summary
This is a great strategy game that’s also easy to play and learn. Even though it’s geared toward kids, there’s plenty of strategy involved, so that adults can enjoy it too, especially at the higher difficulty levels. Beautiful artwork and components make it easy on the eyes, and it’s all around a good time!
That’s why we’re giving Forbidden Island a GARLIC score of 92%! We strongly recommend dipping your toes into this one.
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