Impression
• Let’s start by tradition with the publication and design. Everything is fine here, although the box could be smaller. Inside there is a plastic organizer, although not very functional. I saw opinions that the cards are too thin, but I don’t even shuffle them almost, and they lie on the table all the time of the game, so I personally have no complaints here.
Building chips are cool, bright, especially cool, how many of them and how different they are. But here I just came across a marriage: one of the orange buildings was split in half. I glued it, but I’m sure you can replace it in support if you care.
The illustrations on the cards are nice, but I don’t really like the design of the box when you start looking at it.
• The mechanics here are interesting and even unusual: I don’t even know how to call them in familiar terms. The essence of the game is that every turn you get some kind of resource (either you choose which one yourself, or you take what your opponents call) and put it on a small 4×4 field.
When the resources on the cells make up a certain pattern corresponding to the building, you can “collapse” them in order to build this building on one of the cells. So, “Tiny Cities” is a spatial Tetris in which the field is gradually filled with figures and there is less and less space for construction. Very clearly, I can imagine this game on a mobile device, but it also plays well live.
Several people have said that the rules sound boring, but once you start playing, you quickly get hooked. At first it is completely incomprehensible where and how to start, but then you get used to it. The most interesting thing here is in a smart spatial puzzle, in the need to build as many buildings as possible in a very small area, because they bring points. And at the same time, do not put a pig on yourself by blocking the cells so that it will be impossible to build new buildings.
But also the rivals are not asleep and constantly name the wrong resources that you now need, and they lie on the field like a dead weight! Although the game takes place for everyone almost literally “in their own garden”, but due to this choice of resources at the table, it can be quite hot. There is also an option here when the choice of resources is at the mercy of a deck of cards, and it also plays well.
In general, one of those “fillers” that make you really think, and several moves ahead, and pleasantly rack your brains.
• I must say that in “Tiny Towns” not only several types of buildings, but also each has several options, that is, the replay value here is high due to new combinations of buildings every game. I love that, and it’s a big plus for a game plan that keeps things fresh.
• In terms of the number of players, Tiny Towns is good and fast with any number of players playing at the same time. Only the more people, the less often you will choose a resource yourself. We didn’t play together, not the game plan for me to play a duel, but many people in the comments on Instagram said that it is played well, either with a hard cut of the resources the opponent needs or a little softer: with the option when the resources are determined by the deck.
• In terms of age, it seems to me that the 14+ indicated on the box seem to be an exaggeration. Quite a game with children from 8-10 years old, if they have board game experience.
• Of the shortcomings, I noticed the ambiguity and unusualness of some buildings (you build-build, and the exhaust is small or situational compared to others), this also applies to personal monuments – some seem to be more universal and stronger than others. Well, many complain about the strategy through the cottages, when you just beat them one by one and score points with a shovel, but I can neither confirm nor deny this.
Conclusion
Tiny Cities is an addictive space puzzle game. Fast, thought-provoking, versatile. A big plus is that it is played well up to 6 people and at the same time it does not lengthen in time due to simultaneous moves, there are really few such games on the market.
The game pleasantly puzzles, forcing you to imagine several moves in advance in your mind, such a strategic approach is a rarity for fillers. The game is non-conflict (apart from the game for two, they say, you can mess up there), but there is no feeling that other players are not needed, because they determine what resources will be available, including you. In general, a very nice box, I bet 7.75
