Forbidden Island Game by Gamewright

 Forbidden Island is a fun and quick-playing game in which the players attempt to collect four treasures from a sinking island and then escape before the island is all the way underwater. Forbidden Island is a cooperative game meaning the players don't compete against each other but rather work together to achieve their goal. The game is quite similar to a slightly more complicated game called "Pandemic" by the same designer. Forbidden Island seems crafted a bit more toward younger players. It is a good game for families since it gives parents and children a chance to work together while all experiencing the thrill of trying to grab the treasures as the island vanishes into the depths. 

Game play is as follows: First, the island is constructed using the various tiles. There are four treasures to get and each treasure can be obtained from one of two spaces. The players each have a role, such as Pilot, Navigator, or Explorer. There are six roles and since the game plays with 2-4 players, the roles will be different each time. Each role has a special ability which allows it to break a regular rule and part of the challenge is to use the skills of each role together to achieve victory.

On her turn, a player will conduct three actions: Move her piece, shore up a flooded tile, collect a treasure, or give a treasure card to another player. Then, a player draws two treasure cards which will be pictures of one of the four treasures, special action cards (helicopters and sandbags), or a "Waters Rise" card which signals that the water level goes up and the Flood Deck is reshuffled. The last part of each player's turn is to flip cards from the Flood Deck (the number being determined by the water level). When a card is flipped, the tile that is named must be turned over to show that it is flooded or, if already flooded, removed from the island. When the "Waters Rise" card comes up in the Treasure Deck, the used cards in the Flood Deck are shuffled and put back on TOP of the Flood Deck, which means already flooded areas have a greater chance of sinking. 

As the players move around the island, collecting sets of (4) treasure cards to claim each treasure, the dangers are many. If both tiles that would give a treasure sink before that treasure is gained, the game is lost. If any player is on a tile that sinks and there is no adjacent tile to get to, the players lose. If the Fool's Landing tile sinks, there is no way off the island and the players lose. As the water level rises, the number of Flood cards increases to that island spaces begin sinking more quickly!

The game is a clever mix of luck and skill. The players have to work together to coordinate their actions and movements in order to get all four treasures. Danger is somewhat dependent on when the "Waters Rise" cards come up. The Water Level can also be adjusted to a higher line at the start of the game to increase the challenge.

Forbidden Island is a race against the clock where all the players work together. Careful planning will generally result in success but the ever-sinking island is a threat that gives the game an exciting and urgent feel. Children will be especially thrilled by the race to grab the loot before  the island plunges under the waves. The game is good for adults and kids and younger should be able to play fairly easily with guidance from older kids or adults.


Sorry I don't have picture of us playing.  My hubby has them and I will post more later.  This game review is based on playing several times with boys and girls (men and women) 11-40  year olds and then later with 40 and ups.  

GIVEAWAY (over)
1 copy Forbidden Island
USA ENDS 12/15


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