Survive Escape From Atlantis Board Game - Survival Strategy Game, Nautical Adventure Game for Kids & Adults, Ages 8+, 2-4 Players, 45 Minute Playtime, Made by Zygomatic

This is our current favorite game! I like games where you feel that your strategy effects the outcome of the game. It's also good for a game to have some luck so that people of different levels can play and the outcome won't only be decided by strategy. I also like that a lot of the "luck" is actually other player choices. There is very little cooperative gameplay and there's no trading/collecting. It's all about getting the most of your men safe from a sinking Atlantis!The game in a nutshell is one where you save your people, and depending on which people you save will give you a total score that you try to beat everyone else's total score. You can play with two people, but it's really a 3-4 player game (5-6 expansion available but I've not tried it). The goal is to escape a sinking island across the sea to the other islands at the 4 corners of the board. Every turn you get three movements to try and get some of your 10 people to safety. Also every turn you remove one of 40 land tiles. First you remove the sand, then the forest, and then the rock tiles. One of the 8 rock tiles has the volcano which ends the game. Once the game ends, everyone on Atlantis or in the ocean dies and you count up your tiles. Oh, and beware, there are whales, sea creatures and sharks in the water!Pros:-There's variety in the gameplay. Every turn you have up to five things to do and there is a different starting gameplay. You may be able to use a tile from previous gameplay, you get to move your people, you get to take a land tile from the board, you may be able to use that tile immediately, and finally you get to roll a die which lets you move a monster. For as simple a game as it is, there is some real variety in what you're doing! And there's not a single mechanic I dislike.-You can surprise yourself! Each of your people has a different point value from 1-6 on their feet. You only look at the feet at the beginning of the game. If you don't keep track of where what point value is, you may have to wait to the end of the game to see what your score is! Nobody other than you knows the point values at all, so they have no idea how many points they need to beat you! Don't tell my wife, but I turn the biggest point value sideways...-The end of the game has some randomness. Everybody knows the volcano end game tile is somewhere in the rocky ground. But it could be the first rock turned or it could be the last! That add some tension when you get to the rock tiles, and knowing there is an end coming keeps you from playing too defensive of a game.Cons:-It's possible to know you will lose halfway into the game and have to keep playing. You could lose your highest scoring people or even lose all of your people. Then you are supposed to keep playing till the end.-There are a lot of mechanics that encourage revenge play. The players could all gang up against someone too. You can certainly play fair, but there's no mechanic to discourage these tactics.-There are green tiles you can play immediately and red tiles you play your next turn. If you look carefully at the edge of the face down land tiles you can tell whether you're grabbing a green or red tile. I wish the very edge of the bottom of every tile was black so you couldn't tell them apart.We love this game! The adults have played it regularly and the 8 year old son picked up immediately. I'm not sure if the six year old daughter gets it, but I didn't really expect her to. If you like Catan or other casual games, I really suggest this! After you learn how to play it only takes 30-45 minutes. In fact I've not had the game end yet where people didn't want to play a second time!

Captivating Artwork and Components:The visual appeal of this edition is outstanding. The beautifully illustrated tiles, colorful wooden pieces, and robust game board immerse players in the world of Atlantis and create a truly captivating gaming experience.Balanced Gameplay:Survive has always been known for its competitive and engaging gameplay, and this anniversary edition maintains the balance and excitement that fans love. The strategic choices and the element of unpredictability make each playthrough unique.Tension and Thrills:The heart-pounding moments when you're trying to rescue your meeples from sinking Atlantis or strategically using sea creatures to disrupt your opponents create an atmosphere of tension and thrills that are simply exhilarating.Ideal for Most Ages:One of the highlights of Survive is its accessibility for players of all ages. It's a game that can be enjoyed with family, friends, or fellow board game enthusiasts. The rules are easy to grasp, and the fun is endless.

You've found the treasures of Atlantis. But can you get off the sinking island in one piece?Gameplay: Survive is an excellent medium-light strategy game with twists, disasters and miracles at every turn. The tension builds quickly and never slows down, until all of the explorers reach safety or the volcano BLOWS THE WHOLE game up. During setup, you quickly build the island and strategically place your explorers and boats, and cleverly, as each player takes island tiles away to make the island sink, they also get an action that is painted on the other side of the tile. This can be a helpful dolphin or boat, a monster that can be strategically controlled, or a disastrous whirlpool or volcano. Players win by getting the most of their treasure-rich explorers to safety.Pros: Original and accessible theme, Exciting gameplay, super components and box, FUN.Cons: I'm at a loss here, maybe replayability because of the limited actions.Best For: 3-4 players. Pretty much everyone, except little kids.Final Thoughts: Thank you Stronghold Games for republishing this game! It's hard to believe that such an amazing game came out in 1982, and that strategy-devoid roll and move games are more popular than this. It's so easy to learn and with a perfect blend of strategy and luck, it easily hangs with other modern classics. The weight is a little heavier than Ticket to Ride but a little easier than Catan, and anyone who enjoys those will love this as well. You can probably tell that I am in love with this game. Get it before it sinks to the bottom of the out-of-print ocean!