So Terra Mystica is a game I am not too fond of. I think it is okay, but after playing it a handful of times, it just isn't that interesting to me. All the pieces are there, but I think the sum of its parts is greater than the whole. Terra Mystica is a very well regarded game, however, and it has a sequel of sorts in Gaia Project.
Gaia Project is set in space. The goal of the game is to increase your races technology while you terraform and colonise planets on the board. You do this to form federations, get income, and score points. At the end of the game, most points is the winner.
Gaia Project is a very fascinating game. Each of its systems is tied together and feels like it has a good give-and-take. For example, the technology levels don't only give you points and technology, but also make things cheaper and give bonuses. These bonuses can increase your income and make you more efficient, which then let you do other things (such as increase technology) to keep the cycle going.
The changes Gaia Project makes over Terra Mystica makes the game a bit more exciting and gives a bit more freedom. It is still a tight optimisation puzzle, but you can chain up moves allot easier to pull off big plays. The actual board (having blank space between planets) also reinforces this, as it is harder to block people off completely but the focus is still on stealing their planets.
The only downsides are that the rulebook should have a glossary of key terms. The difference between neighbouring, neighbouring area or neighbourhood are huge and take a bit of finding if you need to look them up. The other thing is that the components are plastic. While they are nice, they don't quite have the same timeless wooden feel of Terra Mystica. Analysis Paralysis can also easily set in for players.
This is a very fascinating game. The more I play it the more I enjoy it as I explore the systems. As times is going by, it is slowly climbing its way higher into my favorite games.
5 out of 5 Terraformed Waffles.
No comments:
Post a Comment