Game Review: Forbidden Island (Carson Bauer)

Was it fun?

I do believe that forbidden island was a fun game, although it was difficult to understand at first. But after the learning curve was gone, I enjoyed playing it and avoiding the flood.

What were the player interactions?

The player interactions consisted of handing your teammates different artifacts, and moving your teammates with an action if you are able to.

Would you play it again?

I wouldn’t go out of my way to play it again, but if someone else asked me if I wanted to play it, I would play.

How long did it take to learn?

It took us about 15 minutes to understand the rules and get the game setup. After about 5 minutes of gameplay, we were more or less smooth sailing.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

In the beginning, everything starts out easy and you are moving around the board to collect artifacts. Middle of the game, locations start to flood and the clock is ticking to get out. At the end of the game you get to the helicopter pickup spot, and leave the game in order to win.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

The whole game is collaborative rather than competitive, since you are working together to gather all the artifacts and leave the game board. To collaborate, you can give your teammates different artifact cards in order to get 4 of the same card to collect the artifact. Once you have all 4, you can go to the landing zone and take the helicopter to leave and win.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?

The metaphor to me is that you are on a “Forbidden Island” and that you aren’t allowed there so the different locations start to flood as you gather the artifacts. For the mechanics that standout, I like the aspect of the water level, and however deep the water level is is how many flood cards you have to draw, making the game move even faster and making it more intense.