Was it fun?
After playing Pandemic, I was able to understand the vision of Forbidden Island more, and found it fun to play.
What were the player interactions?
Our group adapted pretty quickly and were able to focus on using each other’s abilities to move around the board and collect the treasures.
How long did it take to learn?
The learning curve was not long at all. That was because we had played Pandemic, which has a similar turn cycle.
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
I am not sure if it was because we set the game too easy, or luck, but we had pretty much collected all the necessary treasures before the flood cards were drawn.
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
I did like the stakes of the game. The idea that the island is flooding and sinking below us as we move made the game immersive and the stakes higher.
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
I wanted to move diagonally, but we found out that only certain roles can move.
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything
from the experience, what would it be?
I would add more spaces, and maybe more treasures. It could be my bias coming straight from Pandemic, but the play-space felt small. It did not take many moves to reach each others or the treasures’ locations.
Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why
I would like to play this game. I not only to finish it, but see how difficult the game can be.
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
The first act would be first setting on the island and familiarizing ourselves with our roles and capabilities. Since the spawns are random, we plan ahead and make moves to each other to swap cards. The middle act involves us moving to the treasure locations, shoring up flooded areas as we went. The final act would be attempting to reach the helicopter before the island flooded and sank (we did not get to that part yet).
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?
Much like Pandemic, Forbidden Island has a large win and lose state. The goal is to collect all treasures and make it off the island safely. If we do not escape before the island floods and sinks, we lose. We were forced to collaborate to combine our roles’ skillets. Like pandemic, we did not compete with each other much.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
I believe that Forbidden Island had a similar mechanic to Pandemic: that working together often gets things done quicker. It would be difficult to collect the cards needed for each treasure individually, so the game incentivizes you to work together.