Greater Than Games | Horizons of Spirit Island | Cooperative Strategy Board Game | 1 to 3 Players | 90+ Minutes | Ages 14+

Customer reviews

• AndyMay 31, 2023

  I'm honestly not sure how this game is on here since it's supposed to be Target exclusive but I digress!This is an incredibly fun standalone game of Sprit Island. It's somewhat of an appetizer for the full game and let's you decide whether or not you want to continue on to buy Spirit Island or if you're fine with this version. For $30, you really can't beat the quality of the game components.The instructions are beautifully printed and easy to follow for new players. You can also play this stand-alone so if you're like me and want to play board games way more than your friends/ family, you can always play some rounds on your own.Overall, great game and beautifully designed.

• J&SMay 29, 2023

  I played this solo and at the two player count so this review reflects those games.Rules 5/5The game comes with two rulebooks - one is a quick start guide that walks you through step-by-step on how to play and the other is the full rulebook with in-depth explanations. They did a great job on both and the game is very easy to learn once you get a turn or two under your belt.Components 3/5There is nothing really wrong with the components other than they cause the board to get cluttered at times, especially during the latter stages of a game. They are your standard cardboard pieces with some of the player pieces being wood discs. The cards are a good quality and feel like they will last a long time. The board is standard thickness and works functionally well aside from the cluttering issue I mentioned above. It seems like they should have made the board a little bigger or the pieces that go on it a little smaller.Gameplay 5/5The game turn is played over five phases, but none of them are hard from a functional standpoint. However, this is not an easy game to master as you need to get used to the rhythm and how to build powerful card combos in order to get ahead. Basically, you have a turn set up phase where you gain income and buy cards. Then, there is a fast phase where you can only take actions that match that symbol. The invaders take the next portion and you follow the steps for them to set you back. You then get a slow phase where you can only take actions that match that symbol. Finally, you clean everything up and do it all over again. The win conditions do change throughout the game based on your "Fear" level, which is determined by a deck of cards - the deeper you get into the deck the better the odds that you win. If it runs out completely, you win. The invaders have what is called blight and if they empty out the blight pool, then you lose. Typically blight is placed out after the invaders do at least two damage to an area, but there are also some cards that put it out.Overall Rating 9/10Quite simply this is an awesome game that is challenging and rewarding to play. If you like a cooperative game that makes you think, then this is the one for you. Player interaction exists but usually you are working on your own maps separately to try to win together. You can cross map borders to help out, though. Get this if you have played a game like Pandemic and you want to take the complexity up a notch. The rules are done in such a way to make this easy to recommend to anyone who likes modern board games.

• Your Best Source For Unbiased ReMay 27, 2023

  Beautiful artwork, and quality pieces drew me in, while deep gameplay kept me coming back for more. Though it took me a while to get the hang of it. Like others are saying, this is a pretty tough game to fully figure out and keep everything in your head all at once. But once you can manage that, it's extremely fun.Upon looking it up, there seem to be more games in this series, but they are much harder and more expensive as well. But if you found this too easy, which I doubt you will, know that you can get an even tougher experience, and that the spirits from this game can be used in the core game as well.Although this is great fun with friends, I am extremely happy about an option to play solo. That's how I play most of my games, and so few board games cater to that. It is still very fun, even solo and unlike other games where playing solo is just a different and less fun experience, this plays just the same and it's just as fun.Everything was good quality. I'd recommend this for sure to anyone who loves board games, but not to those who like simpler games for younger teens/kids.

• DAVI TimothéeMay 24, 2023

  Spirit Island - Horizons' father - stands probably as one of the best - if not the best - board game ever designed. The only issue one could have with it is its complexity and modularity: it can repel less experienced board gamers.Horizons does the impossible: it simplifies the game, and deals away with the modularity without sacrificing the game's genius.At the price, you could not hope for a better game. If you loved Pandemic or Catan and want to try a better, "hobby" board game, Horizons is your next step.

• Robert D. WatsonMay 15, 2023

  Spirit Island is a game that I've played, but don't enjoy too much because it's learning curve is fairly steep. As someone who likes to play a lot of different games, I won't spend enough time with this one to cover every nuance in the rules every single time. Horizons, then should be a welcome change - same game, shorter and simpler rule set.It is a bit simplified, and that is a welcome change, but the production quality of this is a little strange. The board is pretty small given the sizes of the pieces, and there are still a large number of cards and bits to deal with in addition to the small essays that you get on your player boards. And while simplified greatly from the original, the rules are still intensely nuanced, and often contradictory.So baby Spirit Island still suffers from a lot of what plagued it's older cousin. A fun game for some, surely, but not for me.

• Szechuan ChickenMay 10, 2023

  I am an avid board / war gamer. I've been playing with my kids whom are now 10 and 14, since they were wee little ones, just out of diapers. This is a great smaller edition of a larger much more time consuming version of the game available currently. Though much of the board has been narrowed down, the gameplay and cooperation is still intact and the fun factor is still top notch. Most of us do not have half to a whole day to use for a board game. Especially when kids have a shorter attention span. Give or take 2 hours is plenty for this edition.This game is similar to many FLGS board games, as it is not "pick up and play", but rather will require some time and effort to understand. Many videos exist already that provide a great breakdown of how to play and what all the components mean. It is a "euro style" (requiring more thought and planning) game.The premises is to work together as spirits and ward off the colonizers.Though this is the smaller brother of the granddaddy of the game, it still contains plenty of fantastic components and it is still top notch.

• KevinMay 9, 2023

  Okay, so there's a lot to remember with this game. I have not played the original version of Spirit Island, and I've read that this is like a slightly simpler and more streamlined version. Well after playing this, I have zero interest in playing the original. If this was the streamlined version, I'm happy sticking with this. I was constantly looking up things in the rulebook during my first two playthroughs, because there's just a lot to remember. This could have been easily avoided by providing some player aids or reference cards. The back of the rulebook does have a TON of helpful information, but because I was constantly needing to look through the rulebook to find specifics, I found myself thinking that it would have been more helpful to have the rules references on some other printed sheets than on the back of the rulebook, which was constantly open. Now, some info about the actual game: You play as Spirits, trying to fend off invaders who are attempting to explore your island, build towns/cities, and in the process end up ravaging the lands. You start the game with hardly any presence on the board, which honestly makes it feel like you're new to the island, just like the invaders. If I am some great Spirit and this island is my home, why do the invaders start with a larger presence on the island than me? The game begins with the invaders growing fairly quickly while you try to slowly pick them off, but they grow at a much faster rate than you do at the start. As the game goes on, you're just trying to avoid losing. But once you hit the late game, you've been able to place presence all over the map and make yourself more powerful. Assuming you survived to the late-game, it's easy to win. The win condition gets easier and easier as time progresses. But honestly, I have a feeling most games won't make it that long.

• Acuario 86May 6, 2023

  Grandiosa compra!Aunque no es el Spirit Island original, su jugabilidad es excelente. Mis grupos de juegos rara vez pasan de tres personas, así que es perfecto para 1-3 jugadores. Los componentes no echan en falta al original (fichas de cartón en ve de casitas e invasores de plástico) de hecho creo que hasta mejor opción en un juego de posicionamiento.Grandioso juego, tiene 5 espíritus para elegir, tiene varios modos de dificultad, muchas cartas para experimentar distintas combinaciones. El juego es fácil de aprender pero requiere su tiempo para dominar. Es de los más satisfactorios que he jugado cuando logras una victoria. Definitivamente lo recomiendo para aquellos que quieren probar el Spirit Island.

• Paul A. MartoranoMay 6, 2023

  In the past, I tried desperately to learn how to play the parent of this game: Spirit Island. Maybe it's a mental block, but I just struggled with all of the nuances and subtleties in the rules. So, when I saw that this game was a more friendly and inexpensive way to ease into the complex ruleset, I thought it would be a great opportunity to give it a second chance.First, let me say that the overall reviews for these games are overwhelmingly positive. I really want to join in and see what everyone is talking about. I was told that the Quickstart guide to Horizons was incredibly well done and would really aid in understanding. So, myself and two friends sat down last evening to conquer mastery of this "diamond in the rough".I quickly noticed that the board is either too small or the pieces are too large. The board becomes quickly populated and it doesn't help when it is hard to tell which areas have which pieces on them. We found that it was almost essential to stack pieces to try and keep things somewhat more organized. That is perhaps the biggest criticism of this game. Why did the play testers not notice this too?And although the Quickstart guide did give us a general idea on how to play, once we had to make decisions on our own, the gameplay quickly deteriorated into having to try to find rule clarifications using the other manual as well as google searches on our phones. We simply could not play this. We are all seasoned gamers and one of us had a little knowledge of this game to begin with. I was disappointed that my second attempt at learning this board game was another failure. I seem to have a little more of an idea, but still not enough to really play it.My next attempt will be to watch as many YouTube videos as I can to be able to understand. I am surprised that this version of the parent game is being pandered to the mass market (Target) as I just feel it is well out of reach to anyone other than hardcore gamers. I shouldn't have to take what I feel is a "course" on learning how to play this. But, I am determined. I think that if an actual person that had a decent grasp of the rules was present to help, I could learn it.For now, I am going to give this game 4 stars in anticipation of it being good when I can someday understand it.

• Michael BirmanApr 29, 2023

  This is apparently the slightly stripped down version of the more expansive original edition of this game. I used to play quite a lot of strategy board games but computer strategy games grabbed my attention for awhile. Lately, however, the quality and diversity of newer strategy board games has piqued my interest and I've begun exploring them again. Offered this version of the popular original, I was eager to try it.As everyone probably knows by now, this game has a fairly difficult learning curve. You can watch videos that will introduce you to the rules of the game but developing a feel for its flow and developing a sense of its strategic nature might take playing as many as 3 or 4 games before your confidence begins to build.There is a single board rather than the more modular design of the original and game pieces are more economically constructed, but from what I've learned, gameplay is essentially the same. From my experience, learning to play on this leaner version is a great way to build your skills and confidence, as well as being slightly faster. There are enough new elements in this version of the game to entice owners of the original to play this one as well.That this game is challenging and fun to play is proven by its popularity. If you're curious and want to enter the world of cooperative strategy games, this one is one of the best ways to start. I also recommend playing your first game or two as a solo player. It's actually an intriguing way to play: what it loses in cooperative play it gains in strengthening your tactical skills. There's a subtle interplay in the cooperative multi-player game that's removed in the solo one. This solo method of play highlights your tactical skills as you develop and implement your strategy. It's an intriguing difference in the way the game is played that should feel familiar to chess players.