USAopolyAqua Board Game, Fun Strategy Game for Adults and Family, Thematic Oceanic Tile Placement Game, Ages 8+, 1-4 Players, 30-45+ Minute Playtime, Solo and Competitive Modes

Aqua is a great game for anyone who likes nature-themed games, especially games that are easy to follow and not super complex. The first thing you notice about the game is the great artwork on the box. This same artwork is on all tiles and that makes this game very appealing. The box, rulebook and all the tiles are super high quality and don’t get ruined easily, even if you play this a lot.The game itself is super easy to learn and follow the rules. You can probably learn this in about 15 minutes with no problem since the rules are not complex. The game has a good rating so far and it has been completely welcomed in my game group as well.Gameplay:Aqua is a tile drafting and placement game for 1-4 players and lasts 30-45 minutes. It is a simple and quick game to learn and play but it is difficult to master with the requirements of placing tiles to gain small and large animals. On your turn, you are going to take a tile from the market area, place it next to one of your current tiles and then gain animals, if possible. You get the small and big animals if you have completed the required pattern of different types of animals in your area. It is a race to get the large animals since they are limited and even when there is more than one of a specific tile, the score goes from high to low.The creating habitats part is what makes the game challenging and it requires a bit of thinking and planning. You must create a hex of the same color with three different tiles which will allow you to gain the corresponding small animal. When you gain enough different small animals in a specific pattern, you can gain a large animal. After each round, refill the market and take turns again drafting and placing tiles. The game lasts until you run out of tiles. In addition to the base game rules, there are scenarios and achievements which players can play to add difficulty or variety.The mechanics for this game are end game bonuses, open drafting, pattern building, tile placement and variable set-up. If you like these mechanics in general, you would be likely to enjoy this game as well.Pros: 1- Good quality of game pieces. 2- Great artwork all over the components. 3- Low price for these many high-quality components. 4- High degree of replayability, given the nature of the game. 5- Easy to learn and simple scoring rules.Overall, I would totally recommend this game and give it a solid 5-star. I really enjoyed playing this for the first time and ready to go for more. I am surprised that this game is not more expensive with this high quality.

There is a lot to like about this board game. First, the artwork is beautiful! From the cover, to the insides of the box to the "chunky" tiles, this game oozes its aquatic theme. It is a tile laying game in the style of Carcasonne but with a lot of clever scoring options.The gameplay itself could not be any simpler. There is an elegant tile drafting process that enables each player to "grow" their coral reef system. But the complexity lies in the multiple ways in which endgame scoring takes place. To be competitive, the player must always be thinking several steps ahead as the tiles stack upon others following another set of rules. As a result, there are a lot of decisions that must be made every turn - each equally attractive. And, like any good game, there is an element of luck. Will the specific tile you are waiting for appear in the market? Or, will all of your planning be for nought if a certain tile doesn't appear?The game manages to offer a great deal in re-playability due to a wide assortment of ecosystem tiles (of which only 6 are used each game) as well as a few variant rules. The game does not overstay its welcome and actually ends a little too soon for my tastes! At first it seems as if the game will go on for a while, but it is quickly apparent that one doesn't have all that much time to create all of the scoring possibilities he/she might desire.The pad that is included with the game is excellent for methodically breaking down and keeping track of all of the aspects of a players end score. The rulebook is super clear and does a fantastic job of explaining the rules with large print and examples while remaining concise.There is an organizer included that makes storage of the various components easy, but while it is easy to assemble, it can be tricky getting it into the box without having it fall apart. That was perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the game for me! I just wish that the pieces exerted a little more friction on one another so that the dividers could easily be transferred to the box. But, that is a minor complaint since it is a one-time battle.This is a clever little game that should satisfy casual as well as hardcore gamers alike. And, the Aquatic theme is not just pasted on. The game really does drip with marine spirit. Nice addition to my collection!

Whether you're an occasional player of board games, or someone steeped in the modern boardgaming culture, there's a lot to like about this game and its take on building an underwater ecosystem.Cons:* While the game is simple to learn and play, the scoring is rather complex by contrast. It may take a couple games to understand how the scoring works and how to incorporate the best strategy for the scoring parameters for each match.* The game takes 17 rounds or so, and while that sounds like a lot it can be abrupt and make gamers feel like they didn't complete as much as they'd like. That can be unsatisfying.Pros:* Incredibly sturdy components. Some modern boardgames employ premium acrylic or plastic pieces, but here in the standard game provided, there is a substantially meaty cardboard thickness to the various tokens players place as they build their personal ecosystem. These sturdy pieces guarantee wear and tear will be minimal over time, and provide a nice sense of meat to the experience.* The artwork on the tiles, all of them, is evocative of an undersea adventure, from the coral itself to the aquatic fare that sit atop them. The triangle elements of the hex tiles seems a bit abstract at first, but as players build out their water vistas, the shapes form into beautiful coral like paintings teeming with life.* Play is super smooth and easy to teach to practically anyone. There are no complex deep decisions here, though each player's choices themselves require thoughtfulness.* Solo of multiplayer, this game has a variety of ways to keep each game slightly different and fresh.Verdict: As an avid gamer with a huge library of board games, Aqua popped in seemingly out of nowhere to overtake and dominate the game gatherings of late. It's such an easy game to play, but with interesting decisions and a delightful table presence that rivals games much pricier than it. High recommendation.

Aqua is a very easy game to teach and learn. After a turn or two you know how tiles need to be placed. And that's where the complexity comes in as it's *not* easy to place tiles for best scoring. It's a very nice puzzle that's constantly changing on both tiles you draft and your own player "board."Scoring can be a bit of a challenge until you grasp all the intricacies involved as a single "creature" tile can possibly be scored several times in several manners depending on placement.Game play isn't too long with roughly 17 rounds for a game. Turns tend to be quick. You draft a tile, place it on your "board," and, if possible (depends on just how that played tile lands), add a sea creature or two to your reef. It *always* leaves you wanting to do more - a sign of a well thought out game system. You're always wanting that *one* tile to help bump up your score.There are several tiles used for scoring your creatures and you use a subset of them for each game. You also place the sea creatures randomly on these tiles (the scoring is based on the tile coupled with the assigned creature). This adds replayability and changes things up easily. There are also several challenges and scenarios you can add to increase complexity of the game and scoring opportunities.The solo game is a "beat your best score" type, not my favorite, but there *are* scenarios and challenges to help mitigate this a bit. It's just as much of a puzzle as the multiplayer version and quite fun.It's quite attractive with well drawn, bright, and colorful artwork on incredibly nice, thick, almost chunky, tiles. There's a well designed cardboard insert you assemble to place inside the box. When placed correctly, images on the inside bottom of the box show you what goes where. It stores well in both horizontal and vertical orientations with only a couple of tile areas that are susceptible to tiles sliding under the insert (and that can be easily corrected with a bit of white glue if you find it annoying).Overall, this is a very nice family weight game and one I highly recommend.

Rulebook:Really well put together with clear examples of the rules at each step of the way. I also love that they added the core concepts on the edge of pages to just hit the highlights if you need a rule refresher or seek to easily find a rule. This is one of the better rulebooks I have seen in a while.Components/Artwork:Gorgeous artwork by the artist that covers not only the tiles but also all sides of the box. Very well done. The components are also exceptional in that these are not thin tiles in the slightest. They are very thick and feel great to use while playing. It comes with a cardboard organizer that is much appreciated. Note that you have to assemble the organizer yourself and despite it being simple it can also be a pain. Still appreciate it, though.Gameplay:Really simple and easy to grasp with a layer of puzzle-like complexity that keeps it entertaining. This is basically a tile drafting and laying game where you try to maximize points. You do so by building reefs/creating habitats (getting enough colors that match together). Once a habitat is created you can place small animals (single hex tiles) on top of it, and then if you have enough small animal tiles together you can attract larger animals, which score even more points. Little nuances here and there but that is the gist of it.I really enjoyed this one and I agree with the box that kids as young as 8 can play it. Give this one a chance if you like drafting and maximizing points - fun game and great art. Highly recommend it!