Gorgeous and glowing, the noctiluca are not only a sight to behold, but coveted by many healers for their natural healing properties.
We’re looking for a few great divers to go down and collect these shimmering specimens and jar them up for those healers. Are you up for the task? Well then, let’s get going!
What Is It?
A worker placement and set collection game where players place their divers on shores and collect same-numbered noctiluca dice in a straight line from that shore. They are attempting to fill as many jars with noctiluca as possible to score the most points. If they can not place noctiluca they collected, they pass them to opponents and they have a chance to fill their jars a bit more. Players also have a secret favorite card with one of the colors of noctiluca and that will help them score bonus points. The player with the most points from jar cards/tokens and noctiluca dice wins!
Who Is It For?
This game is super pretty and doesn’t have a lot of tough mechanics or rules, so I would definitely say it’d be good for families, and ages 10+. Something I will note though is that it can definitely leave players prone to AP, so if you already have a hard time with making decisions in games, this one might not be the best for you. Fans of set collection will also likely enjoy this one, as that is the main mechanic used.
Quality and Components
The main component of the game is the dice, which are average quality plastic dice, and nice translucent colors. A few of mine have some manufacturing errors (smudges in the cast or a pip missing) but nothing game breaking, so I wouldn’t be concerned. There is also a black die included for the solo game, also an average die.
The board is also average quality, mine might have been sitting in the box a bit too long, the edges tried to tear a bit when I first unfolded it, but again, nothing too concerning, just be careful when opening it up.
The jar and favorite cards are average cards. I recommend sleeving at least the favorite cards, since those are hidden info, to avoid creases or other giveaways.
The player pawns are simple wooden pieces, all the same color. And there are cardboard point tokens and 1st player marker, again pretty average quality, what you’d expect from a solid game.
Variants
Solo Mode – This is very similar to the multi-player game, expect that when a player can not place noctiluca dice, they pass to the tempest, and they will lose points at the end of the game for all the dice the tempest has. Additionally, after every turn, the tempest completes a jar (from the top of the deck) and scores the appropriate point token, plus takes dice off of the board according to a roll of the solo game (black) die. The game is pretty challenging and ends up being pretty tight, so players only need a minimum of one point to be victorious. And when you do win by exactly that one point (trust me, I have) it feels pretty dang cool!
PROS
- Aesthetically pleasing
- A lot of options turn to turn
- The solo mode is a fun and interesting challenge
- Plenty of replayability
- It’s a pretty relaxing game overall
- A lot of scoring elements which can allow for various strategies
CONS
- Can lead to some AP as players try to calculate best moves for the most dice that doesn’t give many dice away, which can make some plays lengthy; varies of course
Final Thoughts
As you can see, I really don’t have much negative to say about this game! I really enjoy the feel and play of it and even when it gives me AP (yupp, I’m one of the guilty ones) it’s a really fun time! Highly recommend this one, especially if you’re a fan of other dice drafting games (like Sagrada) or even just set collection!
My Final Ratings:
Overall Game – 8/10
Aesthetics – 8/10
Replayability – 8/10
Difficulty – 4/10
Additional Information:
Designer – Shem Phillips
Artist – Bree Lindsoe
Publisher – Z-Man Games, Inc.
MSRP – $34.99
BGG
BGA
Website
*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*
If you like what I do, consider Supporting Me.
If you like what I do, consider Supporting Me.
Leave a Reply