Cooper Island

Ten / Fifteen years ago I would have loved this game. When you get your head round the iconography, it offers a deep and rewarding 2-3 hours with plenty of replayability through the several different strategies and likely difficulty in mastering any one of them. In that sense, its up there with the Splotter games. Yet in todays market it doesn’t stand out quite as well amongst the likes of the better produced and much more fashionable games like Ark Nova, Brass Birmingham, Barrage or even the much lighter Dune Imperium. Which is a shame because this is a well-crafted game and I should probably try to dismiss whatever unconscious biases are causing me to not rate it higher.

There is a strange part of me that enjoys managing inventory, categorising and reorganising things so they fit just so. Cooper Island is both a dream come true and my own personal nightmare. Figuring out how to get resources is hard enough, but so is spending them before your warehouse fills up forcing new resources to be wasted. The three dimensional puzzle encourages you to build vertically to get higher yields, but you are also required to place upgrades on the highest spots which blocks off future resources. It is a game where you are constantly making trade-offs and tough choices. I haven't played anything else that does resource management quite like this, and am really eager to play more. The only real variability is in the building cards though and player interaction is on the low end, so I am not sure how fresh this will stay after more plays.

seemed ok, but nothing we've not seen, so sold on

2p. Such a well put together game (A+ gameplay, presentation/components, and rulebook), tight and complex with cleverly woven mechanisms. Love the seamless puzzle, simply brilliant.

Pure abstract euro: you get cubes and change them for other cubes. This mechanism is excellently represented and euro-lovers will like this game a lot. But run away if you are looking for thematic games. Rules are not complex, but achieving a strategy to get points is another thing, since resources are very scarce. This is why many opinions call this game a puzzle.

Unsure. I think it is complex and has a few unique concepts. But I'm unsure because of that complexity. I need to play at least a few more times. However, I'm reluctant because the first play was hard fought in the teach and didn't create a memorable experience. So the next play will likely still be like the first. I think it might be too much, too distinct (is that a fault?), for me. I would be willing to play again if someone else would teach me.