Panic Island: Review

Panic Island: Review

Information:

Mechanics: Real-Time, Co-Operative, Memory

Player Age: 8+

Player Count: 1 - 8 Players 

Time to Play: 2 Minutes 
Designers: Antonin Boccara
Artists: Michel Virdu

Publisher: Blue Orange Games
Year Published: 2017

BGG Complexity: 1.00/5

Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher.

Objective:

The island is about to overflow with lava, as a team your tasked with trying to get everyone to safety. By successfully rescuing cave dwellers, dodos and eggs. As well as finding a paddle and raft. All of this within two minutes, try not to panic.

Set up:

For the first game take the cards listed below:
- 16 characters, two red and two yellow cave dwellers, as well as three dodos' and eggs of each of the above colours.
- six action cards, two of each tornado, mirage and beehive.
- Lastly, add the raft card and paddle card.
- Shuffle the above cards into a pile and create a five by five grid.
- Leave the middle of the grid vacant and place the volcano card face down in this location (reveal this card and the volcano will erupt and everyone will lose).
- set the timer to the side, you now have two minutes to free the citizens of the island and escape.

How to Play:

Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, each player will reveal two cards face up. Several scenarios will now happen. If one or two actions are revealed that action(s) will now have to be done. Examples of these are the tornado that every player must stand up and turn around once, mirage that swaps the position of both flipped cards and beehive that has every player piling up their hands on the beehive card.

These actions need to be resolved before the turn can continue so every player should be paying attention. If two cards of the same colour are flipped one of them can be saved. If a dodo and cave-dweller of the same colour are flipped the dodo will be saved if this happens with an egg and a dodo the egg will be saved.

The cave dwellers can not save the eggs so remember to keep the dodos around to save these defenceless eggs.

If any of these island citizens are saved or the raft or paddle is revealed place the card in a victory pile. If you are unlucky enough to flip the volcano an eruption has occurred and it is game over for everyone.

Once during the game on a players turn that player can yell 'Gouga'. The player can now save a tremendous amount of Island citizens, this is also the only way to save cave dwellers. Before flipping over one card announce if that card is an egg, dodo or cave dweller (colour does not matter). If they are correct the card is saved and it is the next players turn, this continues until a player fails to announce the correct card. The game ends as soon as the sand timer expires. If you successfully gained the paddle and raft card, you have escaped and can score each citizen saved, as one point (the rulebook will tell you how good that score is).

Final Thoughts:

Pros:
- There is a built-in unlockable expansion.
- This is a quick game that will be enjoyed multiple times in one sitting.
- Tin case is portable and durable.

Cons:
- The actions require the players to be silly and active (some players don't enjoy these in games).

This is a great party/ filler game that is enjoyable for players of any age. It has 10 actions that can be mixed to create a new atmosphere every time you play and this isn't including the expansion. This isn't a game that will be used at board game nights but it is staying in my collection for family gatherings and parties as it is easy to explain but has plenty of variability that can help keep the game fresh and engaging over multiple plays in succession.

Click...feed the addiction:

Blue Orange Games
Panic Island on BGG
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