Coral: Solo Review
Information:
Mechanics: Abstract, Grid Movement, Area Control
Player Age: 8+Player Count: 1 - 4 PlayersTime to Play: 10 - 20 Minutes
Game Designer: Tangi TabuteauGame Artist: Tangi TabuteauPublisher: 2Tomatoes GamesYear Published: 2022BGG Weight: 1.45
Player Age: 8+
Game Designer: Tangi Tabuteau
Spiel:
Coral is an abstract game where you are trying to showcase certain species. This game ranges 1-4 players but today I am focusing on the solo mode in my new solo review format.
Other Elements:
Mechanics:
Move:
To slide, you will move the coral pawn from one icon to another icon that is visible from the birds eye view. There are a couple rules to sliding:
- Only orthagonal movement allowed, no diagonal movement.
- You cannot move through or finish movement on the current species colour or another coral species pawn.
- Height doesn't matter for movement as long as the pawn remains visible from a birds eye view.
- The pawn cannot exit the reef or touch the table.
- The rock that is visible at the start of the game counts as an icon that is not the pawn’s colour, therefore allowing it to be moved through.
Proper movement planning is integral to the game as the player will find themself constantly blocked and hindered by past moves if they don't think ahead.
Grow:
When growing a block, one icon from this new block must be face to face with an icon from the exact block the pawn is standing on. This can be placed on top of other pieces or extend the reef sideways, however, it cannot go underneath any of the pawns and if it falls off it will be discarded back into the box.
Variabiltiy:
During setup there are six setup cards that create different starting opportunities and increased variability. The real change between games comes from the objectives where each coral species contains three objective cards of three different difficulties.
These objectives have a vast range including hiding the species, viewing the species from the side or above, creating tall stacks and the lack of cubes underneath. My edition of the game comes in another language so my objective cards have been translated through Google lens, therefore, if there is anything lost in translation, I do apologise.
Layout of a Turn:
During the game the player will be incorporating all coral life, as each one has unique scoring conditions as represented by their score card. After setting up the reef using the configuration card,
the player will draw three starting pieces from the bag. On a turn the player will choose one of the three pieces gained from the bag to perform a slide action with the corresponding coral species. They will then expand that piece onto the board following the rules. After this the player will replenish with a new piece from the bag. This will continue until they have used all pieces in the bag and their reserve. The player will then score all of the four species’ objectives.
Overall:
- Very challenging trying to meet the objectives while facing constant blocking from your past moves.
- Colourful pallete.
When I played this game at two players I just didn't quite see the appeal; the turns simply came too easy. Then I read through the comment sections and reviews online on Coral and I found much of the game’s appeal comes from the solo mode. I have to agree with this logic. The game was extremely difficult to pursue solo but in the best possible way. Every move was a brain burner of optimisation and reduced blocking. As there is one objective for each species I found that each turn fufilled pulled me in numerous directions. Plus being limited by only three blocks at any give time made the decision space even harder. The challenges faced during the quick play time had a fulfilling end with a rewarding but earned score. If you are one that enjoys resolving puzzles and the pleasure of your own company then Coral gives you the opportunity to create a thriving reef with many conditions.
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