Filthy Casual for Life

I have eyed this game for quite a while. Each time we went to Dragon’s Lair, I picked up a copy and admired the artwork on the box. I must have done this at least four or five times. I finally bit the bullet and purchased a copy for the family.

The Basics

Number of players: Two (2) to Four (4) Players

Age: Eight (8) Years and Older

Average gameplay: 45 minutes

Average price: $40-50

GAMEPLAY

I don’t want to bore you with a wall of text trying to explain the gameplay. I want to focus more on my opinion of the game. However, you might be looking for an in-depth explanation of how the game is played. I watched a few tutorials, and I found that the tutorial by Watch It Played does the best job of creating an easy-to-follow video with chapters.

MY THOUGHTS

Takenoko comes with a cute backstory. The emperor of Japan is gifted a panda bear. The emperor entrusts you, a lowly farmer/gardener, to care for the panda and its food source. Bamboo.

Takenoko has a Catan feel with the tile-placing mechanic. This game is not necessarily strategically heavy. You don’t have to think about complicated building mechanics. There is a delicate balance between achieving your objectives on your cards and trying to glean your opponents’ objectives. There are three types of objectives. The first type is the gardener objective. This objective type focuses on growing a certain amount of bamboo. It isn’t as simple as it sounds. Tiles must be irrigated to grow bamboo, but the pesky panda is constantly nibbling off the top of the bamboo as he moves from one field to the next. The second type of objective is the panda objective. The panda objective requires the panda to eat various combinations of bamboo. The third type of objective is the plot objective. The plot objective requires you to arrange tiles in a specific pattern. Again, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. You might, for example, have to have all tiles irrigated.

I adore this game. I enjoyed feeding the panda while growing enough bamboo to reach my objectives. The components are well made. The player’s mat is well-designed and helps the player keep track of their individual turns. Another bonus is the after-market components you can purchase off of Etsy. I picked up some card sleeves to protect the game cards. You can also purchase individual containers that fit in your box to hold the bamboo pieces and the irrigation pieces. They also have a cute card holder you can purchase.

I highly recommend this game. It’s easy to learn and easy to play. This is one of the few games that didn’t make me want to add more players. It played well with just the two of us, which isn’t always the case. So, if you are a duo that loves to game, I recommend Takenoko. Pick up a copy at your local gaming store!