Game summary
đź‘ĄA game for 1 – 4 players
⏳Play time around 30 – 45 minutes
🏢Publisher is Bad Comet
Introduction
Dive into the vibrant world of Shallow Sea, a puzzle board game inspired by the breathtaking beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. In Shallow Sea, players will create their very own vivid ocean landscapes by strategically arranging an array of marine life, colorful fish, and corals.
Let’s get in on the table
Give each player a personal ocean board and place it in front of you. This board is the playing field on which you will place coral tiles and Sealife tiles during the game, and where your fish will find a home. Each player receives 5 shells, 2 of which you place on your game board and the rest next to it.
First, depending on the number of players, we will combine a certain number of fish in the bag, e.g., for 2 players there will be 14 fish of each color, for 3 players 19 of each color, and for 4 players 24 fish of each color. Next, we will look at the Sealife tiles, which takes a little more work because a number of different tiles are recommended for use. In your first game, it is recommended to play with a standard set. Take the relevant tiles from the trays and give each player 1 tile of that type. Then place all the tiles in the blue bag and shake it well.
In the middle of the table, make room for the central market. This market consists of three types of components: fish, coral tiles, and Sealife tiles. Shuffle the stacks of tiles separately in the corresponding bags so that everything is well mixed. Then form the market by placing a combination of a coral tile, a fish, and a Sealife tile in each column. Later in the game, players will fish from this market and choose one of the two tiles to build their reef.
Next, take the ecosystem cards, which are goal cards that determine how players can earn extra points at the end of the game. Shuffle the orange cards and the blue ecosystem cards well and draw 1 card from each pile. Place these face up above the market so that everyone can see what to look out for when building their reef.
The player who last saw a fish may now choose a Sealife tile from the market first, followed by the next players in clockwise order. After this, we are ready to start playing.
Let’s play
In Shallow Sea, you dive into the colorful world of the sea and especially the coral reef. Each player builds their own piece of ocean, full of life and color. You try to create the most beautiful reef, with corals that flourish, fish that find their place, and Sealife that feels at home there.
During your turn, you always choose a combination of a fish and a tile from the market. That tile can be a coral tile or a Sealife tile. The coral tiles form the basis of your reef: they have edges in different colors, and those colors determine which fish are a good match.
The Sealife tiles give you extra ways to earn points. They show requirements that you can use to score points once you meet the conditions. For example, the tiles may ask you to have a number of the same fish or coral in a row, or in a certain shape.
When you choose a tile, place it on your ocean board, but it must be adjacent to another tile. Place the corresponding fish in one of the bubbles on your board. You can choose where to place it, but it must be adjacent to a tile. Fish are not just decoration for your sea; they determine whether you can complete coral or Sealife tiles. Once a coral tile is completely surrounded by fish whose colors match the edges of that tile, that coral is “completed.” You then flip the tile over and the coral becomes a new home for one of your fish. You can choose which fish to place on this tile. You will want to consider whether this fish can score points for your Sealife tiles or for one of the two goal cards, but you will also want to see if you can flip another coral tile right away. Every choice can be important here.
During the game, you also collect shells, which you receive as soon as you turn over a tile.
You can use 1 fish to, for example, refresh one of the three rows in the market. Remove all tiles of the relevant type and replace them with new tiles. Put the removed tiles back in the bag. You can do the same with the fish, replacing them with 5 new fish.
Finally, you can use 2 fish to move a fish to another spot and score points.
During the game, your ocean continues to grow, and you have to plan carefully where to place your tiles. A misplaced fish can get in the way later on, but you can move it. A Sealife tile can either earn you a lot of points or get in the way completely.
The game continues until each player has only four empty spaces left on their board. Then the scoring takes place. You get points for completed corals, for Sealife tiles that meet their conditions, and for the ecosystem goals that were chosen at the beginning of the game. Whoever ultimately collects the most points has created the richest and most vibrant reef and wins the game.
Conclusion & final score
Difficulty:: 2.35/ 5
Re-playability: 9
Our score: 8 out of 10 dice
Shallow Sea is truly a delightful puzzle game. It looks great and is quick to play thanks to its relatively simple rules. The only downside is the Sealife tiles; figuring out which ones you want to use for a game can take some extra time. We solved this by playing the same game a few times and simply leaving the tiles in the bag after each game.
Let’s just say it: Shallow Sea is a game that is very similar to Cascadia and Calico, but with a completely different theme, of course, and you will notice a real difference when playing. But if you are a fan of these kinds of cool puzzle games, then Shallow Sea is definitely recommended!
The box alone is a real eye-catcher; the first comment I got at home after unpacking it was “wow, what a beautiful cover.” Fortunately, the game looks just as good, and what I really appreciate are the wooden fish, which really complete this game. The game looks great on the table, even though there isn’t much special in the market, it looks really cool on your game board. The nice thing is that you can place everything anywhere as long as they are connected to at least one place and, of course, to score as many points as possible. Moving fish that are not on a tile is a really great move, as it allows you to score so many points! The shells you regularly receive help you with this.
Solo is also a fun and fast game. You can use a fish instead of shells, which you then place on the corresponding solo card. The game plays the same, except at the end of the game, the fish (except for the first two fish) earn you negative points.
Thanks to Bad Comet for this review copy and the opportunity to write about this game.
