Game Review: Save the Corals

Posted by Jiri Borovy 2024-11-26No Comments

Sea corals do not make up even 1 % of the world's ocean area, yet they are home to more than 25 % of all marine species and thus represent one of the most diverse and varied kingdoms on Earth. TLAMA games' Save the Corals board game takes on the theme of corals to remind us of the beauty, and above all, the importance of protecting and restoring these beautiful marine gardens.

So you can spread out the ocean on your table, board a research vessel to wade the waters, explore coral reefs, and above all, try to restore the beauty of these underwater kingdoms. To succeed, you need to tactically manage resources and energy, fight pollution, and complete missions.

Your turn consists of two possible actions: charging and sailing. During the Charge action, you will earn the rewards you have achieved on the points counter. During the Cruise action, you will sail a ship, place artificial reefs, and unload mission cards. You may place an artificial reef on any seaway that is adjacent to the island where your ship is currently located. You may then move along the path where you placed the reef without paying energy. While moving with your ship, you move from one island to another along sea lanes with energy symbols that you pay for along the way (there are exceptions to this, see above). Laying out a mission card can reward you for meeting a certain condition or for traveling to a specific island on the game map.

On the map, there are always randomly placed island tokens and pollution. Once there is at least one artificial reef on all the paths between the islands that surround the pollution, that area is considered cleaned and the player with the most artificial reefs in that area receives that pollution token. Your progress in the game is also shown by the exploration and reef exploration scales, which you will move along to gain more resources, points and features. Another gameplay option is to hire a crew and evaluate the effects, and you're also rewarded for filling a number of crew on your ship.

Although after reading all these options you may be thinking you'll get seasick from the game, don't let that discourage you. There are a number of different actions you can take during the course of the game, but the game isn't complicated and everything is a lot clearer than "on paper". In addition, the rules include a handy legend explaining all the symbols - in fact, we had this at hand at all times during the game. On the other hand, even more experienced players won't get bored. Thanks to the random layout of the islands, the selection of cards and the other side of the special-effect ship board, the game offers a high level of replayability, as each game is completely different from the previous one.

In addition to the interesting gameplay, we must point out that the visual side of the game is also its strong point, all components are thematically illustrated and shaped, the individual pieces are solid and everything fits together beautifully. The main game plan is a map of the sea with islands and coral reefs underneath, and the player boards take the form of a ship. As you get ready to play and unfold the game plan with the boards, your table will literally be flooded with the atmosphere of the sea.

The game rules are also supplemented with interesting facts about the world of corals, which is a nice feature if you like to learn something new and actually get a glimpse of how coral restoration works in the real world. Of course, a game is a game and Save the Corals does not attempt to factually accurately depict how the whole issue works, the creators chose this topic to highlight the plight of corals and their invaluable functions that not only help animals but also to a huge extent, us humans. And who knows, maybe one game will inspire many of us to reflect on this issue and take small steps to save corals even off the game plan. As the developers state, "Small actions taken by many people have a significant impact, especially in protecting endangered reefs - this is truer today than ever."

In conclusion, the game can be played by up to 4 players and you'll find a special solo single player mode. One game lasts approximately 45-90 minutes. The game Save the Corals has been brought on board by TLAMA games, from whom you can see the game, try it out and buy it if you wish.