Great Video!! Glad to see you liked it! If the game is a long-term keeper you should definitely get the wooden token upgrades or coin capsules. Bad Comet uses pretty thin cardboard so it's not the best feeling to pull those.
We love Life of the Amazonia! Our most preferred game of 2023 (Earth having second place). We also have Callico and Cascadia, but Life of the Amazonia is in our opinion a better and more fun game.
yeah I imagine this might be more popular if its availability was better. I think the reprint is just hitting at least I saw it pop up suddenly everywhere.
Great video! I like the comparison of these 3 games and also the idea that seemed to be primed in the comments about bag building games. Of the 3 in this video, I prefer Cascadia, then Harmonies and Amazonia last, but I'd be happy to play any of them. I enjoyed the bag-building element, but Amazonia just felt like the game went on too long for what it was. However, I have to say I've only played it once. I've played Harmonies 3 or 4 times and Cascadia dozens of times. As I said, I'd be happy to play it again, but the slow build up and longer play time make me want to play the other two more. If I'm going to play a bag-builder, I'll pick Orleans, War Chest or Lions of Lydia. I played Wonderland's War once too, but it took 3+ hours and came down to a bag draw to determine the winner by chance. I'd play that again too, but it disappointed me a little (I know many people absolutely love it). Keep up the great work!
Thanks Billy. I can’t remember if I mentioned it but meant to..the experience does drag on a bit here. I think the thing that saves it is the power ramp. Ouch a 3 hour WW game? How many players did you have. I always wanted to get it to graduate the kids from quacks…
@@Neon_Gorillayou did mention the drag a bit, and I agree, but if our group replayed Amazonia I'm sure it would go faster and possibly improve my impression. WW was 3 hrs with 5 players and 3 of us hadn't played. The theme of WW doesn't really appeal to me as much either so that was probably another factor for me.
I’m amazed in our niche little hobby that I can discover a board game channel I’ve never seen before! Liz from BitsAndBiology directed me here. 1) Life of Amazonia is an incredible game, played it at DTW. Loved hearing your take on it. I’ve yet to try Harmonies but going to watch your comparison vid now. 2) your editing and audio are top top notch keep up the great work. Ez subscribe.
Funny you say that I just found you the other day because you were featured on BGG. Really appreciate you giving me a try! Harmonies continues to grow on me.
Crazy timing on this! Trying to slow down on buying games and work on rounding out my collection instead of getting multiple games that fill the same mechanic, so was looking into Life of Amazonia for my bag builder. Leaning toward this vs quacks or wonderlands war. Wanted further insight and there aren’t many reviews out there for this game and then this pops into my feed the next morning!
It might be means to be, quacks for me is a family pick that doesn’t feel very strategic, wonderlands war has been on my list forever and never pulled the trigger…I hear it’s king for what it is and I was hoping it would replace quacks for the family…life of Amazonia is a board gamers game that has all the hallmarks, tracks, goals, extra goal cards etc. I think it is simply the next step from something like quacks or harmonies.
I don't know Life of the Amazonia, but I'll tell you that Wonderland's War and Orleans are my two favourite bag builders way above Quacks for me. WW is a longer game which creates the "war" feel but in a friendly way. If I have the time, WW would be my go to game. Orleans is the more strategic, Euro game with no element of combat so, while they're both bag builders, they don't overlap any other way. Harmonies is not a bag builder, so I would not have even though to compare it to any of the above. It is so much quicker than most games I own and requires so little space to play and so much more puzzly fun for me, it replaced Cascadia.
I think you are pitching an idea for the best bag building video which I like, this was just a tile laying/ pattern building with animals comparison which is certainly the key mechanics in Cascadia and harmonies. Orleans is great never played WW but will, maybe for your bag building comparison video :)
@@Neon_Gorilla The simplicity and lighter side of Quacks is what has always kept me away from it. WW seemed more my speed but too long and didn’t pull me in with the theme. (I’d love to play but don’t think it has a place in the collection). LoA seems like the sweet spot of complexity, approachability and “theme”. We love nature games such as cascadia and parks so this fits right in while covering the bag building hole
I would have loved to see you take the price of purchase into account as well when comparing games like this. As that can be relevant for several reasons.
That is a good idea. I struggle because I don’t really understand the value until much further down the line when I have gotten many more plays or don’t touch it as much as I would expect. I think just noting a dollar comparison might bias cheap games early on and hurt the more expensive. At the very least I should note the difference though. Thanks for the feedback.
@@Neon_Gorilla To be fair its not always that price is a relevant thing to compare. But as I thought Lif in sounded nice, and I like Cascadia I thought I would check it out in stores. And what I saw was its almost $100 compared to $40-45 that both Cascadia and Harmonies would cost me. So here for me at least it becomes a "is Life in twice as good as Cascadia?".
@@danje748 yeah then here is the rub, what price do I quote, gamenerdz in the US "had" it at $50....but I hear you in the context of the comparison in this instance it is relevant because the other two were $30 on the same webisite...
Great review! Looks like a fun game but I already have Wonderlands War, which is a bag builder and I haven’t been buying games for a couple months now so this will be a skip for now. I hope to try it out at WSBG!
@@Neon_Gorilla it was at first! But the longer I’ve gone without buying or backing something has helped because I’ll look at games and see mechanics that are similar to what I already have and I’ve been working on culling my collection so almost all the games I have are my all time favorites. And if it has similar enough mechanics then it just makes me want to play that game I already have instead of buying a new one!
If I see this in my FLGS I dont think I can pass it up. Cascadia has turned into a go to game for my friends that are not really into boardgames. With the added depth and one of my favorite mechanisms is bag building. Sounds like a great one.
My girlfriend prefers Harmonies over Cascadia, and so do I, I think. Haven't played Life of Amazonia yet, but seems like its right up our alley! Another game, not entirely like this, but somewhat similar, is Wild Serengeti. I played it once, I think it was fun? I don't necessarily recommend it, but if you're looking for similar games... it is similar.
Appreciate the recommendation! Yeah aesthetically wild Serengeti looks wonderful and is published by the same people so that makes sense. They have another coming out called wondrous creatures which looks great as well.
Well this one does have a solo mode. I am not sure how good it is but it’s there. I will say I don’t see much lost not having another person play…btw appreciate you subscribing to my newsletter.
@@Neon_Gorilla Before I buy it I'll have to check out the rulebook. I love Cascadia with others, but the thing that's put it at 50+ plays for me now is the solo mode - it sets up a challenge scenario using specific animal cards, with additional guidelines (i.e. score 20+ points bears, don't put water and marsh next to each other, score at least 25 pts in terrain, etc etc)
@@Neon_Gorilla Yah no problem about the subscription. To be honestly, most of my TH-cam viewing consists of just that, viewing. I typically don't comment or like everything, but your previous videos have kind of inspired me to engage a little bit more, at least with your channel.
Great Video!! Glad to see you liked it! If the game is a long-term keeper you should definitely get the wooden token upgrades or coin capsules. Bad Comet uses pretty thin cardboard so it's not the best feeling to pull those.
thanks again for the recommendation, The wood tokens should be standard since they are such a big part of the game.
We love Life of the Amazonia! Our most preferred game of 2023 (Earth having second place). We also have Callico and Cascadia, but Life of the Amazonia is in our opinion a better and more fun game.
yeah I imagine this might be more popular if its availability was better. I think the reprint is just hitting at least I saw it pop up suddenly everywhere.
Great video! I like the comparison of these 3 games and also the idea that seemed to be primed in the comments about bag building games. Of the 3 in this video, I prefer Cascadia, then Harmonies and Amazonia last, but I'd be happy to play any of them. I enjoyed the bag-building element, but Amazonia just felt like the game went on too long for what it was. However, I have to say I've only played it once. I've played Harmonies 3 or 4 times and Cascadia dozens of times. As I said, I'd be happy to play it again, but the slow build up and longer play time make me want to play the other two more. If I'm going to play a bag-builder, I'll pick Orleans, War Chest or Lions of Lydia. I played Wonderland's War once too, but it took 3+ hours and came down to a bag draw to determine the winner by chance. I'd play that again too, but it disappointed me a little (I know many people absolutely love it). Keep up the great work!
Thanks Billy. I can’t remember if I mentioned it but meant to..the experience does drag on a bit here. I think the thing that saves it is the power ramp. Ouch a 3 hour WW game? How many players did you have. I always wanted to get it to graduate the kids from quacks…
@@Neon_Gorillayou did mention the drag a bit, and I agree, but if our group replayed Amazonia I'm sure it would go faster and possibly improve my impression. WW was 3 hrs with 5 players and 3 of us hadn't played. The theme of WW doesn't really appeal to me as much either so that was probably another factor for me.
I’m amazed in our niche little hobby that I can discover a board game channel I’ve never seen before! Liz from BitsAndBiology directed me here. 1) Life of Amazonia is an incredible game, played it at DTW. Loved hearing your take on it. I’ve yet to try Harmonies but going to watch your comparison vid now. 2) your editing and audio are top top notch keep up the great work. Ez subscribe.
Funny you say that I just found you the other day because you were featured on BGG. Really appreciate you giving me a try! Harmonies continues to grow on me.
Crazy timing on this! Trying to slow down on buying games and work on rounding out my collection instead of getting multiple games that fill the same mechanic, so was looking into Life of Amazonia for my bag builder. Leaning toward this vs quacks or wonderlands war. Wanted further insight and there aren’t many reviews out there for this game and then this pops into my feed the next morning!
It might be means to be, quacks for me is a family pick that doesn’t feel very strategic, wonderlands war has been on my list forever and never pulled the trigger…I hear it’s king for what it is and I was hoping it would replace quacks for the family…life of Amazonia is a board gamers game that has all the hallmarks, tracks, goals, extra goal cards etc. I think it is simply the next step from something like quacks or harmonies.
I don't know Life of the Amazonia, but I'll tell you that Wonderland's War and Orleans are my two favourite bag builders way above Quacks for me. WW is a longer game which creates the "war" feel but in a friendly way. If I have the time, WW would be my go to game. Orleans is the more strategic, Euro game with no element of combat so, while they're both bag builders, they don't overlap any other way. Harmonies is not a bag builder, so I would not have even though to compare it to any of the above. It is so much quicker than most games I own and requires so little space to play and so much more puzzly fun for me, it replaced Cascadia.
I think you are pitching an idea for the best bag building video which I like, this was just a tile laying/ pattern building with animals comparison which is certainly the key mechanics in Cascadia and harmonies. Orleans is great never played WW but will, maybe for your bag building comparison video :)
@@Neon_Gorilla The simplicity and lighter side of Quacks is what has always kept me away from it. WW seemed more my speed but too long and didn’t pull me in with the theme. (I’d love to play but don’t think it has a place in the collection). LoA seems like the sweet spot of complexity, approachability and “theme”. We love nature games such as cascadia and parks so this fits right in while covering the bag building hole
@@Thirftstorekeepersounds like a perfect fit…I know it’s been out of stock for a while but looks like a reprint hit so the timing is right:)
Yay , I've been waiting for this one to drop!
LoA and Wonderous Creatures have been picked up by a larger publisher here in germany. So hoping the price point will become more competitive!
Wonderous creatures looks beautiful! I am hoping I might get my hands on it eventually!
@@Neon_Gorilla might be one for you since you rate Everdell and LoA highly!
I would have loved to see you take the price of purchase into account as well when comparing games like this. As that can be relevant for several reasons.
That is a good idea. I struggle because I don’t really understand the value until much further down the line when I have gotten many more plays or don’t touch it as much as I would expect. I think just noting a dollar comparison might bias cheap games early on and hurt the more expensive. At the very least I should note the difference though. Thanks for the feedback.
@@Neon_Gorilla To be fair its not always that price is a relevant thing to compare. But as I thought Lif in sounded nice, and I like Cascadia I thought I would check it out in stores. And what I saw was its almost $100 compared to $40-45 that both Cascadia and Harmonies would cost me. So here for me at least it becomes a "is Life in twice as good as Cascadia?".
@@danje748 yeah then here is the rub, what price do I quote, gamenerdz in the US "had" it at $50....but I hear you in the context of the comparison in this instance it is relevant because the other two were $30 on the same webisite...
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Great review! Looks like a fun game but I already have Wonderlands War, which is a bag builder and I haven’t been buying games for a couple months now so this will be a skip for now. I hope to try it out at WSBG!
Is it tough not buying anything and still watching the FOMO bait on TH-cam?
@@Neon_Gorilla it was at first! But the longer I’ve gone without buying or backing something has helped because I’ll look at games and see mechanics that are similar to what I already have and I’ve been working on culling my collection so almost all the games I have are my all time favorites. And if it has similar enough mechanics then it just makes me want to play that game I already have instead of buying a new one!
@@Triston_Yocom I have went in a major hiatus from backing, but can’t say the same for buying :)
@@Neon_Gorilla I don’t mind if you do all the buying because I still get the benefit of watching videos on the games :)
If I see this in my FLGS I dont think I can pass it up. Cascadia has turned into a go to game for my friends that are not really into boardgames. With the added depth and one of my favorite mechanisms is bag building. Sounds like a great one.
Might be a good stepping stone to get them deeper into the hobby 😈
My girlfriend prefers Harmonies over Cascadia, and so do I, I think. Haven't played Life of Amazonia yet, but seems like its right up our alley! Another game, not entirely like this, but somewhat similar, is Wild Serengeti. I played it once, I think it was fun? I don't necessarily recommend it, but if you're looking for similar games... it is similar.
Appreciate the recommendation! Yeah aesthetically wild Serengeti looks wonderful and is published by the same people so that makes sense. They have another coming out called wondrous creatures which looks great as well.
It’s like comparing roastbeef with apple pie .
Harmonies is a azul/reef type of game and life of amazonia is more quacks/ecos first continent
Color me intrigued, I look forward to your comparison video…
@@Neon_Gorilla 😴
@@marccote8544 just fuckin with you bro…no need to fall asleep on me 🤣
Well dang. Color me interested now. I love Quacks but its lack of solo mode keeps it sitting on the shelf.
Well this one does have a solo mode. I am not sure how good it is but it’s there. I will say I don’t see much lost not having another person play…btw appreciate you subscribing to my newsletter.
@@Neon_Gorilla Before I buy it I'll have to check out the rulebook. I love Cascadia with others, but the thing that's put it at 50+ plays for me now is the solo mode - it sets up a challenge scenario using specific animal cards, with additional guidelines (i.e. score 20+ points bears, don't put water and marsh next to each other, score at least 25 pts in terrain, etc etc)
@@Neon_Gorilla Yah no problem about the subscription. To be honestly, most of my TH-cam viewing consists of just that, viewing. I typically don't comment or like everything, but your previous videos have kind of inspired me to engage a little bit more, at least with your channel.
@@ncc1701jv well I appreciate that makes a big difference in my day!
Is that website only for parteons?
I don’t have a Patreon but I think you might be referring to the Notion template I built that shows the game ratings?
Is there a website that has games rated on all those categories (from which you got your scores)
@@lukasbagan2955 no I made them up. My previous video documents it. I created a weighted average for the categories. It is a work on progress.