Horizons of Spirit Island Review: A New Beginning?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Camilla Cleghorn takes a look at Horizons of Spirit Island.
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The components are fine and make this game much more affordable than the base game. This was my first Spirit Island experience and had no issue with the components. I've since played the base game and still don't see an issue. Highly recommend Horizons as a jumping in point to Spirit Island!
Yeah, I think it may be a matter of getting used to something nicer spoiling you. The cardboard pieces take up more space but I'm sure you can stack them if necessary.
Although I'm on the opposite end where I had the full game components and still painted my miniatures and even bought upgraded tokens for the spirit presence. It's one of my favorite games. But it's nice that there's a much cheaper option for people to try it out at like half the price.
You just need to stack the pieces.
We replaced the base game's plastic blight with the cardboard blight tokens from this version. Makes blight much more visible on the board IMO.
Wouldn't it be easier to perhaps stack some of the cardboard tokens when you have multiple of the same type?
I do think this product is greater than the sum of its parts.
The new spirits are EXCELLENT to learn the game with. They do a good job of showing off what the system is capable of while clearly being designed around the strategies and tactics a new player would naturally employ. I've had huge success with this product by moving a bunch of my other spirits into this box and taking it with me to game night as a compact version of Spirit Island.
Did you use those cardboard tokens, or use the minis?
Fair review. Happy to have you cover some Spirit Island. It's such a shame about the components in this one really. But honestly the 80 USD price of the base game is also rough. And the 30 USD for this one is real friendly. I think the money aspect outweights the components. Not sure how they could have done it any other way.
I think this one is still the way to go for new players. Spirit island is a hate it or love it kind of game, so it's worth trying it out. Also the quick learn guide is amazing for skipping those first games where you painfully need to learn some basic conncepts. Just make sure you jump to the normal version as soon as you like it. The Spirits are worth the 30 USD alone so no money lost. Also it might be worth mentioning that some of the most skilled Spirit Island players have some of these Spirits as their favorites. So you will definitely not outgrow them or anything like that.
That is the scary thing yes you can watch all the reviews , play throughs etc … but until you actually play the game you don’t really know if the game is a bust or not. I’d rather spend 30$ and find out the game is not for me instead of spending 70-80$ and then finding out the game is not for me.
So after Terra Nova to Terra Mystica, and Horizons of Spirit Island to Spirit Island, what's next? Which complex game will have a non-junior-rather-sort-of-simpler-version and how will it be called?
Park Nova?
The Villas of Burgundy?
A Hardy Meal for Odin?
Not enough bones?
Kanban EZ?
Recessive Species?
Kanban EZ is called "Bot Factory" and currently in Kickstarter fulfillment.
Horizons didn't simplify the game though. It's just a more affordable entry point.
Ha! You nailed Kanban.
As someone who didn't play the first one I had very little issue with components. If anything this game and Marvel Zombies HR has cemented cardboard over plastic for me. I will say that the rules were a bit confusing at first since the order of operation and the detailed rules of said operations were split.
I was a first time player, playing with a friends copy. None of us had had experience with the original game. None of us felt like the components were a problem at all. I think your experience makes this worse than it actually is.
Yeah I think you just have to stack them haha
I do wish the explorer tokens were smaller though. It seems weird that they are almost as big as city tokens
I think a part of why experienced players hate the tokens so much, in addition to their size, is that we're used to having 3D tokens and so it causes some cognitive discomfort seeing the game pieces laid out flat in 2D style. Like Camilla, when I first played this I had to stop to swap out the base game pieces.
Agreed - wish this had been a multi-person review that had someone alongside Milla play this before playing Spirit Island itself.
@@draheim90 yeah and that makes sense to me. There are games I have with great components I would hate to backtrack from. But I don’t see it as a problem for people new to the game in this case.
I had played spirit island base game twice before picking this up. I thought the components were just fine
As someone new to the game I'm interested in how approachable the spirits are and how useful the quick start guide is. I don't care much about the extensive component comparisons.
My biggest complaint is that we can't take the island boards apart and use/mix them with the base game + Jagged Earth.
My favourite Spirit from these five is Eyes Watch From the Trees.
You could stack the invadertokens and presences?!
Yeah, it's just seems weird to stack two houses, and it's very fiddly. :/
Exactly what I was thinking, you just stack them and its no issue, heaps of games work like that
@@BrandonGraham I believe that the stacking works really good as this is what I do. So I have to agree with Julian. And well worth it being as this version price point is much better then the core game.
That's all we did when we played this version. We just stacked them.
The spaces are so full and spill into other spots... Have you tried stacking the tokens?
Great to see Camilla give this game the love and criticism it deserves!
Horizons was my intro to Spirit Island - the components weren't an issue at all (in fact I like the Blight tokens more than the base game tokens). My main issue was the rulebook structure - by keeping all game concepts after the gameplay run-through it made learning a bigger chore than it needed to be. Though the gameplay run-though was kept cleaner for future rules reference so I see why they did it that way. I ditched the quickstart guide as I was learning solo and quickstarting with 3 spirits was way too overwhelming. I also created and printed a phase tracker that I used extensively for the first half dozen games because I found myself getting so wrapped up in the new cards, decisions and possibilities that I often forgot or skipped phases (did I already take money from gather? From income? etc.) . Fantastic game, I get why it is beloved, and I can't wait to explore the rest of Spirit Island.
Glad to hear that the component footprint wasn't an issue for you. It's a game I've heard is good, but I haven't played it, so board clutter was an issue I was afraid of in this version. I still might consider upgrading tokens, but if the game is good despite that issue, I may have to take a deeper look.
Wow, that's in-depth. We were already planning to pick this up next month, but I was a bit worried the spirits wouldn't hold up for experienced players. Glad to know that's not the case!
Well, you could always use Risk pieces for the soldiers and mini dice for health count down on cities. The average thrift store generally has a few Risk games (sometimes fairly new) for under $5.
As a new player, I think your assessment is spot on. I was curious to try this game solely due the hype of the original. The price point of this game made it low risk. I have only played it solo, trying to get a feel for it and an understanding of the mechanisms before trying to teach it to my wife. After a couple play throughs, I really don't care to play it again. I found the how to play guide to be OK, but not great. The idea of playing a bigger, more complicated, version does not appeal to me at all. So, in my case, their strategy had the opposite effect if they were trying to bring in new players.
It didn't had the opposite effect since they did get you to try the game. It was just not for you. Which is totally understandable with any game, especially Spirit Island.
@@RenbroNL That is very true. I will give it another try down the road, but I don't think it is for me.
@@rodneydunn9611 it helped me get into the game more once I heard it called a programming game, and there’s something about manipulating the tempo of the game that makes it shine for me
The main game is actually the same ruleset; it just provides more options for increasing difficulty and opponent tweaks forcing you to try new strategies once you can more consistently win the base game. But I'm curious, what aspects of it didn't you like? I don't know if this will help, but if you try again, since you're usually having to think "a turn ahead" I recommend focusing on preventing growth over preventing damage. Did you play one spirit or two? (even solo, I personally think it shines having two spirits work together "two-handed" over true solo)
@@ChrisCypher I'm not sure what I did not like. I only played it with one Spirit. Perhaps I should try it playing with two.
I do enjoy some co op games, but I think this one pushes back a bit too much for my liking. I love Gloomhaven, but that game allows me to adjust the difficulty and improve my character. I have also played Gloomhaven with other people. Playing this alone was not enjoyable. Perhaps I would like it more with other players. But I don't know how easy this would be to teach. For some reason I imagine this to be more difficult to teach.
Great review and fair from your point of view as an original Spirit Island fan. Before picking up Horizons, I'd never played Spirit Island before, but had heard good things about it and it's highly rated. The Target entry price point was attractive, especially when I combined the low MSRP with some discounts (promo 15% off, 5% Red Card (which stacks with the other discount), and a $5 gift card from previous purchases) to make the initial purchase under $20. After watching a couple of playthrough videos, I was hooked upon my first play. While I completely agree with the assessment of the components (functional, but fiddly and not elegant), I suspect this was necessary to provide the low cost, mass market (big box store) appeal. I desired more and have since added all the currently available content (less deluxe component packs) and I have traded out the cardboard dahan, town, and city tokens for those in the base game. I think it does make a great entry level product for the franchise - again from my original non-experienced perspective. Cheers!!
Literally unwrapped my copy a few minutes ago and am punching it out. Quality looks good and I'm excited to have something easier to transport.
Thanks for the review. I think calling the components “unusable” is going too far. I just stack the tokens when needed and it’s not a problem at all. One thing I wish it included, however, was an adversary or two. After playing a couple times, it quickly became too easy. I printed off the rules for some of the adversaries and it helped greatly with adjusting the difficulty. I would point out that I bought my copy based on the recommendation of one of your “12 games of Christmas” videos. I don’t regret it, but it’s disconcerting that you are now saying you don’t recommend it for new players (like me). If I hadn’t liked the game I got, I would probably be pretty upset with this mixed message. Just my two cents.
Yeah, I just went back and watched the Christmas video and you recommended it as an entry point to the game with a less intimidating table presence. I’m confused by the 180.
th-cam.com/video/jFC5ldgKpVo/w-d-xo.html
I'm glad it worked out for you and you haven't had the frustration I did! Overall I did give the game an 8.5 despite the huge problem I had with components. Sure, you can stack the tokens, but then you are unstacking them to count for health, damage, etc. It just seemed like a huge miss to me which increases the fiddly nature. BUT because of the actual gameplay (quickstart guide, power progression, etc) I do swing the overall score up. Again, I am happy to hear not all found this as problematic as I did, but it is based on my experience.
As for the 12 Games of Christmas - those are not our individual picks but a compilation of office recommendations. I honestly don't remember who nominated it. The game is a fantastic value at the price point, which makes it less intimidating regardless of the potential token issues.
As someone who has never played the base game, I found your review of Horizons to be thorough and thoughtful, and I’m going to give it a try. I’m a newer gamer, and I think Horizons will probably still be quite complicated for me, but I LOVE the theme. Understanding the frustration I might have with the components before I play the game will be helpful because I’ll be able to overlook that and not allow it to affect my impression of the game. If the components drive me crazy, I’ll come up with ideas for replacements. Thank you for a great review.
This was so helpful! Thanks Camilla! I got excited when I saw this smaller box version for fewer players so I got it. Now all I want to know is where can I get the base game pieces, to us for Horizons, so I don’t have to get the whole base game. I’m one to upgrade components for almost all my games anyway, so it’s not a big deal, I just don’t want to play this with those clunky cardboard pieces. Especially being new to the Spirit Island world.
If you take to the game, you'll quickly have the base game pieces from purchasing the base game and, shortly thereafter, the expansions ;)
Just play it and make sure you like it. The gameplay isn't for everyone, the components aren't going to change that in the slightest. If you do like it you should probably just get the base game + B&C.
I haven't even punched out the card board tokens but I've put everything else into my spirit island box like if it was an expansion.
Having played the original SI I have to say Camilla is spot on with the component comparison. The carboard components QUALITY seems to be perfectly fine. That's not the issue. USABILITY is the issue. In the last game I played it was a 4 players game. We won, but for a good stretch there were a lot of pieces on the board. It got crowded and a bit fiddly even with the components from normal SI. Now you're going to shrink the board some, but practically double the component size? That might not be as big of an issue at 1 or 2 players, but at 3 or 4 that's going to be some serious overcrowding.
I don't mind the thinner player boards and spirit boards, or the tokens actually being cardboard. That all does drop the price point and size of the game which could be issues for some, and is part of the selling point for tis version. They could've still made the cardboard components more proportionate though so the board wouldn't be so over crowded. In a way it reminds me of Bunny Kingdom with the usability/size issues. I can understand that for some that won't matter, but for others it will be a problem. It definitely is the 1 big negative difference for me between the 2 versions in otherwise what seems to be a very good re-implementation of sorts. I think the mish mash of components between the two is a great idea for those who might wind up having both versions in the end. I also really would love to see and use those new progression cards.
You can just stack the tokens...? It's not like OG SI doesn't have a problem with lands overflowing with bits at higher difficulty levels.
@@VaultBoy13 Yes the lands could get crowded in OG SI, that was always one of the negative things for me from the game. The areas got very crowded later on if you had a 4 player game going. Even at 3 players it could be crowded.
Hence my comment about how taking the board and making it smaller, and making the components bigger, would be a problem. Sure, you can stack the tokens, but then I imagine it's hard to see how many are there. I don't have laser eagle eye vision, sorry.
I still think this looks like an overall well done re-imagining of SI if you will (based on the things they wanted to alter some), minus the component issue. That could be a big issue for some. If it doesn't bother you then that's great.
Well as someone who is now a seasoned veteran of 1 play this was helpful, don’t need to keep an eye out if this shows up over here when I add Spirit Island to my collection. :)
We were frustrated at first. The rules were not super clear and the initial playthrough was pretty bad. That being said, once we figured it out, we LOVE it. One of our favorites. Did not play the original game.
I prefer tokens over minis. You can stack the tokens neatly so that it's better organized. Minis suck.
Sacred sites should be two presence stacked, but those cardboard pieces look far too large. Why couldn't they be half as large?
Because they can also be stacked, and they're easier to pick up if they're bigger.
Let me see if I’m understanding correctly. This is an introductory version of spirit island, but you don’t recommend it for new people because of the components. You only recommend it if you already own The original game so you can replace the components and only then if you want a travel version or a version to keep separate from the expansions to teach new people
Or I suppose if you want to buy it just for the four new spirits
@@flawed1 5 new Spirits
Five thank you
I actually love the new components. I have my Horizons box set up right now as a "go box" with all the spirits that don't use expansion components. The form factor plus the new boards are absurdly compact and very good.
The consensus among the community seems to be that it's worth buying this solely for the five spirits as they're well-designed and SI fans will absolutely pay a premium for new content, especially spirits. At which point players either stow away/throw out the rest of the Horizons stuff or use it for a travel/teaching version of the game.
Can you add the expansions to this game?
They need to make an affordable Nemesis with cardboard standees. It's not a game that I would play very often, so it's not worth the massive investment.
If it makes you feel better, I bought it, and have been trying to sell it. It's not bad. But I don't think it's top 100 material
You mean something like Sauria?
@@VaultBoy13 Yeah, Nemesis mechanisms/theme with Sauria components. Not everything needs to have buckets of plastic.
@@adamg4912 Sauria doesn't have buckets of plastic, and it provides gameplay similar to Nemesis.
Alternatively, there's probably a market for the Nemesis minis. Buy the game and sell off the minis. Replace the minis with standees or cubes or meeples or whatever makes you happiest.
I just upgraded my Spirit Island game with the Premium Token Pack which probably will not be for everyone due to its price. But keeping the old tokens/pieces since you never know if you will need them. I have been looking for this game and the nearest Targets (I.E. 3 different stores) did not have them. Though going to check a 4th store tomorrow morning since they are suppose to have it.
Camilla good review and some really good points.
Pretty harsh score just because of the size of the tokens compared to the map, especially with how much you talked up all of the other benefits of this copy. I know the Dice Tower generally stays away from talking price, but it usually gets mentioned when something is really expensive or a really good value. I feel like the value here should have mitigated some of the negativity from "inferior" components.
Yep, newbs can always use wooden cubes!
I haven't played Horizons yet, but almost everything I've seen basically says, This is a good expansion if you already have Spirit Island, but if this is your first exposure to the game it is not going to encourage most people to go any further, for all the reasons you cite in your "5".
Hmmm, Spirit Island hit its lowest price I'd ever seen and I bought it a couple months back. I might have picked this up instead. The component usability issue is disappointing, but I'd probably just replace some or something with bits I have on hand. Great review!
Thank you. Well though out review and I agree on most points.
I love that the original using plastic components for the colonizers in contrast to the wood for the native population.
I think this was a missed review opportunity. They should have included someone who hasn’t played base SI. Also, stacking these cardboard tokens is so easy. Seriously. Stack the Dahan, invaders, and towns on cities. Seems like Camilla is making this too big of an issue.
I disagree on the Blight. I actually really don't like the base game's blight tokens. I also think the Dahan are fine. I do agree on the invaders. Plus, because they're not plastic they don't fit the theme of the wood being the natives and plastic being the invaders. It's a minor thing, but like most things in Spirit Island it sells the theme.
I think they should do a "Deluxe" Horizons with plastic invaders and NOTHING else changed. Make it $50.
These tokens look like they will be good for England as extra health on towns and Cities.
Man these are great points, and this is going to make me play with those progression cards. As someone with the rest of SI already, I don't use them at all, but if they are that great, I should try out the new ones!
Same. I knew how awful those original progression cards were I immediately threw the Horizons ones aside. This makes me want to try them to see. They sound much better than those original atrocities.
In an effort to keep this short: I wanted to like spirit island, but absolutely hated it. Fiddly pieces, cluttered, overproduced, mean not challenging, with an agenda. I swore I'd give horizons a try though, and man am I glad I did! Solved all the problems I had with SI Prime, in addition to making it smaller and cheaper. I now love spirit island, but only in new horizons form, and I'll never recommend nor play SI Prime.
Thanks for the review, Camilla! I have and enjoy this version of SI as my only version. I had played the original previously only on TTS but this was my husband's first play. I don't think we had any issues with the components. I was thankful that making them cardboard kept the price point down which I think is worth the downgrade. But also note that I haven't had physical experience with the original. Perhaps it bothered you a lot because you knew what you were missing and were used to the other components? Just a thought! Either way, nice review and good to hear your thoughts on this worthy game!
I feel this was mistitled. It wasn't really a review, but a long-winded comparison; useless to anyone who doesn't already know Spirit Island. Disappointing.
Where can you get this game?
I believe it is Target exclusive in the US.
I have no issue with the components, works pretty ok. And the game is very affordable.
Great review, thank you!
This is a very good review! Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I was hoping to see zee and Tom and mikes feedback on the game but I have to say this review is even better than the one they did on the base game
great points Camilla, thank you!
I swapped out the plastic invader minis in regular spirit Island for the cardboard from Horizons. Strong disagree on the experience on offer here. I think you're hard pressed to find a better value on offer anywhere in board gaming than this box.
What makes you like the cardboard better than the minis?
I already want to play only the app because this game is too fiddly to play the physical copy, can't believe they managed to actually make it worse.
Imma take it a step further. I hate base spirit island components.
Before clicking, “I hope Camilla is in this one!” Then “Oh hey it’s only Camilla!”
Favorite spirit from Horizons: Eyes Watch from Trees. Favorite overall: Starlight Seeks its Form.
It is a bit of a shame that the best part of this game is the five new spirits and that it’s worth purchasing just for them. So experienced players buy this and don’t use (or even throw out) all the other content, whereas for new players the functionality of the Horizons board creates a bad experience. I wish GtG had negotiated with Target to also sell just the spirits to avoid the waste.
On the other hand, it's still Spirit Island and the new spirits are both fun and very well designed. So, for that reason I think I also have this at an 8.5 (maybe 8?) whereas base SI is a 9.5 and SI + expansion content is a 10 for me personally.
PS - you can absolutely play this solo by playing with the 2-player board and only using one half (or just 1/3 of the 3-player board I suppose).
The best part of the game is that it provides a more affordable entry point for people to try Spirit Island. There's not a usability issue if you simply stack the components.
@@VaultBoy13 Wouldn't that make it difficult to see at a glance how many of each type was in the land?
😊
This is the kind of review I wanted for this game. The point of view of someone who already loves the game, like I do. 👍🏽
Looking forward to try these new spirits
Never play a hex and counter war game. You would hate stacking lol
Jeez Camilla, when you do a review you truly leave no stone unturned. Insanely impressive.
not sure how a mid point between 9.5 and 5 is 8.5. The tokens look unuable therefore it should be a 0. I certainly won't be buying it now even though I was considering it.
The seal of excellence is really becoming the biggest punchline on this channel...
Oh dear it looks terrible! The original is ao much better!