BIG THUMBS REVIEW
Wreck Raiders – Kids Table Board Gaming

⚙️: @joshcappel & @timwkbrown
🎨 : @apollineart

⏰ : 45 mins
👯‍♂️: 1 to 5 players
👩‍👩‍👧‍👧: 10+

Mechanically, Wreck Raiders is a really good game. It might even be a really really good game! But what sets it apart from other games in its ballpark is the setting – treasure hunters diving to the bottom of the sea, in search of treasures, while also building an epic aquarium that even Ripley wouldn’t believe!

Generally speaking, my partner (Mama Bird) doesn’t often enjoy games, and is quick to dismiss them. However, the artwork of Wreck Raiders drew her right into the experience, and by the end of our first game, she was naming the fish in her aquarium, and promising others a five-star experience in her high-rise oceanic resort! A few days later, she asked to play “The Fish Game” again – a sure sign we have a winner on our hands.

As far as the engine under the pretty exterior goes, Wreck Raiders has a bit of everything – worker placement, set collection, tableau building, resource management – all of which spring from the dice drafting that each turn begins with. As my mother would say, it’s an everything-in-the-fridge sandwich! Many games that juggle so many elements wind up falling short, but the mechanics are talking to each other as if they were on a productive lunch break, and it all makes for a delightful experience.

Wreck Raiders is getting two big thumbs up from us! If you’re looking for a strategy game that forced a bit of brain sweat while also playing in about an hour, this one is a slam dunk. 👍👍

P.S. Solo Gamers! I didn’t forget about you. The solo game manages to use the same building blocks, and yet manages to feel remarkably different. It offers a max of 6 rounds, which creates a time limit on the game, and really pressures the player to make the most optimal choices each turn. The rival AI manages to feel like an encroaching opponent, but isn’t building a score of its own. I’d likely still prefer a multiplayer game, but there has been some quality care invested in this mode, and I’ll definitely be playing solo again soon.