Blue Orange Games Photosynthesis Board Game - Award Winning Family or Adult Strategy Board Game for 2 to 4 Players. Recommended for Ages 8 & Up.

I would normally write an extensive review for something like this, but others have so eloquently done so already (like Paul Bulger with whom I agree). I've been a gamer ever since I was in high school (almost 30 years ago). I've definitely played my share of games! I got my family into playing games, and we're always looking for the next fun, challenging game. This fits the bill! All the art work is beautiful. All the components are high quality and very well done. All four sets of trees are different and colored beautifully! You have Oak, Maple, Cedar/Evergreen, and one other deciduous tree with which I am not familiar. All the colors are brilliant and spectacular. My only quibble would be that a lot of the tree pieces do not fit together tightly (so they fall apart), but since this can be fixed with a very small dot of glue, I don't see it as a big concern (clarification: all the trees come in two pieces that you fit together perpendicularly so they will stand up). The theme is very fun and intriguing; growing your trees from seedlings to full grown large trees is enormous fun. Strategically placing your trees to get the most growth and light points provides just the perfect element of strategy and tactics to the game. The game is so intriguing, in fact, that my wife (who normally does not get involved in our gaming sessions) wanted to play the game over and over! For those of you who have not delved into the world of Euro-gaming, do not worry. I would put the rules complexity at around Monopoly. In fact, the rules are so easy to understand that our 7 year old daughter can play. The only thing is the strategy is more complex, so she had a hard time understanding where to place trees and why she would place them in those locations. Our 10 year old daughter had no issues with the strategy portion. The game box says for ages 8+. This is probably true if your 8 year old is especially sharp and observant, otherwise I would say 10+. Game time runs at around 45 - 70 minutes, but it seems to go very fast. Once everyone understands the rules, you could probably complete a game in 30 minutes. The game does allow you to extend the game one full "day" which adds another 15 minutes or so and changes the strategy a bit. You can play this game 2 player, but it does make it a bit too easy (too big of a play area with no interference from other players). My wife and I played several 2 player games. The game says to leave out the highest point (4-leaf) rewards -which only come from the middle of the board. Since you cannot reap the benefit of that space of the board, we decided to add a full grown, large tree (from a non-player color) to the center of the board (this affects light points and tree placement strategy). We also added 3 small trees in three of the outside ring (1-leaf) corners. Using the optional rule for tree growth along with these house rules made a VERY challenging 2-player game. Replayability is very good, but players do seem to settle into a set strategy once they know the game. If you on the fence on whether or not to get this game, don't! It is simply a stunning game with a very fun theme that will bring your family together for some fun moments!

There’s a surprising amount of strategy packed into this beautiful looking game! In Photosynthesis, you plant seeds, harvest light with photosynthesis, and grow trees through their life cycle. Your trees earn light points through photosynthesis depending on how big they are and whether they are shadowed or not. You then spend light points to upgrade trees. There’s an interesting game mechanic that keeps the sun moving to 6 position around the board, meaning that how “well” your trees are positioned for scoring is constantly changing. Luckily, the theme doesn’t overshadow or interfere with the pure strategy of the game design. There seems to be a lot of possible deep strategy in this one that we haven’t started to tap into yet, but game play is simple enough to get started and enjoy playing the first time. I wouldn’t be worried about teaching this to a non-gamer because there aren’t that many actions or choices each time so it’s not overwhelming and feels very accessible. Despite the in-depth strategy possible, I still think it’s one that we’ll be able to teach our 7 year old (who plays lots of light to mid-weight Eurogames) to play from a game play standpoint as the basic game play isn’t complicated. Overall, I would definitely recommend Photosynthesis and think it’ll be getting a lot of game play around our house!

I love this game. Completely different than most games. Strategic and a joy to play. Great components. I would recommend watching a YouTube video called “Watch it Played.” A fairly easy game to learn, if you are used to plying euro-type games. Similar concepts with some twists. I love how the sun rotates to give different “shadows” on trees. You can plant your seed in a area by your tree, distance determined by the size of your tree. The larger your tree the further the seed can travel. Then you use sun points to buy larger trees and eventually harvest your large tree for victory points. The twist is you have to buy things from you player mat and put it in a staging area beside your board before you place it on the large game board. Once you harvest your tree that space becomes available for others. It’s an awesome game. I’ve only played the 2-person variant. I was way ahead dominating the board until my trees got blocked by my opponent. I wasn’t able to get any sun points which are needed to buy things. He pulled ahead at the last move winning the game. Great value for the money.

This is a really fun and unique game to play. It's basically chess, but with trees. The artwork and the ever changing dynamics of the game make it interesting and fun to play. It's definitely a strategy game. Each player tries get the most points by growing and harvesting trees. Every turn the board changes as the sunlight moves and the trees grow into different stages. It's fun to watch the Forrest grow and change overtime- it's almost like you're watching a miniature time lapse of a forest growing. The artwork is beautiful and really sells this game. Everyone that I have played with was initially skeptical being that its a game about trees, but after playing they all were really impressed. It's not perfect, however. If I could change anything it would be to allow each player have a 3rd tall tree. In the game you can only get two and this really slows things down and ruins a lot of the potential strategies in the game. On top of that, it takes two turns of points to buy and place anything on the board which, coupled with the limited tall trees, really ruins a lot of potential. If they can update the version a bit to make gameplay a little more smooth than I'd give it 5 stars. But as of now, 4 Stars. Would I still recommend it? Yes. I would say you should play it at least once. Watch someone play it on Youtube before you decide to buy. But overall it is loads of fun and there is still a ton of strategy.

Its art work and strategy are well done. Some of the trees are a bit fragile and fall apart (especially the blue pine set), but they are easily put back together and not damaged, so that doesn't lose a star in my rating. Perhaps it wouldn't be good even for older kids if they are rough on games, but my wife and I are careful and we love it. My wife and I first played the two-player game and enjoyed it so much that we had to play again simulating four persons (each of us taking two sets of trees). That was much more satisfying, as it's fun to see all the different types of trees on the board at once. There is also an option to take the sun around the board four times rather than three, and I recommend doing so, especially at the beginning, because it seems like there isn't enough "time" to grow very many trees to maturity in only three revolutions. The strategy aspect itself is moderately challenging, and playing our four-player simulation helped me figure out a bit what strategy works best (growing your trees quickly seems more advantageous than planting too many trees early--sort of like a real life farm, you want a cycle). Outside of selecting the player who goes first, there is no chance involved (such as dice or card draws), so the smarter competitor will probably almost always win, though cunning and a willingness to aggressively interfere with your opponent's plan will also help. The more players you have, the more chaotic and unpredictable (i.e. fun) it will be. I consider this game worth the price, I'd definitely buy it again, and we don't splurge on high-quality games like this very often. If I had one recommendation to the creators, it would be to find a way to handicap a smarter player (especially if the game is played between adults and kids, or experienced players and novices).

Photosynthesis has amazing table presence. It’s one of those games that instantly draws people in just by how beautiful it looks. Once you’ve assembled the trees, setup is minimal and smooth. Components: Stunning visuals and high-quality pieces. The 3D trees make it feel alive, and the rotating sun is such a clever touch. The artwork for each season is vibrant and each board has its own animal. Set up time: Quick once the trees are built. Everything fits together cleanly. Ease of teaching: Simple to explain, but the strategy unfolds slowly. The rules make perfect thematic sense — shade, light, growth — everything connects naturally. What I find great: It’s elegant, balanced, and never overstays its welcome. Every game feels tight and satisfying. Still one of my favorite games of all time, and I’ll never say no to playing it. It has good replayability. I've owned this game since it was released. What I like less: I just wish there were a solo mode. I go on Boardgame Arena to play with others, but it is not the same.

I actually laughed when I first saw this game. I didn't buy the idea that photosynthesis could be fun. But then I watched a YouTube video review of the game and I was sold. The artwork and colors are beautiful. It's such a visually appealing game. I love the whole 3-D feel of it. It's not your typical cheap, cardboard, 2-dimensional game. And it's actually FUN! I play with my 8 and 9 year-olds and we enjoy it. Not to mention it's educational. It helps children learn about the basics of the whole photosynthesis process... which is needed in our world of screens and technology. Most kids don't get to see farming up close and personal on an actual farm. So, this game simulates the whole process so they can understand how sunlight, shadows, seeds, patience, etc. all work together to make plants grow and thrive. It is well worth the price.

I saw Photosynthesis on a top 10 games of 2020 list and thought it looked cool. At first when you open it be prepared to take 10-15 minutes to pop out all the trees and set them up. My wife and I played a couple of games and I really enjoyed it, she liked it but it's not really her jam. We went with some friends on a week long trip to escape Covid at a remote cabin. This is where the fun began. One of my friends was absolutely addicted and me and him played it a lot! I would say it's definitely more fun with 3-4 people. Also make sure and check out the advanced rules as they add a needed complexity to the game. It's easy to learn and easy to teach to people. It takes a few games to develop some strategy and I'm still coming up with new creative methods to keep my foes in darkness and harvest those tokens! It's really cool and I would highly recommend it for yourself or as a gift. The trees feel durable and the box design and the way you store them is such a simple elegant solution. Good job Blue Orange Games!