Garden Geckos by Tin Robot Games

Play as a group of geckos collecting bugs as the garden expands in Garden Geckos by Tin Robot Games, currently on Kickstarter.

Was this game sent for review or self-purchased?: Review.

In two sentences, what do you do in the game: In Garden Geckos, you expand the garden each turn by placing a new tile and attach one of your geckos across it and an adjoining tile. You are trying to attach your geckos to specific terrain and bug tiles to collect both private and public objective cards and individual bugs, all of which are worth points at the end.

Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: We have not, this is the first title we have played by this publisher.

What was surprising about this title: The pieces. They are unique from the bugs to the player marker geckos, which we think have color blind pattern markings. They are adorable, and the stylish pieces are incentive enough to collect all the bugs!

How likely is this to return to the game table?: Not as likely. We enjoyed collecting the bugs but think this would be well suited to a group that likes more involved tile management. For us, the goals were very dependent upon luck and while there is strategy involved, it was too difficult for us to meet goals from the beginning.

Game length: Medium length. It took close to an hour for playthroughs.

Language Barrier Playability: Harder but not impossible. If the rules are explained, you can mostly go off of symbols for gameplay.

Artwork: Wonderful. We loved the gecko designs and the tile terrain designs. They were vibrant and added to the fun, light theme.

Quality: Great. Solid pieces all around and cards that will last.

Strategy: Decent. You place your geckos between bugs and terrain that are advantageous for points but some of the cards are too easy and some are too difficult to seem balanced.

Instruction Manual: A little cumbersome. There were paragraphs that could’ve been shorter or more visual.

Organization: Good! Simple organization and everything fit well in the box.

Final thoughts: Garden Geckos is a fun summery game with vibrant tiles and unique components. It is a pretty game to have on your table as you play. However, the goals are a little too difficult to reach and often depend upon randomly drawing the tile you need or lucky placement options.