PARKS | A Review by Tabletop Meeple

 PARKS

a review by Tabletop Meeple


Info:

  • For 1-5 players
  • For ages 10 and up
  • 30-60 minutes to play
  • BGG Weight: 2.14

Game Overview

    The National Parks. One of America's greatest investments. A fair few games have been made about them, including the original Trekking titles. But, today, I am going to review by far the most popular of the National Parks-themed games, PARKS. Designed by Henry Audubon and published by Keymaster Games, PARKS is a relatively simple set collection games with a few other interesting mechanisms. Is it any good? Let's find out.

Brilliant art through and through. This game's production is top-notch.



Theme

    In PARKS, the theme is relatively simple. We play as backpackers exploring a variety of different U.S. National Parks. To get there, we have to gain the correct amounts of resources by hiking through various different areas in order to visit the parks. It has an amazing theme and it feels woven right in. The entire game design is clearly passionate and the art does so much to help the theme along. 

TM Score: 16/20

Components

    PARKS's components are absolutely amazing. There is a metal starting player token that looks beautiful, there are wooden hiker meeples and wooden resources, which come in an amazing little GameTrayz container that fits snugly in the compact box, and the standard components have amazing illustration and detail to them. While theming and components typically don't make or break a game for me, these absolutely amazing past two sections are going to really help this game along.

TM Score: 18/20

Beautiful components in really nice GameTrayz inserts. 

Gameplay

    PARKS's gameplay is pretty solid. It is primarily a set collection game as you travel through areas collecting resources in order to visit parks. There is also an interesting; "go as far as you want down the track but you won't be able to return" which makes every movement decision a crunchy delight.

    It has played well at every player count I've played at (1-3), and that is probably where the game is at its peak. This game combines simple actions with a movement mechanism that really adds depth to every action. The game on its face seems to be a simple set collection game with a few novel features that make it stand out, but those novel features do more to the game than I had ever expected going into it.

TM Score: 17/20

Overall

    PARKS is a really good game. From its well-done theme, to its brilliant components, to its solid gameplay, this game managed to impress me at every turn. The one slip-up this game makes is that I wouldn't call it a possible gateway game. While it is quite light, it is a step above the classic gateways that have defined the hobby (with the exception of probably Pandemic). It's a shame too, because this game's art, components, and theme would have absolutely established gateway status but I think there may be just a little bit too much going on for that. Gateway games are in their pomp when they use a mechanism and absolutely hit it out of the park, or, if they are the first of their kind. This game, to both its benefit and its detriment, use a variety of different mechanisms while not truly innovating on any of them. While I think the game is great, there is an argument to be made that this game is standing on all the shoulders that perfected the mechanisms that they used. 

PROS:
  • Amazing components
  • The theme is there.
  • Solid mechanics
  • Beautiful art
  • Decent price and playtime
CONS:
  • In a weird spot weight-wise that make it hard to fit
FINAL TM SCORE: 18.3/20

 And that's it!

    I really enjoy this game, and I really enjoy writing these reviews, and I hope you enjoy reading them as well. Playing games is a great way to spend time, and I hope my reviews make an impact on whether or not you decide to purchase the games covered in them. If you are a publisher or a designer and want to send a game my way for review, contact me! My contact info will be at the bottom of the page. See you next time!

Contact Info:

Email Address: tabletopmeeple@gmail.com




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