 Best Sellers | | |  | |  | | | Forbidden Island | | | | | SKU:
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| | | Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss! The latest creation by cooperative game master, Matt Leacock who created the best seller Pandemic. | | | |
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| $16.99 | |
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| $15.44
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| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 6.5 inches | | Product Width: | 8.75 inches | | Product Height: | 2.75 inches | | Product Weight: | 1.4 pounds | | Package Length: | 8.4 inches | | Package Width: | 6.6 inches | | Package Height: | 3.7 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.5 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 135 reviews |
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| | Features | 2010 Mensa Favorite Brainy Games WinnerJoin a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise2 to 4 playersStrategic thinking, problem solving and cooperation requiredAges 10 and upPlaying time: 30 minutes
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 135 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
240 of 246 found the following review helpful:
 Family cooperation is a blast Aug 31, 2010
By Trent Howell
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3EIELBWF39PLO Forbidden Island is a fantastic family board game for a number of reasons:
* 1 - it's a cooperative game. We love cooperative games in our family because we aren't competing against each other, but rather working together as a team to beat the game. And we love that more designers and publishers are creating more cooperative games to play.
* 2 - it's easy to learn and simple to play. Take it from Caleb's video review. You simply set out the island tiles, draw your character card and follow the steps on the back of the card as to what to do on your turn. Pretty soon you won't need to look at the cards during the game, but it's great that the help is there if you need it.
* 3 - the re-playability. Since the game isn't played on a set board, but rather by area tiles, every time you set up the island it gets set up differently. And with 6 characters that each have their unique special abilities, you only get to play with a team of 4. So each time you play, you'll also have to deal with the characters you get (and you'll long for the special abilities of one you're missing). And on top of all that, you're dealing with the luck of the draw in the card deck, so you don't know which tiles will start flooding, then sinking away.
* 4 - it doesn't take a long time. The turns play really quickly and everyone is engaged the whole time and the island is always changing with tiles flooding, so there's a lot of discussion going on the whole game - which also makes it seem like it goes by fast.
* 5 - it's fun! The first time we played it, we played over and over. Granted we kept losing so we had to keep trying again. But that's what made it so fun. We would get so close and then just miss the win. So we'd quickly set it all up again for more.
Oh - and did I mention that Forbidden Island has fantastic artwork and great game components? We love the artwork and everything in the tin is high quality. The tiles are nice, thick and sturdy - which is a must because they will get flipped over a lot. And the treasure pieces are definitely treasures that you want to search out and get. The game components all help make it a fun game experience.
If you typically just read these board game reviews rather than watch the video, we'd suggest you take a look at the video to see the quality you're going to get with Forbidden Island.
You can read more about this and other great family board games on TheBoardGameFamily.
47 of 48 found the following review helpful:
Edge of your seat fun! May 19, 2010
By Michael Mandolese
Easy to learn, fast paced, and beautifully illustrated. A good balance of luck and strategy.
I'm new to cooperative gaming so its a breath of fresh air to play a game where you're all working together instead of trying to beat each other. Definitely a great game for families.
The 24 tiles that make up the "board" ensure that no two games will be alike, so there is a lot of re-playability. Also when you loose, which happens a fair amount (its challenging!), it definitely leaves you with a "lets play again!" attitude.
Gameplay was about 30 min. The box and components were excellent quality and with a $14.99 price tag how can you go wrong? I highly recommend it!
57 of 61 found the following review helpful:
Great Family Game - Perfect Introduction to Cooperative Games May 20, 2010
By J. Connolly III
"Father/Husband/Gamer"
I really enjoyed this game and have played with my children (11, 9, and 7) as well as an adult gaming group. This game scales well between the two groups and everyone had a good time.
Components
The game has excellent components. The game is very good looking and the designers have done a great job with the look and feel of the game. The cards are durable, the four treasures look good and you can tell that a lot of time and thought went into the design. The game comes in a small tin which looks nice but doesn't fit well into my game collection.
Gameplay
After a couple of plays you can finish a game in about 30 minutes. This makes the game a good choice if you have limited time or want to play a couple of different games on a game night. You and your friends play against the game and if you don't work together you will lose. Every time I've played, there has been a good sense of urgency that makes the game exciting.
Pros:
Theme
Quality of Components
Price - it's only [...]!!
Light enough for new players, but still fun for experienced gamers
Cons:
Strategy Light - I'm not convinced the replay value is high. Increasing the difficulty level may fix this but I've only played on Novice level.
21 of 22 found the following review helpful:
A Multi-Game Comparison Jul 20, 2011
By Ade the DBA
Plenty of people have done an admirable job of explaining the games in their reviews, so this is instead an attempt at a comparison between a number of games, the pros and cons of each and which may suit different people best. The games in question are: Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, Castle Panic, Smallworld, and Forbidden Island.
We have had Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne (with a number of expansion packs) for quite a few years now, and only recently added the other games above. We usually either play just as two adults, or with our two older children (age 9 and 8), and so our conclusions are based on how these games work in those settings. So here's what we've found:
Settlers of Catan
We got this around the same time as Carcassonne and initially just didn't latch onto it. Partly it's that it's supposed to be 3 players or more, and we often play as just two of us. Once we found online some instructions for playing as 2 players it came out more often, and as time's gone by it's become fairly 50-50 whether we play Settlers or Carcassonne on a quiet night in. The choice will usually depend on how much we want to think. With Settlers, you're always planning and calculating; with Carcassonne, you're taking it a card at a time.
Who should get it: Settlers is well-known as one of the great modern games. I'm not as sold on it as some people, and it takes quite a while to learn and feel comfortable with, but once you get the hang of it, it is an entertaining and enjoyable addition to a games collection. There are several 2-player rule variations out there if you need them and they work well (we found one that worked for us and we've stuck to it). But this isn't a game for kids; I would suspect not until they're 16 or so. Amongst other things, I think they'll find it too dull.
Carcassonne
This has been a favorite for years now, and everyone we've played it with has gone off to get it themselves. We usually play without farms because it then becomes less directly competitive and more sociable. Kids can play it, adults can play it, it's relaxed, it's fun and it's simple to learn. Here's one nice thing about it: you don't have to be constantly thinking and planning ahead. You don't know what card you're going to draw next time, so you just play one card at a time. You're encouraged to discuss where to put a card, and since you don't know what piece you're getting next, your comments to another player are usually pretty unbiased.
Who should get it: In my experience, pretty much anyone, except those who want ultra-competitive games. The first few expansion packs are also well worth getting, but don't bother with anything from Mayor onward.
Castle Panic
The kids love this one, again it's simple to learn and it has the added bonus of allowing them to get out their aggressive instincts and go postal on monsters! They don't like the `master slayer' option, but prefer just straight cooperative play. After the first few plays, I've found the basic game is too easy, and so we're experimenting with making it more challenging, such as starting with no walls, or drawing 3 monster cards at a time instead of 2. I think Castle Panic will become a game that we get out pretty regularly to play.
Who should get it: People with kids, who want to play cooperative games. Could be fun as a party game too!
Smallworld
While the kids have enjoyed playing this, I think their interest is starting to wane already. I suspect it will work better as a game with a group of adults, or when the kids are older. It has a lot going for it, especially the creative cards and board, but as others have noted - what's with the box for the tokens? Very poorly designed and adds unnecessary annoyance. Most of the time when playing we've found it's not too directly competitive, it's easier to attack lost tribes or declining races, so generally it doesn't get too personal!
Who should get it: I think this would make a fun addition to a games collection, but I don't think it would be a go-to game, especially with kids. The rules are more complicated to learn and explain than the other games, and this makes it hard to just sit down with new players and get on with a game. Having said that, we've enjoyed playing it , and I think it'll get pulled out every now and then over the years.
Forbidden Island
Although the kids would prefer Castle Panic, when we've played Forbidden Island (at my insistence!) they've thoroughly enjoyed it. As the island starts to collapse in a heap toward the end of the game, the tension levels rise and people are on the edge of their seats! The game always ends with voices rising in pitch and tension as cards get turned over - it's fun! It's a pure cooperative game, and that works well for us as a family - no one feels bad, we're all in it together. We're still using the `Normal' level of play, maybe we'll notch up a level soon!
Who should get it: If you like cooperative games, I think this is excellent to have. I love how easy it is to set different difficulty levels, and it's definitely the game that's had the most excited tension - Castle Panic has this at times, but not sustained (at least as the basic game). It doesn't have the whole monster thing going for it that Castle Panic does, and I think that's why the kids haven't latched onto it so quickly (kill trolls or wander round an island getting treasure - which is your average kid going to choose?) but I suspect that long-term it'll have more staying power.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Nail-Biting Cooperative Adventure in an Inexpensive Package Jun 30, 2010
By Mark Jackson
"aka pastor guy"
*designer: Matt Leacock
*publisher: Gamewright
*date: 2010
*BoardGameGeek rank/rating: 2090/8.04
*age: 10+
*# of players: 2-4
*print status: in print
Maybe it's because I started writing this review during the final few weeks of the TV series, LOST... but the whole "island full of crumbling ruins & ancient secrets" vibe resonates pretty strongly with me right now.
But don't take my (admittedly gamer-oriented) word for it: listen to my (gamer-in-training) 8 year old son... or his non-gamer 8 year old friends... or my long-suffering wife (who games because she loves me!)... or even other actual gamers who've played the game. It's been a hit with everyone who has had the opportunity to play!
Forbidden Island is a cooperative game for 2-4 players, though since the game is played with open hands, it works just fine as a solitaire game as well, with the player controlling two (or more) pawns. (Another odd Lost reference: this is definitely a "live together or die alone" kind of game.) Regardless of the number of players, it seems to clock in at right about a half hour of playing time.
The color text of the game has the players on a search for elemental treasures (The Crystal of Fire, the Statue of the Wind, The Ocean's Chalice & the Earth Stone) created by an ancient civilization. Of course, it's not a simple archaeological expedition - the island is booby-trapped to begin sinking when anyone attempts to steal the treasures... and that's exactly what you're here to do.
I could go into a detailed rules explanation... but that seems pretty pointless when a PDF of the rulebook is available online, thanks to the good folks at Gamewright. Simply put, you're using 3 actions per turn to move your piece across an island made of tiles, attempting to collect the treasures, shore up the sinking parts of the island, and generally survive long enough for all of you to grab the last helicopter off the island (is Frank Lapidus the pilot?). At the end of each turn, you draw cards to increase your hand (and potentially increase the rate of flooding) as well to sink more parts of the island.
There are lots of ways to lose:
*if the helicopter landing pad sinks, you lose
*if one of your team doesn't survive, you lose
*if you fail to recover all four treasures, you lose
*if the island floods completely, you lose
But it wouldn't be much of a cooperative game if you won all the time, right? So far, we're doing very well playing at the Novice setting, while we're about 50/50 at the Normal setting. I have yet to convince my son to try it at the more difficult settings. (BTW, a clever game feature - you only have to change the starting level of the water - indicated on a sliding scale - to change the difficulty of the game. No re-mixing the deck, no convoluted alternative set-up.)
The components are high quality - nice cards, great chunky tiles with evocative "forbidden island" artwork that reminds me a bit of the computer game Myst, and nifty plastic "treasures" - all packaged in a cool-looking tin with a well-designed box insert. (For those of you non-gamers, the "well-designed insert" may not sound like a big deal, but I can tell you from experience that it makes it easier to transport & keep the game in top-notch condition... and that not all companies think this part through.)
A side note: since the designer, Matt Leacock, is best known for his OTHER cooperative game, Pandemic, it's helpful to note that while the games share some mechanics (most notably the Infection/Waters Rise restacking of the decks & the various player roles that allow each person to "break" the rules in a particular way) but that the board play (due to the sinking tiles) and kid-friendly theme make for a very different game experience.
Finally, the recommended age of 10 is correct - but only if the kids are going to be playing without any adults helping run the game. With a friendly adult, the game can easily be played by kids as young as 5. The cheap price point (the MSRP is only $15.99) means that Forbidden Island will be likely be one of the best kid gaming investments you're likely to make this year.
See all 135 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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