Neoville Review

Tile laying, skyscraper building goodness.

In Neoville, each player is attempting to build a 4x4 city that uses different districts/biomes. Each of these districts has a corresponding skyscraper type that can be placed in them that will give the player points at the end of the game if they can have a district that's the correct amount of squares. For example, if they choose to place the 12 point skyscraper, then they'll need to have at least 12 squares of that corresponding district. If they do not, they will lose that many points at the end of the game. The other option is to place a utility. These score in various ways such as matching a pattern or having a set amount of objects on the row and column that it's placed on. Once the 4x4 city is completed then the game ends. Whoever has the most points wins.

The Good: This was a lot thinkier than I was expecting. It wasn't until about halfway through my first game that I realized I was placing things completely inefficiently to score on utilities. I also really liked that there was an element suspense hoping that you'll pull the tile that you need so you can complete your big points skyscraper. At the same time, it's a really relaxing game to watch your little city grow. I also really enjoyed the theme of merging your city with nature.

The Okay: Some of the iconography was a bit confusing on the utilities. I had to refer to the rulebook a few times. If there was some sort of player aid I think that would be a huge help. The rulebook was extremely clear however with what they meant so it's more of a minor inconvenience than anything.

The Not So Good: I do not see a ton of replayability in this game. It's a really solid game but I'm not sure I would prefer it over others that do that same thing. It's a great game for families which is what it sets out to do but for players that want something heavier there's probably some better options out there.

Final Score: 7/10

This is the second tile laying grid building game that I've played from Blue Orange. As I said, it's a really nice family weight game but if I was going to play one like this, I think I would prefer to play Kingdomino Origins. I really enjoyed my time with Neoville and it did find a way onto my shelf because I do see its potential as a nice entry into this sort of game.

Thank you to Blue Orange for providing me with a copy of the game.