Play Log #1: Cascadia
Play Log is where I reflect on recent games I've played. Not a review, more like a reflection. Most of my experience playing games is 2 player with my lovely partner, and so my experience will always be colored by this format unless otherwise noted.
Welcome to the Play Log. First up, for no other reason than we played it yesterday, is the game Cascadia.
Cascadia checks all the boxes for a great game. The rules are simple, setup is quick, downtime is minimal, the art is lovely, and—perhaps most importantly—there are animals. This is a game I’d confidently recommend to my non-board-game-playing family.
A turn is straightforward: choose a tile and an animal token from a pool of four and place them into your personal ecosystem. The puzzle is elegantly refined—since you only have four choices each, turns move quickly.
After 20 rounds, players tally their scores based on region sizes and animal patterns. Each of the five animal types scores differently. Hawks prefer to spread out, elk form herds, and salmon want to create long runs up the river. Each animal has multiple scoring cards with slight variations, keeping the game fresh. Players also receive bonuses for the largest contiguous regions, adding just enough incentive to keep an eye on what others are building and try to stay ahead.
At the end of the game, you're left with a moderately sized landscape of hexagonal terrain tiles dotted with pastel animal tokens. While the tiles create a satisfying visual of a natural landscape, the animal tokens can feel haphazardly placed, sometimes resulting in abstract, even nonsensical ecosystems (like a salmon existing on dry land).
Scoring is a bit lengthy, with five animals and five terrain types to count, but it creates a fun tension—someone might dominate bear scoring while another cleans up on hawks. There’s also a “family variant” scoring card, which simplifies scoring by only rewarding groups of animals instead of complex patterns—perfect for younger players or those looking for a lighter experience.
It’s no surprise that Cascadia won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres in 2022. It belongs alongside other great “gateway” games like Ticket to Ride and Splendor, introducing new players to the hobby with accessible yet engaging mechanics. However, for more seasoned gamers, Cascadia may feel a bit too polished, with all its complex edges sanded down. A similar game, Ecos: First Continent, shares the same theme and similar components but incorporates a unique card-driven action system and a shared landscape, allowing for deeper player interaction. While Ecos is a messier game, that also makes it more compelling.
For me, Cascadia is enjoyable but not particularly memorable. I often judge a game’s engagement by how vocal my partner gets. Gasps, yells, some light table slamming are all good indications she is investing. Cascadia, on the other hand, is much more meditative, a quiet game without yelling. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it won’t have you on the edge of your seat hoping your opponent doesn’t notice a game-changing move.
Ultimately, Cascadia is a safe bet when choosing a game for a mixed or unknown group. However, experienced players may point to several other games that offer similar gameplay with more depth and interaction.