Best Family Board Games - What to BUY, what to AVOID

[@1981dardar]

One of my biggest issue with isle of cats is the artwork. Those cats look like they are suffering from radioactive poisoning

[@theperfectboardgame]

I legit laughed out loud! So true…

[@1981dardar]

@@theperfectboardgame tks. I don't get why ppl didn't notice it before. The artwork is hideous !!!

[@Greggiexplore]

Isle of cats? Hmmm art work is terrible, and not family friendly. Don’t want to give nightmares to anyone LOL 😂

[@m_hall]

I completely disagree, the artwork is beautiful. They are supposed to be fantastic beast kind of cats. There is even a description of each one I think. So yes definitely not normal looking cats, except for maybe the blue ones

[@StevieInMTL]

There’s literally a “family mode” in the instructions for isle of cats.

[@jonio38]

Great method of reviewing games! I love love wingspan but I'm definitely putting Gizmos on my wishlist because it looks great too! I haven't played any of the others but it's really nice having someone say "this over that" I stead of just rating them with a number. Thank you!

[@theperfectboardgame]

Excellent! I’m glad you liked it. If you watch enough of my videos, you’ll learn my preferences and if my opinion is good for you. It boils down to having a proper balance for what the game is trying to accomplish. Not everyone agrees with my take on it, of course.

[@joyKafka]

Again hats off to your clear and systematic analysis. Really straight to the point and efficient. Thank you for the nice work. Keep it up. Would love to see more from you.

[@theperfectboardgame]

You give such refreshing encouragement. Thank you again!

[@edwardliddell501]

First time seeing a video from your channel. I very much enjoyed the space your focus fills in the board game hobby. My kids are just starting to reach the age where family-weight games (rather than just kids games) are becoming an option for us. I appreciate the info I'm getting here that I haven't seen in the other content I enjoy. Cheers!

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you so much for the feedback! I think board games are an enriching experience for young people and I love helping families find engaging games.

[@grog3514]

Wingspan made me realize I don't like engine building as a mechanic. I also think that game is really lucky. But it's worst sin is that it's isolating. No interaction whatsoever. Everyone is just staring down at their own board waiting until their turn comes around. It's beautiful but dull and lonely.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Well said. And truly, Gizmos is not better in that regard. Gizmos simply reduces the amount of time you must wait for your turn. Also, this video is a family-focused video, so I chose alternatives that were not very complex. For the sake of others reading this (you don’t like engine building, so this would not apply to you) Living Forest is a great new game with slightly higher complexity and more interaction.

[@jacfinlayson9989]

It was one of the early additions to my collection and I am inclined to agree. It doesn't suit the neuro diverse player in my family as he gets bored between turns, and my partner suffers dreadful analysis paralysis with it. He loves it though so it is one I reserve for a long two player experience when I am happy to indulge a pleasant game with a lovely theme and a lovely partner

[@benmorris2564]

@@theperfectboardgame I'm very curious what you think about Space Base. I've played all three and enjoyed them, but Space Base HOOKED me. It's played a few times a month at our house.

[@theperfectboardgame]

I checked out Space Base a little while ago. How I feel about it as a family game is different than how I feel about it in general. As a family game, it is accessible to all ages and it keeps all players paying attention so they can reap their awards. I like it for that reason, however, when I played it I was already comparing it to Machi Koro and I have to say I like Machi Koro much more. The fact that the selection of cards in the available market (shipyard) is always changing drives me crazy. In Machi Koro, the cards are established at the beginning of the game, like a game of Dominion. Doing it this way (static market) means players have some idea of what they can get in future turns and that knowledge informs their strategy. They can also buy cards specifically because of the number on the card (corresponding to the die roll) In Space Base, I am just buying the best thing that is currently available and hoping for more good stuff to come out before my next turn. Ultimately, I think Space Base is a great concept, but Machi Koro is a better execution.

[@revimfadli4666]

@@theperfectboardgame so is it not true that Machi Koro's fixed market makes the game too easy to optimise? Or the numbers above 6 aren't really valuable?

[@ilonazbirunnockles1353]

Wingspan is very pretty but above my kids level. Thanks for these reviews! Keep them coming!

[@Tchanson]

I attempted to learn 7 wonders by myself and was overwhelmed. I knew my husband who doesn't love board games would never want to play that so we picked up 7WA instead and have both really enjoyed it! I think you have to look at it for what it is-a simplified and stripped down version of the original. I'm excited to teach my kids 7WA as well and then later maybe we can tackle the original as a family.

[@theperfectboardgame]

7 Wonders has always been hard to teach people if they’ve never played a drafting style game before. I agree.

[@deejayr201]

I found Barenpark is a tile placement game my kids and I enjoy. Haven't played Isle of cats or My City but looks like very similar mechanics but your building a park with bears.

[@mar45mar45]

Intersting video !! Thank you

[@chrisyoustra4960]

You're literally wearing a shirt with HUGE Wingspan and Isle of Cats "endorsements" by your neck :)

[@theperfectboardgame]

Good catch. If I redesign the shirt, I’ll be sure those elements end up in the armpits of the shirt 🤪

[@ellap1313]

I love Isle of Cats solo and family mode.

[@jackabbott7295]

Completely agree with the Gizmos/Wingspan analysis! Gizmos is such a great design. Wingspan is beautiful but over rated/hyped

[@revimfadli4666]

I think it's more that less beautiful games are underhyped

[@whithagemann]

Just picked up gizmos the other day! Can’t wait to play it with the kids!

[@medicineman2210]

I agree with all of this HOWEVER, wingspan with ALL the expansions changes it soooo much that it feels fresh on every play. Give it another chance if you have the opportunity to try the them.

[@Endeva09]

I agree but a game should not require 3 expansions (or £150) to be good.

[@BoardGamesBricksHobbies]

I disagree, I think the expansions bloat what is actually a tight, balanced game. Take the Oceania expansion, for example: sure, the new birds are fun, but the Nectar resource acting as a wild absolutely dilutes the entire experience. It felt like turning on "easy mode". I rate the base game of Wingspan a 8/10, but honestly if the art wasn't so charming and colorful it'd probably be a 7/10.

[@danhle1032]

Ur channel has great video topics and i enjoy ur way of discussing

[@zacharygritz4540]

Man that shirt is awesome, I want one!

[@susanscandles]

LOVE Draftosaurus. We play it often in our game group and one that is always with me. We always end up saying, “ one more game”.

[@NicholasLee0]

Interesting point of view on Wingspan. I can play it with my kids. But my wife and SIL like it. Wingspan is often compared with Everdale. How does that sit in this context?

[@theperfectboardgame]

Ha ha. No kidding. Even I made a video comparing Everdale and Wingspan. The two games are very highly rated on board game geek as family board games. I think both games don’t qualify as family board games (too text heavy), but, they have an undeniable aesthetic appeal that make the games draw in audiences who would otherwise not be interested in such strategy board games. For that reason alone, they both deserve credit.

[@oldplayer8025]

7w architect is a good gateway games that's very popular with our gaming community because it caters to all ages. It may not be close to the original but its still fun specially for beginners

[@padakodartgames7997]

It makes me want to host a board game night at home ! In addition, I could trap my frends to play my local multiplayer game... ehehe

[@theperfectboardgame]

We are in the military, so we move around a lot. Board game nights have been a great way to break the ice and make new friends wherever we go.

[@kahlena]

Kinda agree on Seven Wonders Architects. My main issue with this game is that most of the time you take from the question mark deck, because you don't want to uncover card of your opponent's deck and this makes sometimes those decks completelly useless. We had lots of gamepleys when question mark deck ran out of cards because no one wanted to use other decks. This happened while playing with my kids and on BGA, so this game is all about having luck, and much less about strategy. BUT... my 5-year old son loves this game. This one and Kingdomino are his favourites. So maybe there is something appealing to kids in such age (building perhaps?), but for me it's rather painful experience. We played Draftosaurus and while I enjoyed it, my kid wasn't impressed. Sadly.

[@TLEberle]

Gizmos is magnificent, and playing on BGA where the chain reactions are somewhat automatic.

[@tonypowell6669]

Really love your channel. Lots of info but delivered perfectly! New Subscriber here!

[@theperfectboardgame]

Wow. Thank you so much. That is so affirming.

[@kylesmorgabord5592]

I personally think Gizmos is a better game even without considering the family game angle. Gizmos distills the fun combo-y experience but not at the expense of “good” complexity. Wingspan is more complex than Gizmos only because it is more fiddly, and it has a less intuitive more spread out scoring system. They both have a “choose 1 out of 4 actions” on your turn structure. Gizmos gameplay and scoring is just more clear cut, the only points are on the cards. Yet I don’t think your choices are any less important or structurally significant to your engine building than in Wingspan.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Man, I love this commentary. Would love to hear your perspective on more games!

[@kylesmorgabord5592]

@@theperfectboardgame Thanks! I really like your game commentary as well, I can tell you’ve put a lot of thought into your opinions before turning the camera on. Glad I found this channel.

[@jessicabellandy5687]

Wow I don't think I could disagree more on the 7 wonders. I could never teach 7 wonders base game to my family. Duel maybe but I find duel to be even more luck based than Architects. At least in Architects you always have three options to pick, potentially 4 with your civ power. In duel you literally can have 2 sometimes, no way to mitigate it, and sometimes are stuck taking something you have zero desire for because what's under it might hand the game over to the other player. Even in the bigger sections you will at best be tied in options with about 4 cards to choose from, but in reality you are picking either what benefits you the most or what benefits your opponent the least, which makes the choices far less than they seem.

[@Jazaraca]

I respect your opinion but I think totally the opposite

[@theperfectboardgame]

Even when you consider these are “family games”? I mean, I can understand why the games I mentioned might appeal to more sophisticated gamers who need something to dig their teeth into… Anyway, I respect your opinion, too!

[@BoardgamesforOne]

I enjoyed this. Isle if Cats at first I felt was really good and I he’d onto it in case I played w family or kids, but after playing other games I have no desire to play again. It’s cluttered and there is a lot of drag. I recommend the game for gamers, but not families. It left my collection.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you for the feedback! This was a new format, so I’m happy to hear that. Yep. Isle of Cats is on its way out.

[@BoardgamesforOne]

@@theperfectboardgame and I noticed the three better options all have vibrant, fun art. They look more like something on a family shelf. The other three look like something on a gamers shelf. And this is from someone who really loves Wingspan. But i agree it’s just not a family game.

[@chrismcpherson666]

7 wonders architects was such a let down but I could actually tell it was going to be before I bought it. I still bought it anyways and felt really dumb after. There is just no decisions to make. Draftosaurus was a fail for us as well, just too simple. Gave it to a niece. Boomerang is a drafting game to check out. Isle of cats was even more of a let down. I am obsessed with polyomino games so I will buy almost every one to try. I just didn't find the puzzle aspect compelling and the drafting/card system added complexity but not much else. My City is amazing, hands down! Scarabya is a lesser known polyomino game I have played over 100 times. Wingspan is beautiful and I get the love but it just makes me want to play terraforming Mars. Gizmos is good, I still have it, but I haven't been drawn back as much as some games. It's a wonderful world and even Aquatica are alternatives I would suggest.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you for the recommendations. If you like polyomino games, something to try that is much simpler is Silver & Gold. Might be too easy if you didn’t enjoy Draftosaurus, though. If you are on BGA, you might want to try Feast for Odin, which is quite complex and a little over the top, but scratches the itch for a person who likes complex games.

[@spaceseed72]

Interesting video, good job with fair criticisms and I really like how you offered your favored alternatives. Underrated: Dice Hospital Underrated #2: Kingdomino Duel (my family really enjoys this one. We write in using colored pencils & it has elevated the game even more)

[@theperfectboardgame]

EXCELLENT suggestions! Thank you! I have not played either, but Kingdomino has always been a favorite for my family so I definitely want to check that out. Dice Hospital is on BGA, so I don't even have to wait to try it! By the way, in my opinion, an excellent and underrated game with a hospital theme is Quarantine (2013) Seeing Dice Hospital reminds me a lot of it.

[@woundsdrone]

I only agree with 7WA here 😊 Absolutely a let down for me coming from loving 7WD and being ok on 7W. Draftosaurus is incredible to me. I’d rather play IoC than My City (I like the drafting of cards but agree that it somewhat slows the game) and would much rather play Wingspan than Gizmos - although I still really enjoy the latter. But I’m biased on the fact that Wingspan is my 3rd favorite game of all time 😬

[@woundsdrone]

Regardless - great video here!

[@theperfectboardgame]

Thank you! l can give a nod to Wingspan and IoC for their respective achievements as games! (But when I was editing this video, I decided to cut the part where I played devil's advocate and weighed the counter-arguments and reasons for why a person WOULD prefer those games.)

[@Tmk906062]

I personally enjoy wingspan and will purchase gizmos since it also looks promising and fun, thanks board game dad!

[@theperfectboardgame]

You're welcome, hope you enjoy it!

[@cloroxbleach5159]

Wingspan is really pretty and fun the first time around and then it’s… so boring because you’re playing by yourself surrounded by people 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@theperfectboardgame]

I hope you saw my "5 Games that are Better than Wingspan" video that was recently posted. Earth is a great alternative to keep everyone engaged.

[@cloroxbleach5159]

@@theperfectboardgame I’ll watch!!

[@Greggiexplore]

I agree with Gizmos over Wingspan.

[@HomeLifeWithLove]

I would have liked an alternative bird themed game, since that’s part of the attraction of Wingspan. I absolutely love birds, but have not bought Wingspan because I haven’t been convinced the gameplay is as good as the bird theme. We do like Sibley Bird Bingo. No complexity there, just fun.

[@theperfectboardgame]

A game to look at is Birdwatcher. I have not played it yet, but I took a look at the rules to get a sense of it. I would say thematically the game makes a little more sense: the point of the game is to earn points by photographing birds in trees. You collect “publication” cards that tell you what type of birds you should look out for. It is also a bit more interactive since you can photograph birds in your opponent’s trees (steal their cards). Never these, I’m not convinced it is a “better” game that Wingspan. (Wingspan may be thematically weak, but I still think it is fun as a game.) I really like Ark Nova. Ark Nova is a zoo game, but there are plenty of birds. I wish I could say there is a strictly “bird-themed” game that is as engaging and rich as Ark Nova, but I haven’t heard of one yet.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Birdwatcher just came out. I made this video well before it was published.

[@izbirun]

I think wingspan is beautiful but you have to be in the mood to play a long time, I do enjoy learning about the birds though. I’ve only played gizmos once and wasn’t particularly impressed, it was fine but not one I would buy or even suggest playing but it’s not a terrible game if others want to play.

[@montanaricello]

I like your comparisons even i disagree with all of them 🙂

[@theperfectboardgame]

I like comments, even if they are criticisms. 😊 thank you!

[@elenasalikhova3498]

Completely disagree about cats, cards make huge difference by adding strategy, you might win a game with minimum cats on the board but with right cards in hands.

[@ekurisona663]

Isle of cats = I love cats

[@northabbot7116]

The rough thing about Draftosaurus is that it has a hard cap at 5 players 😞 I don’t mind taking away the pick-and-pass mechanism from 7 Wonders, it’s often too much information for new gamers. Really the reason I dislike games like Terraforming Mars, they give you a butt load of cards and expect you to figure out which to keep or discard

[@theperfectboardgame]

I’m a fan of games where there are fewer distinct cards, but the cards that are available have multiple abilities, meaning a player must decide HOW they want to play the card.

[@northabbot7116]

@@theperfectboardgame In general, I want to agree, but I find those games with multi-use cards are harder for new players to wrap their head around. Once bought Paper Tales on a recommendation, and it was a neat game. But I feel the pick-and-pass mechanic along with multiple ways to use the cards combined to make the game really hard to teach. That made it a difficult game to stand beside 7 Wonders and Sushi Go in a collection

[@revimfadli4666]

@@theperfectboardgame multiuse cards always guarantee my interest

[@mename7670]

Isle of cats was a huge dud for me because of the same reasons you did. The drafting ruined it for me

[@NS-mm6jq]

The isle of cats is one of the best games ever

[@theperfectboardgame]

That’s great! I think there is either a new related game or expansion coming soon.

[@benlauson555]

Family games to avoid : My Little Syche. the game is such a bore. According to my kids (5 &7) the best kid game they have ever played is Downfall of Pompeii. Fun for adults as well. Check it out.

[@theperfectboardgame]

Great recommendation. Definitely something people would miss, assuming it is older and not so flashy. It was featured on my very first family games top 10.

[@mename7670]

lol. I got bored of wingspan too

[@sonofabippi]

I saw Isle of Cats and I just didn't understand how it was rated so high. It just seemed so complex for what it was trying to do, but I also thought I was the only one seeing this. Really concise and to-the-point presentation. Sub'd

[@theperfectboardgame]

The card mechanic just seems entirely unnecessary.

[@marccote8544]

@@theperfectboardgamewithout the cards it’s simply cat patchwork ….