The 4 Squares Review - Cascadia

[@jelledaems808]

Yesterday I tought this game to my five year old daughter (the standard game) and I felt so proud: she beat me in her first game with 96 points versus 86 points for me. My personal best is 100 points and in her first game she came prety close to that. I love the game for that

[@MrScrawnjuan]

Now I feel even more bad for only scoring 70 in my first solo game :P

[@MrScrawnjuan]

Just realized I only did the 7+ bonus point terrains. I didn't actually add the points for each largest set. So I did a bit better than I'd thought.

[@koriakin]

Funny how Zee gave it a 7 and now it's in his top 100 😅

[@RynoKenny]

Similar Zee move with Cthulhu: Death May Die, which is now in his top ten I believe

[@dawno8943]

@@RynoKenny He can't change his mind over time and like a game more?

[@RynoKenny]

@@dawno8943absolutely he can, it’s just an observation of change of opinion from this video that is frozen in time.

[@looktothefuture84]

Love this format! Quick intro, short and concise game overview finished off with four completely different perspectives and opinions on the game 👍🏼

[@Nayr090]

The discussion over Calico is exactly how I felt. Every game of Calico, I always eventually get to that "I need this very specific piece at this specific time", plus feel the AP everytime. It feels very thinky indeed, to the point of where I hesitate to bring it out for casual gamers. This looks more approachable, so we'll see how it goes since I just got it. Thanks for the video!

[@MerrillWhiteKalEl]

This is such a solid gateway game. I love it and the solo play is also really good. Super glad I backed it and I love the puzzles it offers. I would recommend this to anyone.

[@MikhailGordin]

I think the more apt comparison for Cascadia isn't Calico, but Kingdom Builder (or equivalently Winter Kingdom). Calico is about building the best thing you can to match a set of constraints in a gradually more crowded space. Cascadia and Kingdom Builder are about creating patterns to match a set of spatially-driven opportunities (the scoring conditions) that vary from game to game, across an expanding board (in Cascadia because you're building it, in Kingdom Builder because you're gradually opening up more available sections of terrain through piece movement and card draw). They're both pretty simple to get into - however, I think Kingdom Builder is tighter and potentially more punishing game than Cascadia, and one where bad luck (or more likely bad / risky early choices) can potentially mess you up more strongly. Not sure which one I personally prefer though - I think probably still Kingdom Builder, though I like Cascadia as well?

[@Choose2Connect]

Got this for my B day last month. I'm a heavy gamer that was having a hard timing finding something to play with my family who are more casual. This has reached the table at least 10 times already. Not my personal fav, but I love it because it's perfect for casual groups!

[@MikEkiM4Ever]

I've only been able to play this game a few times so far, but I love it and so do those that have played it with me. There's variety, the ability to make it tougher but also accessible to younger players, and the artwork is beautiful. I admit my bias, as I live in Oregon, but love the animals, artwork, and gameplay.

[@hanslamal5632]

Congrats Tom to have found a shirt with the correct salmon color! 😌

[@Atlas-FM8]

I definitely preferred this one over Calico because Cascadia had interesting decisions while not feeling punishing. With Calico I feel like i start out with a plan and am forced to constantly make concessions to make the best of a worsening and more restrictive situation.

[@saintsalieri]

Yeah, everyone is referring to wishing for a specific tile as "thinky." But by that standard, so are slot machines. Calico has some of the worst unmitigated randomness I've seen in a game.

[@mandalorian2468]

It’s a shame they didn’t discuss the 15 scenarios that are included as well. They make this an excellent solo experience 👍🏼

[@JonReid01]

Sounds like we need a Mike DeSOLliO review

[@HansJoachimMaier]

It is an after work game for me. Something I can play at evening to relax instead of watching TV. The weekend is reserved for the bigger, more challenging games.

[@SolviKaaber]

Once again I ask you to mention what games are in this genre that make it so crowded. As someone who purchases board games, I don't care how many similar games there are, I want to know if it's better than the others or not. Cascadia is a tile-laying abstract puzzle game, I've played a bunch of those, Cascadia isn't something original. But what it is, is that it's better than a majority of these games, even Calico, and I'm kind of shocked it didn't grab a Seal of Excellence.

[@darinlagarry3091]

I do like this more than Calico... because my group(s) tend toward AP. Still the theme of Calico keeps it on my shelf.

[@Tr1pleOseveN]

YES!!!... Tom plz do more post credit scene in your videos, LOVE IT!!!...😁👍🏼

[@Ras137]

Thanks, for mentioning this, I never would have seen it.

[@TheNerdShelves]

Great discussion you 4. I am on board (no pun intended) with everything you all have said regarding the game play, feel and comparison to Calico. It's definitely more forgiving than Calico, but also makes you feel like you can be more creative with your terrain. I have played it with heavy gamers who love crunchy games, I've played it with my children and many in between. I can honestly say that every person I have played with really enjoys it. I think that's really saying something. Let's not forget, there is a family variant as well, which is a nice touch. Thanks for the review😊

[@Cujo8600]

I think this game is great. I give it an 8.5. It’s a great gateway game. You can teach it in less than 5 minutes and away you go.

[@relativelyboard9959]

Interesting. Calico was definitely one of my favourite games of last year. So it's good to see they this one. By the sounds of it, feels like we would still prefer the menacing feeling of "every decision matters" in Calico. But this is worth a try.

[@annabahatska1433]

It was fascinating to see four different people sharing their impressions and opinions of Cascadia. I bought the game because of the bgg rating - and because there were really a lot of sweet and positive feedbacks. It is definitely an easy to teach game and very kid friendly. Plus I love the nature/national parks theme, even if it's pasted on ))

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Agree, a very pleasant game, funny that no one mentioned that it’s basically a multiplayer solitaire game though. This is best played solo or at max with two players.

[@CK-mi3sd]

I played it with 5 players (16 tiles per players) and it works fine. There is quite a bit of hate drafting, which makes it fun.

[@intrepidfool]

My wife and I have this one as a 7.5. It is an attractive game with interesting mechanics and some luck mitigation. We do feel that it overstays its welcome a little at higher player counts which is why we cannot rate it an 8. Still, it is a decent light weight game with an appealing theme that can be played with both gateway gamers and more strategic groups.

[@StKnightis64]

I haven’t seen Chris in many of the videos. Good addition. Fresh perspective. 👍

[@pnutbutrncrackers]

My impression of the game is more in alignment with their scores, but I was surprised they weren't higher, as 'everyone' seems to just rave about Cascadia. It seems nice to me and smooth. But exciting? Maybe I'm missing it.

[@maxwellhouse750]

Thank you so much for the video. I’m trying to get my grown kids to do a once a month game night or possibly even more often. I love the art of these nature games, but between Parks, WingSpan and Summer Camp, this one just feels so intuitive, and easy, but requires a little thought. I have the other games, but all but Summer Camp seem like they have a little bit of a learning curve and you might forget the rules of you don’t play often.

[@sjinzaar]

“With your eyes.” Lol

[@BuckFu]

I played it with my kiddos(7,10)they loved building their parks and trying to have the biggest river, or trying to get the most elk. In the end we all scored within 3points. My wife played it after me and said,”it’s not fun”. And I said you “spent too much time on your phone.” I like the puzzle of trying to have both the biggest habitats and the right animals in the right places. 👍

[@Kravian729]

I wonder which scoring conditions they've used. In my experiences Elk and Hawks vary much more in feel than the others.

[@danielmcmillan7655]

Love this game! Wish the tokens were double sided because I often times plop them with the screen printed animal table down.

[@speedandstyletony]

I hadn't considered this game since I have Parks and Trails. After watching this video however it is now on my want list. This is quite different play-wise even if the theme is similar.

[@zedgathegreat9122]

It's a great game. For what it is, my only complaint is there isn't enough different artwork for the scoring cards. I get it sure, whatever, but that could help with remembering scoring conditions and help out with the overall presentation (which is already great). This is such a minor complaint too... Also, I adore Calico. It's such an amazing game... however the AP and lucky draws, and it being a pretty heavy puzzle game, kind of detracts from it. There is a time and place for it, and that game is perfect for those moments. Cascadia just feels, like they said in the video, more "forgiving." You can make mistakes in Cascadia and not be as punishing, you can have certain plans that never make it into fruition, and you don't feel bad for it. Every round, and every choice is fun. You just get into and enjoy building your own ecosystem and biomes, that you just don't care as much because you're having fun. I'll always be up for Cascadia, regardless of my mood or other players, etc. I'll honestly put this up there with something like Cattan, or Carcassonne. I think this could be one of the better gateway games (especially with variable rules), and being so approachable with a cool theme (especially for us PNW players!). It might not be the best game out there, but it can really be the best game in a lot of situations.

[@boardgamebeacon]

Haha! When Tom said it’s a game where you’re hunting bears I laughed out loud! 😅

[@chameleonkingdom6517]

I did too lol

[@scottbordelon2348]

Besides Calico, what other games in this crowded genre are similar? Maybe Between Two Cities? Barenpark?

[@christopherleary7934]

When I first heard of the game I decided to back it (Backer#23) and from start to finish it was an excellent campaign, especially from a small publisher that is Flatout Games. They delivered a great game a bit early during the global logistics crisis. It’s a really fun, casual game with fantastic artwork (including a hidden yeti).

[@Hero19093]

And what do you think about replayability?

[@christopherleary7934]

@@Hero19093 I guess that depends on your definition of replayability. If meaning variety, the Kickstarter version came with promos that added extra set of scoring cards (one card per animal) but the base game comes with four sets (20 total) of scoring cards. Add in random tiles and animal token combos every game, the variety is there. As for how enjoyable each game is, I don’t see myself losing any interest but I can see how the “non-innovative” game design could lead experienced gamers to look elsewhere for similar mechanics.

[@Hero19093]

I love the 4square review

[@ryanbrown9102]

"You're not the only one, You're not the only one" (November Rain, Guns&Roses)

[@CB-yh3db]

I think I would learn the best if Mike was teaching. Everyone at the table seems to be great teachers. Heck Tom was an actual teacher. I just feel like Mike’s style matches how I learn best. It’s weird, I can’t exactly explain why.

[@gxantor]

Mike and Zee have both been teachers. (High School)

[@CB-yh3db]

@@gxantor - It definitely shows. Teaching is definitely a skill that everyone does not have. Just like many skills it needs to be honed.

[@Greatergood3]

Love that you kept the Miami dice song

[@meravl7615]

You can clearly tell Mike does the unboxings. He clearly internalized the back of the box no one else has bothered to read. ;P

[@JonReid01]

He's a smart man 🥸

[@worldofbachman]

Definitely think Overboss is a better game to compare it to than Calico. Overboss has identical ‘packet drafting’ and comparable pattern scoring, but with the grid layout restriction of Calico.

[@wilbabilba]

Exactly! Overboss is more similar to Cascadia than Calico is. And honestly, I'd much rather play Overboss over Cascadia.

[@MrScrawnjuan]

Just received it 2 days ago and played one solo game. I liked the puzzle, but want to play it with other players now. But even just playing solo I'd give it an 8.

[@searose6192]

It looks like Planet (which I love)....maybe mixed with that one called Ecosystem? I think that is what it's called but I haven't played it. Adjacency looks similar I think.

[@oneysnyder2116]

I think 7-8/10 is fair. I have played it at 2 player only and with the “A” cards only. Anxious to see where it goes, but for me, I love nature and garden themes. I hear it compared to Overboss, but even if it was close between the two or Overboss slightly better, I’d play this because of the art and theme.

[@Puzzu]

Lol this video actually made me more interested in Calico now

[@zedgathegreat9122]

Get it! It's an absolutely amazing game that has the same production quality as Cascadia (well, I'd say higher as the player boards are amazing). They are similar, however Calico starts off as deceptively simple game, but by the end of it is a tension wracked AP producing puzzler where you can see you're entire master plan fizzle out because someone took the piece you need. It feels more like Chess against yourself, with other people occasionally moving pieces around.

[@Puzzu]

@@zedgathegreat9122 Awesome, yeah I think I will enjoy the increased tension in Calico, thanks for the recommendation!

[@MisterAbysmul]

Calico is utterly fantastic

[@jayjohnson5868]

"Get good at the astrology!" My new favorite catchphrase.

[@HeliosGoN]

Gave me a good laugh at the end there, give us more of those! Anyway, this game was on my wish list and I have been keeping my eye on when my FLGS will release this. However my wife and I ended up not getting this as we enjoyed Calico more, with its cute cat theme and more thinky. We played Overboss and Ecos First Continent just some nights before and when I showed my wife the gameplay of this she straight up said the drafting feels like Overboss and the world building seems like Ecos, however each do things better in their own way. But I will say this, if we have not played either of those games before I'm pretty sure we will enjoy this!

[@zedgathegreat9122]

I think you guys will enjoy this game a lot. I actually think it's better then Calico. It feels more open while still retaining quite a bit of the puzzely nature of Calico. Also at the same time I never feel like I'm forced into taking a bad tile, as I do Calico, just not an optimal choice. Even then there is some mitigation with giving up the pine cones. With Calico I feel like I have a plan I have to abandon at some point, but with Cascadia I have more room to adapt and can possibly reshape that plan at later points. Like Calico, this game comes off as deceptively simple, but has quite a bit of depth. And with the different score cards and their different arraignments, they can really change how you play by quite a bit. In one game, all you want is one type of animals, in another they can just be a straight nuiscence and you try to avoid them. It's a fantastic game, and really shouldn't be over shadowed by Calico. They're quite a bit different, and would say this is more of a classic while still being more friendly to every player level out there.

[@SuperSocomman]

Is there a “Top 10 Puzzle Games” list coming if you say it’s a market that’s getting crowded?

[@RockCh4lk]

Before I bought Cascadia the only tile drafting/placement game in my collection was Suburbia. Not being innovative wasn't an issue for me.

[@amihanikos]

I haven’t played Calico but when i saw this review, Cascadia really reminded me of the “Planet” but in 2D. And i ll be willing to try Cascadia but i already own Planet and i really enjoy the 3D element in it so I don’t think i would buy Cascadia

[@maverickdelta]

I was thinking the same thing! I also own Planet. Aside the 2-layered pattern puzzles (animals/terrain), I kinda saw a theme overlap between Cascadia and Planet.

[@LegoAssassin098]

I'm super late, but I am happy I'm not the only one who was immediately reminded of planet

[@nerdyjawsh]

Planet is also way better

[@jonathanpickles2946]

Welcoming game is a great term I'd not heard before

[@chillionaire7114]

21:03 - great outro. "......with your eyes...."

[@korvusfilms1]

Man I'd love a spinoff with fantasy creatures or Lovecraftian Horrors XD

[@Skarpo89]

The end of the video was awesome xD

[@Skarpo89]

Looks really neat!

[@lucasbanter6186]

And then it goes and wins the Spiel… interested to see the new attention it gets.

[@olanmills64]

Tom really has it out for the bears

[@Macky_Mouse]

Is it confusing after of couple rounds which tile is who (when your 4 players exemple )? That the point I'm hesitating to buy it. Please let me know guys.

[@jujulautre1084]

Non native speaker here. Could anybody explain me what Zee meant when he said it's a "by the number" game ? Google won't help me there.

[@RadishTheFool]

I think he means it's good but a bit predictable, nothing new or surprising. Like suppose you build a chair by a standard step by step process for how it's supposed to be built, and you do it well. Now you have a solid chair, but it's not very different from other chairs. It's a bit by the numbers. Nobody would mind having that chair in their house, or sitting on it, but it's nothing special and you wouldn't buy it if you already had enough chairs.

[@jonbower194]

This looks fun, it also looks a lot like Planet.

[@nahailyenvanakkor]

This game feels like it was made 20 years ago. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.

[@gbdomingo]

Its overboss, nature edition. Whats more interesting?

[@Sonniface]

Funny i thought about the same thing when this was on kickstart around the time as overboss. Ended up backing overboss then

[@megalodon2012]

I was coming to post the same thing, seems like an Overboss/God's Love Dinosaurs combo. Not a bad thing, looks like a good game!

[@Okhi_Zumi]

I backed both and got rid of Overboss. I found this one superior

[@xshadowscreamx]

Tom and zee - ‘’placing things out to score points is a very crowded scene, this is pleasant but does not really stand out’ If only it had a bit of worker placement. *The war between tile laying and worker placement begins.* I say the activity of placing things tiles or cards out to score points is not over crowded just yet. Roll and write yes, also worker placement is more crowded.

[@Flip5ide]

I can't find this anywhere in the UK :(

[@notsaved]

I'll wait for Cascadia Quest

[@dtf1977]

Great review on a game I initially had zero interest in …

[@kevinsayers5985]

This looks exactly like Overboss but I like the Overboss theme better 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Skarpo89]

It looks like a city builder but with animals

[@beerman2000]

I'm curious what player counts you played at, and if there are any that are just plain bad? I know, for me, Calico was TERRIBLE at 2 players, ok at 3, solid at 4. I could see this being similar, but could also see how it might work still at lower player counts. Curious to see if any of you had a preference.

[@jean-christopherioux3546]

How could you find calico as bad at 2 and great at 4 ?

[@beerman2000]

@@jean-christopherioux3546 I said solid at 4. But bad at 2 because there is almost 0 market rotation with only 2 people. Unless we somehow played it wrong

[@jean-christopherioux3546]

@@beerman2000 There is less market rotation Indeed, but you can remove some tiles according to the player count to balance it out

[@JJ_TheGreat]

I think some will agree to disagree that Calico was "TERRIBLE" at 2 players... Just ask Rahdo.

[@beerman2000]

@@JJ_TheGreat i did say, "for me". And I'm totally cool with disagreement. I'm not one of those that feels like everyone has to share my opinions.

[@kieranthompson779]

Is solo play any good?

[@Gathanokos]

It is a great game but I really don't agree with the geek rating on Cascadia being the #1 abstract. I perfectly agree that it's not something original. As a gamer who loves games like the GIPF series and chess, I don't even consider much of an abstract game: too much randomness and no direct interaction.

[@samuelshafritz8572]

This game reminds me of wingspan from their review

[@Asaloy]

Sounds like a multiplayer solitaire?

[@davidb302]

Where can I order this?

[@gamesnstuff657]

Would you say this is a better Kingdom Builder?

[@ski6913]

Except for the fact that Cascadia has hexes and variable scoring, it’s a completely different game from Kingdom Builder

[@scottytedrow9272]

“WITH YOUR EYES”

[@asasprunger]

makes me think of kingdomino and jaipur in a way

[@sanderschippers2708]

Game is definately a 9. Great game.

[@MrTravolta7]

18:13 😅😅😅😅

[@Ashwinz]

Yesssiiirr

[@JJ_TheGreat]

17:34 “I don’t feel comfortable going higher than a solid 7 - nice game - for something that just did not seem to bring any originality to the table”. Is that why you rated Anno 1800 (7.5) above this one? Because it is more original? Because I would have thought that knowing the kind of games that you like (shorter, lighter games), that you would have really enjoyed this one.

[@GusG_]

To give this game a higher rating you would have to be new to the hobby. It's more of the same. Nothing too interesting

[@yourshames]

No desert? 1/4 of Washington state is desert.

[@nreekm]

This game is so dumb and flat.

[@uplift-yourdailypickup6424]

Wingspan, Parks, Trails, Meadow, Cascadia.... feels like this outdoor nature-y theme is starting to get a little overused