Game Review: Treeblox

In our house we play a lot of two-player games that have a fair amount of push and pull on the table. Today we are going to look at a game that does just that as we explore what it looks like when two trees fight their way to be the very best in the forest in the game Treeblox!

Treeblox is a two player games designed by Philip Olenyk and published by Emergent Plant Life. It plays two players in approximately 15 mins. 

Overview

In Treeblox players take the role of a tree in the forest each competing for their piece of the canopy space. Players build their own tree trying to gain as much light as possible compared to their rival. The goal is to build more active leaves on your tree then your opponent. 

Gameplay

Players choose to either be the dark or the light tree and take the corresponding branch and leaf cubes for that tree. The goal is to build as many active leaves as possible-these are going to be the leaves with nothing over the top of them so that they are visible from the top down. 

Players begin by taking turns placing one or two of their cubes to their trees. They each start with one leaf and then begin turns. On your turn you determine your active leaves and that number will decide what your growth rate will be. The more active leaves you have the higher your growth rate. This will allow you to determine the maximum number of leaves you can place on your turn. 

The new cubes that are either leaf or branch types are placed into available holes. These can be empty holes on your branches or on the board. You must pass if you run out of available spots to place cubes. If a player runs out of cubes then the other player is able to place all they have left until they run out of open spots or cubes. 

The game ends when a player has no active leaves, players pass for two consecutive turns or the final growth happens because a player ran out of pieces. Once the game ends the player with the higher count of active leaves wins. 

Insights

I love a good two-player game that pits two people in a head-to-head match to see who can outwit and outplay the other. Games like Chess, Onitama, Shobu and Checkers are old and new games that will give two players a fun back and forth and games that often see play on our table. Treeblox brings some of that fight to the table as you and your opponent jockey back and forth for control of the most active leaves. 

There is an advantage to the first player in this once at it forces the next player to move into a defensive stance with their placements so one single game of this may go in the way of that first player each time. That being said I like that it offers the idea of doing it as a series of games alternating who the first player is and then adding up all of the total active leaves over the course of X games for an overall winner. 

Overall Impressions 

This game stands out on our game table. I really like the cubes and the style that they bring and it takes all of about two mins to describe the game and teach it to a new player, so the barrier to entry is very small. That is great for casual players and young players alike who will not feel that the rules are messy or too complicated to understand. I have found with newer players this is probably the biggest obstacle to getting into a game. 

The leaf/branch colors were a little confusing at first with it being all color and no symbology to speak of but i do think after a few plays we picked up on it easily. I would think symbols would take away from the minimalist approach the game has. That being said, art and style are not going to be the thing that grabs you into this game-the unique play and 3D nature of the board will pull your attention first.

Overall Treeblox will find a place in my collection for its simple design, ease of play but ability to still pull you into a competitive push and pull of dominance in the forest. Players will find that it is full of quick decisions but like any good chess game the decisions I make will affect the decisions you make and we will jockey that back and forth trying to become the best. I have played this with younger and older players and all have found it to be a fun game that we often play multiple times in a row. So the next time you find yourself looking for a new option for a good two player game consider giving Treeblox a chance!