A Morning with Food Chain Island: Animal Feasts and Fun
Move animals through a literal food chain to create stacks and activate special abilities with Food Chain Island.
I like to keep my board game animals alive when at all possible, yet there are some exceptions! Eating each other is actually a rather charming puzzle with Food Chain Island, where almost everyone is a meal for someone else. The whimsical artwork and focus on the spatial aspect help make it interesting, and much less grizzly than it might be!
Game Overview
Game Name: Food Chain Island
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: Scott Almes
Artist: Annie Wilkinson
Publisher: Button Shy
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Animals begin in a 4×4 grid, and a chosen one moves to eat each turn. However, the predator and prey need to be reasonably close in size, and unique actions change up strategies quite a lot. Water creatures sit nearby to assist whenever needed on this island filled with… Food? Ha!
First Play
November 25, 2020
Complexity
2
Latest Play
November 2, 2024
Expansions
2
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
16
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
1
Game Area
20" x 16"
Low Score
8
An Organized Buffet
The animals might eat each other, but I find this artwork to be hilarious! Most of these animals don’t cross paths in the real world, so none of this could possibly happen. Ha!
With this clear play area, lots of decisions must be made. Each animal can only eat another that has a value 1-3 less than its own. Cards provide quick reminders, too.
Yet special abilities provide some very interesting choices. Some are very helpful, while others are a bit restrictive.
Simple rules make it easy to get into gameplay, which usually lasts around 5-10 minutes. A quick feast!
Poor Planning
This is the case of a solo game looking more interesting during setup, courtesy of the way the cards stack. Yet it’s very neat to see how different abilities work when chosen!
Somehow, I thought I had it all worked out pretty nicely. I kind of did… The plan was for the tiger to eat the lynx, and then the polar bear would finish everything off.
But I didn’t do too well with all of this space. A predator only moves orthogonally in almost all cases… Nope!
This was even after using the helpful water creatures, who can be omitted entirely for a more challenging experience.
An Exciting Victory
I kept playing, though, fascinated by the speed at which I could take turns and work out the spatial puzzle.
That’s an important thing about me: I sometimes struggle to “see” puzzles that involve moving cards or overlapping symbols. So when a game works, it’s a wonderful time!
At last, I ended up with a single stack! I used the whale to help out, and also took advantage of predator abilities that allowed me to discard a couple of animal cards.
Even after winning, I still wanted to play just once more… A sign of a great game, particularly one so challenging!
Cool, Calm Colors
I know the theme of having animals eat one another might seem a little macabre, yet this one is actually quite a relaxing game. The animals just look so happy!
The card backs aren’t seen that often, but I liked how these brought in some more calming colors.
Not every small, compact game stands out, yet this one is a charming little puzzle. It had been years since I last played… This one has earned its place on my shelf!
Now I’ll just have to see how I fare with a higher difficulty level and less water creatures to come to the rescue.
Why is It So Hard to Consistently Play Games?
I stick with a pretty consistent overall schedule, playing some sort of solo game each day. However, it always amazes me when I stumble across such a small and quick game I love… Only to see I last played it years ago. I cycle through games a lot, which isn’t a problem, but I’m getting better about filling my game library with solo games I love.
Despite the very small size of this wallet-sized game, I wondered if I might move it along to a new home. I’m glad it’s sticking around, though! Now I’ll have to see if I bring it to my table in less than a year, or if it will wait.
All in all, though, I’m happy with what I’m doing with my solo games. Unplayed ones are finally getting a chance, and those that have been unplayed for ages are making some joyful comebacks! I think the answer ultimately is that I don’t have much of a pattern with my games. Sometimes, they simply have to wait before I can return to them with a smile!
Session Overview
Play Number: 7-12
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Play Details: Easy Difficulty Level
Outcome: 3, 2, 4, 1, 2, 2 (1 Win & 5 Losses)
So much fun! It was only after I finished that I realized I never tried out the expansions. These don’t necessarily change the game radically, but provide different options or other challenges. There’s something very pleasant about this game, despite the idea that everyone is being eaten. It’s fine. Ha ha! Such a lovely game I hope to bring into my regular rotation of shorter options.
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
3
+ Pros (Positives)
- Gameplay moves very quickly with limited downtime, often resulting in a total time of just 5 to 10 minutes.
- Cards may be placed outside of the starting grid, but the amount of required table space stays pretty compact.
- The artwork is whimsical with a bit of humor so that the theme of animals eating each other isn’t taken seriously.
- Abilities offer some control over what happens next, as it’s not wise to simply stack cards without any thought.
- Victory occurs with a single stack at the end, which turns into a challenging and interesting goal to work towards.
- Water creatures help provide assistance to make gameplay a little easier when needed, or they can be left out.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Gameplay is pretty static from play to play, with only the arrangement of the cards offering different choices.
- Planning out multiple moves is ideal, yet it can be tricky to visualize the possibilities with some of the actions.
- It can be easy to accidentally lose early on by forgetting about the card values, although this is pretty minimal.
- Some initial setup arrangements may be a little easier than others, but the fun really is in working out the puzzle.
Victory Conditions
End with 1 Stack of Animals
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Score 1 point.
Win at least 1 game at the easy difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
Have you played Food Chain Island recently? Are there any other spatial puzzles that work for you? I’m amazed it took me nearly 3 years to get this one back to my table… That’s a travesty that could make me the next meal. Ha ha! There’s a lot to enjoy here and even if it is a bit repetitive, I can see myself returning to this island many times in the future!
0 Comments