Floriferous: Pocket Edition and the Pesky Guest’s Return
Take a pleasant stroll through a floral garden to collect flowers and friendly insects with the pocket edition of Floriferous.
There was a recent question that came up about Floriferous, and I realized it had been way too long since I last played! With the arrival of the new pocket edition, I still had my old nemesis to meet… The pesky guest. I was excited to get back to the extended play to see if I might be able to reach the highest scoring tier, which is always a challenge!
Double Disclaimer
I currently work for Pencil First Games and was directly involved in the editing and solo playtesting of this game. Everything is presented as my own opinion as a solo player, but please keep this in mind for full transparency.
Game Overview
Game Name: Floriferous: Pocket Edition
Publication Year: 2024
Designers: Eduardo Baraf & Steve Finn
Artist: Clémentine Campardou
Publisher: Pencil First Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Over the course of 3 rounds in the garden, flowers can be picked and paired to find interesting ways to score. Yet watch out! A curious crow is always ready to pluck a new flower, and adds a challenge to making the best choices. In a compact space, the pocket edition is tiny and beautiful!
First Play
February 6, 2021
Complexity
2
Latest Play
August 29, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
60
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
43 (S) and 63 (E)
Game Area
20" x 20"
Low Score
15 (S) and 49 (E)
Pocket Edition Fun
Smaller boxes are a lot more appealing to me nowadays with my overflowing shelves, and this one is small enough to pack in a game bag or purse. Tried and tested. Ha ha!
This is still the exact same game as the standard edition, only with smaller components and a few graphic design changes. I love the watercolor look of the box, too!
Bounty cards provide overall objectives that are worth more victory points if they’re achieved earlier on.
I had to refresh my understanding of the rules for a moment… My last true solo play was years ago. Goodness!
Through the Garden
Such a lovely little play space! The idea is to move from one side to the other, choosing a card to take in each column along the way. Lots of fun decisions to make!
I played with the extended play mode, which uses a total of 7 columns instead of the usual 5 columns.
Although this might seem like a small change, it’s actually like an entirely different kind of game! Just a few more collected cards require a scoring-focused strategy.
I had a chance to play the standard play mode with a group, and I had to adjust my thinking quite a bit.
Hello, Old Nemesis!
The solo crow card might be smaller than in the standard edition, but what a cheeky fellow she remains! I was happy to see this garden guest, although she is a sneaky one.
A card is removed from the next column, which is not easy to predict, and I’ve found that my crow often takes exactly the card I need at the wrong time. Pesky, indeed. Ha!
But there are ways to plan ahead for the crow, and the cup of tea can even be spilled to temporarily scare her off.
I enjoyed having this friendly nuisance around to make sure I picked up the right cards… And stayed prepared!
Helpful Scoring Cards
The neat part about gameplay is how cards are picked up. Flower cards don’t provide victory points themselves, but scoring cards offer unique criteria to match up.
During this play, I managed to pick up a lot of cards with insects, so it made sense to focus on scoring cards that offered lots of points from them. Give me all the bugs!
But I still didn’t manage to complete the bounties on the earliest days, so there were some victory points I missed.
My best scores were just shy of the highest scoring tier, which is very difficult to achieve. I’ll get there someday!
Thematic Solo Opponents and Little Laughs
One of my favorite aspects of this solo mode is the crow… Such a memorable visitor! To really get across the idea of having a life-long nemesis, I have the original ink drawing to constantly watch me and wonder about my decisions. Ha!
Not every game needs to have a solo opponent who feels tied to the theme, yet these often make a big difference in my enjoyment. I like to laugh as the pesky guest swoops in to steal a flower card. Or I imagine what it looks like as I spill my tea and the crow flies away for a moment, questioning what I’m actually doing as I look like a fool. Ha ha! Simple fun.
Finally, I don’t necessarily remember how well I score in a solo game, but will remember anything that feels different. The pesky guest stands out to me, and I always have a laugh when I hear tales of what happens in this solo mode. The general consensus is that everyone loves the crow, but she has a knack for knowing just the right card to steal!
Session Overview
Play Number: 57-60
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Extended Play
Outcome: 47, 51, 62, 60 (2 Wins & 2 Losses)
It was fun to balance out my flower cards and scoring cards! I didn’t think these would be worth that much, yet each one helped me score a minimum of 3-4 victory points. Just a little more luck would have seen me get to the top of the solo scoring table. Next time! I loved how easy it was to fit this pocket edition in a small space, as it didn’t lose any of its beauty. It shall be traveling with me!
%
60 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the artwork is delightful with a lovely watercolor appearance and lots of bright, charming details.
- Tiny cards make the required play space very small, especially with how collected cards can be partially stacked.
- Face-down flower cards offer exciting and uncertain opportunities to take extra risks, which can be worthwhile.
- Even with the crow stealing cards, the overall atmosphere is very relaxing and calm with so many options.
- Both standard play and extended play work with the solo mode and create different sorts of challenges to master.
- The amount of time needed to play flows quickly with rounds that are easy to keep track of and plan ahead for.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There is a bit of luck involved with the bounty cards and garden itself that can affect high score possibilities.
- Gameplay can progress in a similar way across multiple plays, making it a little repetitive if played too often.
- Stones are sometimes easy to forget to add during setup or see when choosing the best card in the next column.
- With random actions, the pesky guest can be quite problematic if multiple high-value cards are removed.
Victory Conditions
Score 40+ Points (S) or 60+ Points (E)
- Overall Goal Progress 60%
Goals and Milestones
Complete all 3 bounty cards on day 1.
Score at least 40 points in the standard mode.
Score at least 60 points in the extended mode.
Score at least 45 points in the standard mode.
Score at least 65 points in the extended mode.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Floriferous? Are there any other compact nature-themed games you’ve enjoyed playing lately? I enjoy big cards with lovely artwork, yet tiny boxes and play spaces are working out nicely for me these days. Tossing this in my bag means I can take it with me anywhere, and unleash its beauty on unsuspecting gamers everywhere. Ha!
Yipee !!! I received my package (Sunrise, Floriferous pocket and Snowfall) last week ! I’m stoked. The pocket versions are so useful for solo play.
Excellent to hear everything arrived! Hope you have a great time playing, and should you have any questions, you know exactly who will happily answer them. Ha! I’m enjoying the pocket editions myself, too, as they take up so little space but still offer the full game experience with a smaller table presence. Lots of fun in those tiny boxes!