Sky Towers: Finding a Pleasant Place Above the Clouds
Stack colorful and unique towers that reach into the clouds to achieve goals and create a unique skyline with Sky Towers.
Back to a delightful small box game! Sky Towers struck me as another great choice to keep going with my cozy solo games. Up, up, and away! This one looks pretty easy on the surface, yet the challenge of timing actions with the tower architecture offers some neat decisions. I was mostly interested in the pleasant artwork, but also had a personal scoring goal in mind!
Disclaimer
I received this copy for free from the designer a few months ago for an honest review, and continue to play. It fit in with my current cozy game plans and although this post was not requested, I want to keep the source of my copy transparent.
Game Overview
Game Name: Sky Towers
Publication Year: 2024
Designer: Charles Ward
Artist: Charles Ward
Publisher: Ex First Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Second Edition)
Cards align to stack up to create towers, with the ultimate goal to reach a value of exactly 21. Playing cards activates abilities, though, so timing is key! There are also goals to work towards, and not every card begins in the deck for just enough variety and unpredictability. Lovely and fun!
First Play
July 19, 2025
Complexity
2
Latest Play
September 16, 2025
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
17
Game Area
24" x 22"
Low Score
14
A Colorful World
These cards are just so cheery! The bright colors flow nicely together in a way that almost feels soothing and very pleasant. It’s a very low-stress sort of atmosphere.
Goals provide different ways to earn additional victory points. I think my maximum has been earning about 7 of these 9 cards during a single play, which is quite tricky!
The focus is on playing the cards well to create a lot of towers, although there is a limit to the construction.
It’s a quick little solo puzzle, but one that I find offers just the right amount of variety to remain cozy and enjoyable.
Floating Upward!
I had some Calico Critter birds hanging around for a really long time, so it was time for another animal with wings… Which turned out to be this tiny flying kitten. Legitimate.
Ha ha! She landed on one of my favorite goals, which is to create a tower using a trio of 7-value cards. Not always the easiest to do, but I do love those cute star balloons!
Deciding which goals to work towards early on plays a major role, even though it might seem like a small choice.
Plenty of neat strategies exist with figuring out the best way to use the cards, particularly related to their abilities.
The Popcorn Tricycle
Due to my limitations with Calico Critters featuring wings, these little foxes got very creative… They knew exactly how to reach new heights with a familiar vehicle.
That’s right: It’s the popcorn tricycle! Definitely helped out and mostly matched the color scheme. Who am I kidding? The popcorn tricycle needs no excuse to show up. Ha ha!
These handful of plays were interesting. My final scores are always quite close, and just 1 more victory point is difficult.
But it was neat to work out what the final cards might be, and also cycle some to the bottom to set up the last tower.
Top of the Tower
I tied my highest score with an exciting victory near the end, which was most likely assisted by these visitors. You can almost sense the celebration in those tiny smiles!
There might not be anything hugely groundbreaking here, yet I think that’s a major part of what makes it appealing.
Familiar mechanics mean it’s not difficult to remember the rules, but there is a unique challenge to puzzle through.
I’ll still be working towards a new personal best score, yet in the meantime, it’s going to be a fun experience of building up these tiny towers, complete with Calico Critters!
Just Having Fun with the Hobby for a Bit
I needn’t go into detail about how many unplayed solo games are still on my shelves, nor how my collection seems to keep expanding when I turn my back… Ha! At the moment, I’m setting that aside simply to have fun with solo games. I might not be getting anything new to my table, but that’s giving me a chance to appreciate some older titles I usually skip over.
At the same time, I know this time of playing a lot of cozy games is going to end. October looks pretty good to move into some heavier options, and possibly even focus on a some spookier titles. No worries: That also means my Calico Critters in costumes will be celebrating Halloween throughout the month, and they’re entirely not scary. Cozy in disguise? Ha ha!
Session Overview
Play Number: 7-10
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Second Edition)
Outcome: 16, 14, 17, 15 (2 Wins & 2 Losses)
The card that shows the construction of the deck is quite useful. However, setup removes 4 random cards, so this is only a general idea of what to expect. I’ve experienced a deck that was missing any 8-value cards! This is a lovely little solo puzzle that I’m thoroughly enjoying. I may have already reached the highest score I’ll hit, yet there is enough variety to bring me back to play some more and enjoy the cheerful artwork that goes up, up, and away into the clouds!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the mechanics are familiar and easy to remember, including the unique abilities for all of the played cards.
- Completing towers feels like a very satisfying moment and choosing how to use the cards is always interesting.
- Play time moves very quickly with the way cards are drawn and played without requiring a lot of complex thinking.
- The artwork is whimsical and beautiful in its own way, creating a bright and cheery environment to relax.
- Extra cards offer helpful deck breakdowns and reminders of sums, which aren’t required, but are a nice little detail.
- Finished towers are stacked off to the side, so the play area remains very manageable without spreading out much.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There isn’t a lot of variety in many elements, so playing many times in a short period of time can seem repetitive.
- A bit of luck in the order of the cards figures into the outcome and maximum possible score for each play.
- Constantly counting up the total value of a tower is needed, particularly when using many low-value cards.
- Bonuses remain the same from play to play, which can feel rather static and limited in terms of variability.
Victory Conditions
Score 16+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 67%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 16 points.
Score at least 17 points.
Score at least 18 points.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy the most about Sky Towers? Are there other solo games with familiar mechanics you love to play? I like games that don’t expect much from me, but still provide the foundation for a great experience. And, in this case, the foundation to build towers upon. Ha! This one continues to be a lot of fun for me, and I’m glad I had a chance to discover it!
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