September 2025 Solo Games Review: Ratings, Awards, and More
Look back at the highlights from memorable solo games and the lessons to carry forward in this review of September 2025.
So much coziness during the month! I had a wonderful time exploring a lot of old favorites and enjoying the calm and relaxing settings. My Calico Critters returned with some adorable photos, and I’m pretty sure they’re sticking around for awhile now. Examining this month of solo games was a lot of fun, and I look forward to what I have planned for October!
A Look at the Ratings
My ratings tend to shift over time, but having a clear snapshot of the month is quite helpful. I can see which games definitely worked for me… And which ones didn’t.
But the numbers don’t tell the whole story, and I might still enjoy playing some lower rated games in the future.
For reference, 70% indicates a game I probably like, 80% marks a game that’s great, and 90% is the threshold for reaching a tier that often indicates a long-term favorite.
Is it the greatest rating system? Not at all… It’s probably terrible. Ha! Yet for my own purposes, it works nicely!
- Mr. Cabbagehead’s Garden 94%
- Tapestry 91%
- Cascadia 85%
- Skoventyr 83%
- Village Green 83%
- Meadow 82%
- Songbirds 81%
- Fantasy Realms 80%
- Sky Towers 76%
- Creature Comforts 73%
- Maple Valley 71%
- FlipToons 67%
- Smitten 66%
- Piepmatz 54%
The Award Goes To…
Lots and lots of games to choose from! Some of these decisions were rather difficult. I guess it’s a far cry from last month, when I had limited options to hand out awards to!
I still enjoy this little end-of-month challenge to dole out these silly sorts of awards. There was a lot of fun between the cozy games, and others mixed in for different reasons.
These categories sometimes surprise me when I think back on all of my solo game moments. So many to remember!
I’m glad I started this tradition earlier this year. Just makes my monthly games even more exciting and special.
Full Listing of September 2025 Award Winners
If you would rather read a quick listing without clicking or looking through photos, here are the winners:
- Action-Packed Scene: Tapestry
- Back for More: Cascadia
- Calico Critters Twin: Maple Valley
- Freshly Hatched Box: Smitten 2
- From the Ashes: Tapestry
- Inspired by Nature: Meadow
- It’s a Trap!: Tapestry
- Next Gallery Exhibit: Meadow
- Roses are Red: Maple Valley
- Surprise Party Time: Fantasy Realms
- The Gold Cheesecake: Creature Comforts
- The Jeweled Crown: Tapestry
- Uh-Oh, Hot Dog!: Mr. Cabbagehead’s Garden
- Winner of All: Mr. Cabbagehead’s Garden
Descriptions of the awards are in the photos above, but the bottom line is that they’re mostly random for some laughs!
Monthly Highlights
I made a point of bringing some cozy games to my table throughout the month. It was wonderful to return to Cascadia, Meadow, Creature Comforts, and Maple Valley!
Some of my best moments came from many plays of Tapestry, especially with the expansion content. Lots of challenging decisions, all within a narrative framing.
It felt like I both played too many cozy games, and not enough! Spreading these out might be a better idea.
Lastly, I don’t think I laughed as much as I did when I saw the neighbors from Mr. Cabbagehead’s Garden. So fun!
Lessons of the Month
Too many cozy games at once might be too much, even for me… And I have far too many Calico Critters. Ha! This was a great time overall, but cozy moderation is likely in order.
I’m also getting less intimidated by some larger games. Not that any of these were absolutely enormous, yet I was starting to shy away from bigger boxes due to the effort.
Getting creative with play area arrangements is also a key component: I’m enjoying being able to save a little space!
Finally, it seems like a little bit of cozy is always welcome. I’ll have to work in some more of these games regularly!
Continue the Conversation
What were your main gaming moments from September 2025? Did anything stand out, either as a new arrival or a favorite game that returned to your table? It was a lovely and very busy month for me. I’m excited for October, which should feature some very different solo games, Calico Critters in costumes, and maybe even a week off from work just for playing games!
My two solo highlights this month include:
1. Fourteen plays of All is Bomb (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/344841/all-is-bomb). This is an 18-card game that you can order from The Game Crafter for $17 plus shipping (which is what I did) or you Name-your-own-price Print-and-Play. It plays non about 10 minutes. Fun little challenge. For the month I was able to wake the Princess and serve her desired breakfast 6 out of 14 times. I have 71 lifetime plays and I am 33-38 overall.
2. I am 4 years behind everyone else, but I learned Ark Nova this month. I play it on BGA, and have been totally taken in with this one.
Awesome! All is Bomb sounds really interesting, especially with the theme around breakfast. Sounds like a keeper that offers a lot of fun over many plays. Hope you continue to enjoy it and will maybe hit 100 lifetime plays by the end of the year!
It took me a long time to play Ark Nova, too. A really excellent game I never play enough of, yet often think about.
Enjoy the month of October!