Walking in Burano: A Comfortable Stroll with All the Cats
Build a colorful Italian town full of businesses and homes with adorable features to spot in every scene of Walking in Burano.
With a brief break in the weather here to actually feel like spring, I was thrilled to return to Walking in Burano! The solo mode is very enjoyable with its dwindling choices and breezy rules. There is something that always draws me to these colorful buildings, and I was ready to test my skills out. Onto a little tabletop vacation to see all kinds of lovely sights!
Game Overview
Game Name: Walking in Burano
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Wei-Min Ling
Artist: Maisherly
Publishers: Alderac Entertainment Group & EmperorS4
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
With an ever-changing market, the goal is to build a street scene with buildings that feature a single color. Various inhabitants and tourists may stop by to offer scoring opportunities for the elements that can appear, like potted plants or mischievous cats! Always a fun time in Burano!
First Play
May 31, 2023
Complexity
2
Latest Play
April 6, 2026
Expansions
1
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
14
Play Time
15 Minutes
High Score
85
Game Area
26" x 18"
Low Score
48
A Mix of Characters
One of the strategies is to figure out which inhabitants and residents will claim a spot, as there are only 5 buildings. The solo mode requires a card to be discarded each round.
Effectively, this reduces the choices and encourages a bit of early planning. It’s a subtle challenge with little overhead.
I love it! With the expansion, which I believe is included with the base game in most cases, 7 of 10 inhabitants are available. That changes things up with all sorts of ideas!
Some work better together, and it’s interesting to look at scoring one building or going broader with the inhabitants.
Cheerful Buildings
No matter how my final buildings end up, they always look simply beautiful and welcoming! This is a place I would love to take a literal walk around. Just look at the cozy scenes!
Cats definitely add to the smiles, as they can usually be spotted in surprising places. I had the policeman beneath the pink building, but can you spot the trio of cats there?
I’ll also note that scoring well takes some practice, and I constantly try to reach the highest scoring tier… Poorly. Ha!
In the end, though, this one is relaxing with a summery vibe that makes the experience thoroughly comfortable.
All the Cats
Since it was so easy to reset and keep playing, I found some of my scores severely lacking. More for fun than anything else, I spotted the perfect opportunity to focus…
All the cats! I had a pair of tourist photographers show up to snap photos of this excessive amount of cats, which was clearly approved by the local town board. Ha ha!
Some of the features can blend in, yet I enjoy evaluating each card and having fun, surprising moments of discovery.
I may have focused a little too much on tourists. I was still really excited to see how I stuck with a theme, though!
Near Perfection
Whoa! Near the end of this play, I was on track for reaching the highest scoring tier… And maybe even reaching a personal best. Everything was lining up so very nicely!
The rulebook states the designer’s highest score was 86. I’m going to announce that I hit 85 points. Take a moment…
Yeah, the final roof piece I needed for my pink building never came out, so I had to lose points to break that rule.
Oh, my goodness! Had that worked out, I would have had 88 victory points, mostly thanks to the chimney sweep and painter. So close! Yet this play was still excellent, and so fun!
The Joy of a Comfortable, Predictable Game
As I’ve tried to focus on my unplayed solo games lately, it’s been a little bit of a struggle with a string of experiences that didn’t work for me. I don’t blame the games, but the main point here is that I’ve gotten a little cautious about trying out anything brand new at the moment. There are lots of excellent games on my shelves waiting to be played, but… Not yet.
Switching over to playing this one was wonderful, to put it mildly! I knew what to expect. The rules came right back to me after a couple of minutes reading everything over. The only surprises were finding cats and ice cream shops in the scenes. Ha! Yet it’s an important point about continuing to stick with the hobby. Playing unknown games can be draining.
I’ve found plenty of excellent ones in the mix, so it’s not all negative. That sense of comfort isn’t there, though. Older favorites often provide a safer game space. It might not be as exciting as discovering something entirely new and amazing, but’s a nice balance… Or even contrast! I’m going to keep this in mind when I plan what to play next to maintain the fun.
Session Overview
Play Number: 9-14
Expansion: Walking in Burano: New Inhabitants
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 75, 80, 56, 68, 85, 75 (2 Wins & 4 Losses)
For good measure, my last play featured the fisherman and a cat on every building’s roof. See? So many cats. Ha ha! I haven’t played this one as much as I thought I have, and it provides a relaxing experience every time. Even when things don’t work out, I enjoy taking a moment to admire my buildings in the end to spot my favorite spots. Here’s to hoping I’ll succeed one day with achieving a higher score!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
6
+ Pros (Positives)
- The artwork is colorful, beautiful, and inviting in a way that evokes a feeling of exploring a town on a summer day.
- A lot of variety exists in the decks and the different combinations of cards, allowing for an exploration of strategies.
- Each inhabitant or tourist is often suited to a situation, so understanding which cards to choose is a fun challenge.
- Constructing the 5 buildings is very fun and results in a lovely tableau to admire for a short time after scoring.
- Different combinations of inhabitants can change the game in interesting ways, guiding choices a bit here and there.
- Play time is quick without any pressure, offering a very relaxing time with the game that’s quiet and cheerful.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Keeping the cards aligned can be a little tricky with the way they tend to slightly curve, though this is minor.
- There is a certain level of repetitiveness to every play that’s often comforting, but may feel too similar after a time.
- Most of the elements are fairly easy to spot, yet there can be a little difficulty in finding cats or closed windows.
- Remembering to discard an inhabitant or tourist during every solo round is the only rule that can be easy to forget.
Victory Conditions
Score 80+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 70 points.
Score at least 80 points.
Score at least 85 points.
Win at least 1 game with 4 unused regulatory tokens.
Continue the Conversation
Have you earned a high score in Walking in Burano? Who is your favorite inhabitant or tourist? I was so close to a really great score this time… Just need to keep on playing! I appreciate how consistent the experience is. There are quiet, delightful moments that always feel like a pleasant, summer day. I look forward to my next visit with this one!
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