Starting Over with a Nostalgic Game in Above and Below
Build a village from the ground up and discover what adventures lie beneath the surface in Above and Below.
Here we go again! I’m restarting another round of my alphabetic unplayed games challenge, sticking with my goal of taking as much time as I want to. Above and Below has been in my collection for ages, and I have fond memories of playing it a lot with my brother. What about solo? I found a very simple sort of solo variant. Time to dig in… Literally!
Game Overview
Game Name: Above and Below
Publication Year: 2015
Designer: Ryan Laukat
Artist: Ryan Laukat
Publisher: Red Raven Games
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
In many ways, this almost feels like an early version of a narrative board game. Underground encounters consist of simple choices, while constructing buildings, training new villagers, and collecting resources are other mechanics. Its beautiful art style brings together all of the adventures!
First Play
June 10, 2022
Complexity
2
Latest Play
June 10, 2022
Expansions
0
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
30 Minutes
High Score
59
Game Area
30" x 26"
Low Score
53
Down Unknown Paths
Greetings! I found a very colorfully dressed Calico Critter dog ready to set out on a new journey. Such excitement!
The premise of the game is quite intriguing, as it’s about expanding above ground and discovering what lies in every underground cave and passage.
Heading out on expeditions with villagers is a key element, although not all of them are suited to travel.
Building up the village and training other villagers make up other vital elements. Collecting resources is another option, especially since these can become quite valuable.
A Trio of Early Experts
In the beginning, only a handful of basic villagers must fight to survive in this new land. I had plenty of diverse choices, but this group seemed to be right for me!
Many early decisions came down to understanding the different buildings. There were some clear paths to victory points, but I was most excited for the encounters.
Narrative games have always appealed to me. This was one of the first I remember playing with written encounters.
Granted, it’s unfair to compare this one to a genre that has expanded so much. Yet for an early title, I love it!
Lessons from the Past and Hints of New Designs
Without a doubt, this was one of the first games that got me into the whole idea of narrative board games. Tales of the Arabian Nights may have been the initial one, yet it led me to explore the genre when it was still pretty new. What struck me during this session was how simple and unrefined parts of this felt like… And I still enjoyed playing!
Many of my games that are getting close to 5-10 years old feel the same way. I notice flaws in them, but still appreciate how they paved the way for better games. Perhaps this is also why I don’t part with a lot of games, nor do I find it easy to say that similar games can replace others. Just my own personal way of collecting and playing board games!
Yet it’s nice to see how the hobby continues to evolve. I haven’t played Sleeping Gods yet, but can’t wait for my copy to arrive! I’m sure there will be echoes from these mechanics, lurking somewhere in the background.
I wouldn’t say that this is a highly recommended title, but it holds a lot of nostalgia for me, both in terms of game design and those afternoons with my brother. We made up the endings to various encounters and brought the world to life with the help of the underground adventures. And now, I have a quick solo option to experience a few adventures!
Delving Deeper
To continue on with its strengths as a narrative game, it’s a rare one that doesn’t offer too much story. A single play can take just 30-45 minutes with the quick rounds.
All in all, play only lasts a total of 7 rounds. Worker placement means that exploration typically happens about 0-2 times per round. Just enough!
Don’t get me wrong: Following a sweeping tale over hours of play is very appealing to me in many instances.
Yet here, I could follow a few bite-sized adventures while also working on building up the village itself. Very neat!
The Final Chapter
My first play flew by as I remembered all the little things I enjoyed! Decisions were pretty quick. Even with a lot of buildings to choose from, I wasn’t lost in thought.
To hide the rewards while playing solo, I used a file for the Solo Encounter Choices. This kept me from cheating… A little bit. Ha ha! So hard to not want to choose something!
The final village was pretty impressive with several expert villagers and a fair number of resources.
In looking back, this is an interesting mechanic of collecting resources instead of generating resources.
Endless Echoes
Although standard buildings were easy to fit in, going underground was a process. An expedition needed to seek out an empty area before an outpost could take shape.
But I discovered a lucrative key building early on that granted me victory points for empty caves. Voila!
Interestingly, I didn’t build a single underground outpost. Everything took place on the surface. It was fun to figure out which buildings to best utilize out of all the choices.
With the simple solo rules, the standard buildings rotated out each round to add a little pressure and variety.
Gorgeous Artwork
Maybe I focused on all of the surface buildings since they had interesting architecture and such charming colors!
The edges of the cards fit together nicely with clouds in the background to form a little panorama. I loved this, as it gave the feeling of a very open village, and not a city.
Even the little details opened up stories… What sort of animal was that? I had all sorts of silly questions.
Note, too, that the encounters are generally pretty random without a lot of direction. I would almost say the art is what made the narrative come to life in my own mind.
Origin of a Newspaper
Another Calico Critters appearance! While the village took shape in my next play, I focused more on the resources.
Some were easy to come by, but the resource track almost rewarded saving common resources to place near the end. Yet what of the income?! Such a clever decision space.
I never got my hands on the parchment, but these dogs got their paws on it! They discussed whether this might be the origin of the modern newspaper and their love for it.
A most rousing debate! I only wished I had the parchment for a few encounters that might have gone a little better!
The Best Kind of Ending
My second play was entirely different as I focused on a mixture of buildings and outposts. Yet I miscalculated, and had to send 3 villagers off on a final expedition.
Not that it was a problem, yet it felt like overkill for what I needed to do. However, chance was on my side…
No spoilers, though! Through some luck with the dice and a handful of available re-rolls, I discovered the famed Moss King and had a very joyful encounter conclusion.
This was also a wonderful way to end this play and session. A cheerful ending to a very cheerful day of play!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
Outcome: 59 and 53 (2 Wins)
Such a lovely village, including the underground outposts! I didn’t fare quite as well, but the experience was worth it. My fear was that this would feel very dull. All of the choices felt meaningful, though, and I never saw the same encounters. Just being able to go on a handful of low-risk adventures was worth it! Not a lot of narrative-based games can play this quickly, either, so I’m thrilled that I can hold onto my nostalgia and enjoy this cozy game!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- There is a diverse cast of villagers to choose from, including both genders and other species to train and welcome.
- With so many different encounters, each play feels quite unique in terms of the adventures and little stories.
- Choosing which buildings to work towards is quite interesting, especially with the underground options.
- Gameplay is relatively short and straightforward with a clear rulebook and sequence of events between rounds.
- All of the artwork is beautiful and charming, adding to the world and bringing every component to life.
- Despite a few rough edges that may feel slightly unpolished, the mechanics work well and offer fun choices.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The luck of the cards can have a major impact on the availability of victory points with limited alternatives.
- Several content expansions were exclusives and were never easy to find, leaving the base game a bit incomplete.
- Although there are different paths to choose, the core decisions are often somewhat similar and repetitive.
- Encounters can feel very random with limited details and a non-cohesive storyline from round to round.
Victory Conditions
Score 50+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 50 points.
Score at least 60 points.
Continue the Conversation
Have you ever played Above and Below? It’s been a long time since I last got it to the table, yet this was a very pleasant experience. Are there any other older games whose designs you see in newer titles? I thought I would just take a trip down memory lane, yet I can see myself coming back for a quick narrative adventure again. Such a great game!
Thanks for this review. I enjoy when you look at games with unofficial solo variants. They’re often games I overlook because they aren’t designed for 1 player but I’m going to look more into this. I like the idea of a story game that doesn’t take a huge amount of plays.
You’re very welcome, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! My solo journey began with a lot of unofficial solo variants. Lots of great ones out there! It can be difficult to find ones that work well enough, yet I’m hoping to try some more. Really should look at highlighting some of my favorites, since they’ve given a lot of life to my collection that otherwise might not have been played!