Atlantis Rising: Finding the Balance Between Fair and Fun
Work against time to collect resources and construct a mysterious gate to save the island’s inhabitants in Atlantis Rising.
The concept of Atlantis Rising always intrigued me, as I sometimes gravitate towards cooperative solo games that involve racing against time to save something. In this case, all of Atlantis! The concept of this enormous island being threatened by an ever-growing flood called to me, and I was finally ready to set foot in this world… For as long as it would stay dry. Ha!
Game Overview
Game Name: Atlantis Rising
Publication Year: 2019
Designers: Galen Ciscell & Brent Dickman
Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Publisher: Elf Creek Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Each part of the island features different actions, and the Atlanteans may take greater risks for greater rewards. The flood begins at the edges, slowly working its way in as inhabitants scramble to build a Warp Gate to survive! There is a good deal of luck as the ocean slowly devours the island.
First Play
November 5, 2025
Complexity
2
Latest Play
November 5, 2025
Expansions
1
Setup Time
15 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
1
Play Time
40 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
38" x 30"
Low Score
N/A
Building an Island
Not that I was surprised by the components, but it took a total of 37 individual tiles to lay out the main play area. Very pretty, yet this felt rather tedious during setup and cleanup.
Gameplay revolves around placing workers on different spaces. The outer island edges provide greater rewards, yet this is where the flooding begins from misfortune cards.
I wasn’t a big fan of the dice rolls to determine whether anything happened in terms of gathering resources.
However, there was an interesting puzzle at the center, and I had to think through how to build the entire Warp Gate.
Just a Hologram…
Playing solo focuses on a single character, along with a couple of other ways to help. A hologram provides another ability, limited to a specific worker on the island.
I thought this was going to be a lot more complex, yet it flowed pretty nicely. Gathering resources felt monotonous, though, especially when the dice resulted in nothing.
Despite having some ways to mitigate bad rolls, it felt like it was left up to chance… Even in the riskier spaces.
And did I remember to use the emissary’s ability? Only once, as I couldn’t find a reliable way to make it beneficial.
So Much Misfortune
The misfortune deck was filled with all kinds of events and some of the most beautiful artwork. So pretty and exciting!
But I missed having a more balanced sort of event deck. There were times when nothing happened, or it could swing in the other direction with devastating consequences.
Try having a malfunction and sabotage show up at the same time. Progress is slow and steady, yet this sort of setback can be catastrophic at the wrong time. Or… Just calm seas.
Luck and randomness aren’t always problematic, yet I felt like I had no control and some of my turns were pointless.
Warp Gate Failure
Before Atlantis was swallowed up by the sea, I managed to construct almost everything needed for the Warp Gate! Just missed out on the central component, thanks to bad luck.
Parts of the gameplay puzzle were excellent, and I can see why this can be a fun experience! For me, though, the solo mode didn’t grab me and there was a lot of tediousness.
I still like a lot of solo games with lots of components and a lengthy setup process, but this felt like too much for me.
Still, it was nice enough to try this one out at last. The moral of the story to remember: Never trust me in a flood. Ha ha!
Balancing Fairness and Fun: Is One Play Enough?
For many, many years, I’ve firmly held onto the belief that playing a solo game once never provides the full picture. It’s often a learning game, or at least something that will barely scratch the surface. There have been times when I’ve given a game 5-10 total plays before coming to a final conclusion… And that usually doesn’t differ from my first impressions.
That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, though. That initial experience can sometimes be distorted, but I also feel like I know more about my preferences. A single play tells me a lot, and is more like a gauge of whether I want to dive deeper. If the core elements aren’t working for me and I’m clearly not having fun, is it worth feeling like I’m forcing myself to play more?
Again, there are exceptions where I feel like I might return in the future to give a game another chance. Yet I don’t feel like I’m being flippant when I determine a game isn’t for me after a single play, like in this case. Not even counting expansions, I have several hundred games in my collection that are still unplayed. My goodness… That is so much!
I love the process of exploration and discovery with new games, yet this is also why I feel like I don’t need to spend ages trying to like any particular game. It’s OK not to love them all! This one may very well be a favorite to some or many, and that’s excellent. At the end of the day, I want to make sure I feel like the hobby remains fun and that I enjoy my time.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Play Details: Level 1 Difficulty Level
Outcome: Loss
Sadly, Atlantis entirely flooded near the end. I was still reasonably close to a victory, although some unlucky dice rolls and misfortune cards formed a storm I couldn’t quite weather. There were some interesting elements, yet I didn’t feel like I was having a fun time. Not a problem: This one just isn’t for me. I’m still enjoying trying out new solo games, as I know I’ll find some more to love soon enough!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
7
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
4
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
5
+ Pros (Positives)
- The play area looks amazing with fantastic illustrations that bring the island to life, along with the misfortune cards.
- Different difficulty levels allow for the puzzle to be adjusted with more variety and challenges to overcome.
- A few ways to mitigate bad luck are present and can be very fun to use at the right moment to slow down the flood.
- Tension slowly builds, then it becomes very apparent that the island and action spaces are rapidly diminishing.
- Components offer a lot of variety with their bonuses, often creating optimal moves to help out at the right times.
- Some additional rules exist for the solo mode, yet it allows the focus to remain on the puzzle rather than overhead.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Setup and cleanup can be tedious with the dozens of pieces that fit together and need to be stored in a specific order.
- There are elements of luck that can feel rather punishing, like random dice rolls or events that erase progress.
- Although the artwork is beautiful, some of the icons or spaces are a little hard to see among the busy illustrations.
- Overall strategies and sequences are kind of set in stone with the way the components must be constructed.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Cosmic Gate
- Overall Goal Progress 0%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the Level 1 difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy about Atlantis Rising? Have you had a particularly memorable solo play recently? I saw some neat elements come through in the design, yet ultimately, the experience didn’t grab me enough to hang onto this copy. There were a few fun turns, though, and I’m glad I had a chance to play. Time to move this along before it sinks any further!
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