Cascadia: Cascading Through a Relaxing Solo Experience
Expand a diverse ecosystem and populate the region with various animals to complete challenging scenarios in Cascadia.
Definitely time to bring Cascadia back to my table! It’s been a little while, and I only made it through a handful of solo scenarios when I last took a break from it. The difficulty level was ramping up! Placing a combination of habitat tiles and animal tokens works so well to create a relaxing experience, and I was ready to welcome all 5 animal species!
Game Overview
Game Name: Cascadia
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Randy Flynn
Artist: Beth Sobel
Publishers: Alderac Entertainment Group & Flatout Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
A set of animal cards provide different bonuses for making patterns, yet the habitats offer matching homes. There are lots of little decisions to make, all of which help build up a beautiful ecosystem. With lots of solo scenarios to puzzle through, this is a vibrant world that’s a joy to return to!
First Play
August 1, 2021
Complexity
2
Latest Play
July 26, 2024
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
101
Game Area
24" x 22"
Low Score
74
Animal Scoring Goals
One of my favorite aspects of the game is how much can be done with so few animal cards. It’s not like anything is lacking, though: This just keeps everything very focused!
Keeping track of 5 scoring goals is relatively easy, too, as each turn usually has a couple of great options.
Gameplay moves along quickly for me with very little tension, as it’s extremely rare to get into a situation where an animal token can’t be placed on an existing tile.
Effectively, that ties a lot of uncertainty to the surprise of flipping over tiles or drawing tokens… Even more fun!
Neat Little Ecosystems
So pretty! I jumped into the next scenario and figured it would take me a little while to find my wings. Ha ha!
I thought I only did OK during scoring, until I realized I forgot to give myself points for connected habitats. I knew there was something logical I was trying to accomplish!
There were a couple of easy decisions, but most turns had me considering at least a couple of options. The tension remained minimal, though, and I had little stories.
That might be my favorite part: I like looking at my final map and making up a 1-minute tale about the region!
Mostly Matched
Combine delight, animals, and fun to get a surefire recipe for my Calico Critters to show up! They were ready to show off with the beautiful artwork that matched up well.
Bear? Check. Elk? Close enough! Fox? Check. Hawk? Oh, hold on there! This penguin did his best impression of a flying bird, and I gave it to him for the fancy bowtie. Ha!
And then I had a laugh when it came to the salmon. The delegate was a dog dressed as a shark. Absolutely perfect!
I probably shouldn’t let it slip that Calico Critters eat fish from their little supermarket… No one will know. Ha ha!
Beautiful Scenery
Most of the artwork is limited to the scoring cards, but there is something lovely about the play area. Habitats meander in different directions and provide fun homes.
Animal tokens may look simple, yet it’s easy to see them at a glance. Never have I been confused about which one is on a tile, which is a huge positive for usability.
It’s wonderful to watch the area spread out a bit, too, mostly because it remains compact with just 20 turns!
For a birthday surprise, my second play with a harder scenario resulted in the narrowest of victories. Awesome!
When Games Ask for Very Little from a Player
As I played through this lovely game, I thought about the idea of how I didn’t have to do much more than play. There weren’t any stressful moments, and I didn’t need to think about the rules all that much. The scoring goals only needed a few double-checks here and there, but in the end, it felt like I was asked to do little more than play… Fun times!
I think there’s a difference between the complexity of a game and what it requires. For instance, I didn’t have to do much in terms of prep: The rules came right back to me, and setup wasn’t much more than counting shuffled tiles. This didn’t make it a simple experience with all of the strategies, yet it felt like the game did a lot of the work for me.
There are other lightweight games I enjoy, but I sometimes need to re-read the full rules or put in a lot of effort to get back into playing. No problem! It’s just another nuance in terms of choosing what to bring to my table, especially when I’m feeling tired or stressed. Now I know that this one will never demand that much from me beyond simply playing.
Session Overview
Play Number: 7 & 8
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Scenarios 4 & 5
Outcome: 97, 85 (2 Wins)
Success! The final round of my second play had the perfect tile and token combination come out, which was the secret to my success. I love when that happens! This is a low-stakes experience, in that it requires little mental power and doesn’t exit the relaxing realm. I’m still surprised I don’t play it more often, yet it’s always going to be a cozy game I can play at any time. With a salmon imposter. Ha!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
9
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
10
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Everything about the game has a very relaxing vibe that makes it a cozy choice to play at practically any point.
- Different scenarios gradually increase the difficulty level and offer up unique puzzles to work through.
- Animal scoring goals are all very unique, yet it sometimes makes sense to focus on a couple or try for them all.
- Artwork on the cards is absolutely beautiful, while the tiles and tokens feature lovely and usable designs.
- Gameplay moves along quickly with meaningful, small choices that typically aren’t complex to think through.
- It’s easy to develop a small narrative about the ecosystem and its animals, adding a little fun to the experience.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The edges of different habitats don’t necessarily create nice transitions, so some areas have very sharp angles.
- A few scoring goals are a little more complex on the surface, and require a few reads through the appendix at first.
- Separating out the tiles during setup can be a bit tedious, but this is necessary to have the correct number of turns.
- There are some scenarios that rely on a little more luck with the drawn tiles and tokens to score very well.
Victory Conditions
Meet the Scenario Requirements
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete scenario 1.
Complete scenario 2.
Complete scenario 3.
Complete scenario 4.
Complete scenario 5.
Score at least 90 points.
Score at least 100 points.
Continue the Conversation
How many solo scenarios have you completed in Cascadia? Is there anything in particular you love about the game? I’m slowly working through the scenarios, although I don’t think I’ll ever truly be done with it. Gameplay is so quick and relaxing! Just need to bring it to my table more often, which is something I say about 95% of my games. Ha ha!
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