Portability and a Unique Hand: Lessons from Palm Island
Build a small island village by using resources to improve various elements without setting down the cards in Palm Island.
The requirements for table space can range from reasonable to enormous, yet there are some solo games that toss that right out… Palm Island is played in the palm of your hand! I was intrigued by this concept and the ability to play anywhere with this neat idea. The multi-purpose plastic cards promised plenty of important decisions, too!
Game Overview
Game Name: Palm Island
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Jon Mietling
Artists: Jon Mietling & Mirko Suzuki
Publisher: Portal Dragon
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Within 8 rounds, an island takes shape. Card costs may be paid to rotate and flip buildings, slowly creating more resources and scoring opportunities. It all plays out rather quickly without the need to place the deck down at any point, making the name a rather fun game-related pun!
First Play
April 7, 2024
Complexity
1
Latest Play
April 13, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
4
Play Time
15 Minutes
High Score
49
Game Area
8" x 6"
Low Score
24
Multi-Purpose Cards
I always love being able to do more with each card! This is a game that does exactly that… Cards may serve as resources, but are mostly upgraded for better benefits.
The decisions turned out to be pretty straightforward, but there were certainly some considerations to think about.
For the tool maker, I had to decide to focus on victory points or try to gain additional resources to upgrade other cards. Very neat! It was fun, despite being pretty bland.
As I played, I noticed that I made similar choices and didn’t see that many unique paths to victory points.
Holding It Together
The biggest element of this game is the simple deck: It’s designed to hold without requiring any table space. Awesome! Except… I discovered my unique issue.
Many years ago, I had multiple surgeries on my hand. Very rarely is there an activity that causes soreness or pain. Unfortunately, this is one of them with the splayed cards.
I tried to use both hands at times, or rest the deck on my table. Yet cards continuously fell over or were dropped.
That’s not a knock against the game, but it does mean I’m unlikely to seek out similar games involving in-hand play.
Large Cards & Issues
A similar game is Maiden’s Quest, which is also played almost entirely in-hand. The difference there is much narrower cards, leading to less overall splaying.
Since these are plastic cards, I wondered why they weren’t more compact. Not like they need sleeving! Gameplay was a little awkward for me, which was rather unexpected.
Maybe I just need to embrace the fact that I have a fairly large solo table available, and utilize all that space!
In the end, I have to remember that holding a deck with splayed cards is something I should probably avoid.
Clear Round Tracking
Gameplay is all about moving through the deck. A handy round tracker at the back keeps things organized, making it easy to figure out how far along everything is.
I may have accidentally flipped the round tracker during a play that seemed to give me a really nice score… But I was struggling enough with dropping the cards. Bonus round?!
There is a lot to enjoy here in terms of portability, although I didn’t get much from the generic theme.
Perhaps I’ll leave my appreciation of multi-purpose cards for the bigger games that can spread out on my table.
Portability and Bringing Games Everywhere
One of the unique selling points of this game is the ability to bring it practically anywhere to enjoy. Awesome! Setting aside my hand issues, I also took a few moments to consider when this concept would work for me. Would I ever want to hold onto a deck of cards in other places? I know this one makes it possible, yet I’m content with what I have.
Most of my solo game time takes place at my table. The rest is either on an adjustable lap desk in bed or on the couch, which is relatively uncommon. Part of the joy of solo games for me is getting into a comfortable space and appreciating what a game does for me. Playing on-the-go just doesn’t quite align with what I prefer to get out of solo games.
But again, that’s another reason why I had a nice time with this one! I learned a lot, and can see why being able to play anywhere could be very desirable. If ever I find myself in that situation, there’s a whole genre to think about and consider again… Provided I can make sure my hand doesn’t act up again! Fortunately, any issues are extremely rare.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1-4
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 25, 49, 31, 24 (2 Wins & 2 Losses)
There were definitely a couple of great outings according to the solo scoring tiers! Moments of enjoyment muddled together with fairly similar gameplay, though, and I now know I need at least some table space to house my solo games. All great lessons to have learned with this one! It feels like an interesting concept that I hope brings gaming to those spaces that require portability. For me, I’ll be sticking with my dedicated solo gaming table!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
4
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
2
+ Pros (Positives)
- Gameplay is simple and straightforward, often with obvious decisions that don’t require a lot of extra thinking.
- Multi-purpose cards provide interesting choices and keep the number of components to a very reasonable level.
- There are optional solo goals to work towards in order to unlock more cards that make gameplay easier.
- Table space is not required, and the portability of a deck of cards like this is certainly an interesting idea.
- Many cards feature options to rotate or flip them with different costs, which can make for clever choices.
- Keeping track of the number of rounds is simple with the round tracker and lack of shuffling at any point.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The theme is practically nonexistent and gameplay ends up feeling very mechanical without any kind of story.
- Holding a deck of cards and splaying up to 4-5 cards for resources can be physically difficult for some players.
- Although the card order is randomized during setup, everything feels like it progresses in a similar fashion.
- Play time moves rather quickly, yet also feels long for a repetitive experience without any memorable turns.
Victory Conditions
Score 30+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 30 points.
Score at least 40 points.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Palm Island? Have you checked off all of the solo goals and achievements? I appreciate the design choices, and always love seeing when games are made more portable! Yet I found one of those rare instances that flares up my old hand surgery scars… This island has seen the last of me, but onward I go with solo games!
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