Flying Along with Wingspan Pocket and a New Experience
Attract a variety of beautiful birds with the right food and lay plenty of colorful eggs in a tidy row with Wingspan Pocket.
I picked up Wingspan Pocket and promptly tucked it into a cozy space on my shelf… Thereby forgetting all about it! The original has been a nice experience over the years, although it hasn’t moved into the realm of my favorite solo games. Still, this smaller edition promised a new experience, rather than just a tinier set of cards. Time for a little bit of bird watching!
Game Overview
Game Name: Wingspan Pocket
Publication Year: 2026
Designer: Elizabeth Hargrave
Artists: Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo & Natalia Rojas
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Multi-purpose cards act as food or birds to balance in a reserve. Adding birds to a row advances the game closer to the end, and keeping an eye on abilities is crucial to make the most of a tableau! It all moves very quickly as lots of birds fly by, offering lots of interesting scoring options.
First Play
October 18, 2026
Complexity
2
Latest Play
October 18, 2026
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
40
Game Area
34" x 18"
Low Score
38
Beautiful Components
Most of the artwork is of the familiar sort from the original, although there are some new pieces to admire! The cover and start player card are quite adorable and colorful.
I loved the eggs, as I tend to enjoy all of the different patterns that are available. My own collection for the original game is rather large… One egg for every spot? Ha!
This isn’t simply a copy of the original concept, though. A lot has been done to streamline the process and speed it up.
A single row of birds is all it takes, and placing a total of 6 triggers game end. That’s it! Quick, like a flying bird.
Birds and Eggs
Scoring is pretty straightforward, and often revolves around focusing on tucking cards or laying eggs. These nests of mine were pretty full by the end. Lots of pretty birds, too!
I managed to barely win by the narrowest of margins, which felt about right for the standard difficulty level. Nothing too complicated here, and most of it made a lot of sense.
It took me a little while to understand the iconography, which isn’t bad, but somehow made me pause a few times.
Gameplay was pleasant and worked nicely, yet I wasn’t sure if the game held my interest in a satisfying sense.
Solo Opponent Clarity
One thing I appreciated was how easy it was to manage the solo opponent! A couple of small rules weren’t as clear at first until I started to play, but then this process flew by.
There was a bit of uncertainty, and the solo opponent ramped up in a way that felt realistic. I was racing against it, and I never felt like I was way ahead or behind. Very nice!
My second play resulted in a narrow loss, mostly owing to the solo opponent ending the game with a final placed bird.
Scoring was clever and easy, too, with an easy process of moving eggs along a card to reach a total. A lovely detail!
Tucked Cards Galore
In the original game, I never did get far with tucking cards. There were a few plays where I earned a handful of victory points, but it never seemed like a viable strategy to me.
Here, I got to see the fun with tucking lots of cards! My Barn Swallow and Great Cormorant had around 10-15 victory points hidden away in their nests, and I had several eggs.
With just one more round, I would have won! So it was interesting, but not in a way that called for more plays.
I’m on the fence about this one and can certainly see its good points! Just not sure if it gives me enough to enjoy.
Simplifying and Streamlining the Original
I’ve played the original Wingspan dozens of times over the years, which feels rather low compared to the hundreds or thousands of plays I’ve seen others log! But even from that rather limited overall experience, I could see how this version built on those rules. Or rather, pared them down for a simpler game. And it worked well from these first few plays!
My reason for being on the fence is that this might have streamlined everything too much for me. I know that the birds can shift strategies wildly, and some combinations can be a little broken… Yet those exciting moments can be great when playing solo. Looking at how seldom I play, though, perhaps I’m analyzing rulesets that might not be right for me.
If nothing else, my tastes in solo games are eclectic and often surprise even me! What seems like an obvious favorite might fall short for unknown reasons. That’s why I think this one falls into the middle category of working really well, but possibly not grabbing my attention enough to stay as a favorite. Who knows? I may very well migrate over to loving it. Ha!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 & 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Standard Difficulty Level
Outcome: 38-36, 40-42 (1 Win & 1 Loss)
My loss was made even worse by the destruction of my best strategy… I didn’t even realize it was the Blue-Footed Booby, which is one of my favorite birds for those feet! The solo opponent snapped this up and I lamented my loss. It aligned with the goals and had an ability I needed! Alas, it was not to be. The game had its moments. I liked parts of gameplay and expect to give this another chance down the line.
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
4
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- There is a different experience from the original game with a more streamlined sequence that moves along quickly.
- Birds provide a beautiful range of colors to the play area, and finding a favorite in the mix is a lovely little moment.
- The game end comes about in a clear way and ensures that rounds don’t drag on endlessly, but have a definite finale.
- Working out how to best use the available food and birds can be a neat puzzle with some helpful abilities to use.
- Managing the solo opponent is intuitive after a couple of rounds and requires minimal effort for a realistic opponent.
- A concise gameplay arc proceeds through resource gathering, to building a tableau, to activating every bird’s ability.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The amount of required table space can be unexpectedly large, although there may be ways to consolidate a bit.
- Gameplay is very streamlined, yet there are limited opportunities for exciting or clever moments to emerge.
- Understanding the iconography isn’t too difficult, but takes a few plays to understand the different card icons.
- A lot of the puzzle comes down to optimizing with whatever birds are available, which don’t always work together.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 40 points.
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy about Wingspan Pocket? Have you created a particularly noteworthy collection of birds? I liked the solo mode, although I’m not sure if it’s one I’ll have fun with forever. Not a bad place to be, though, as it means I should revisit this one in the future! If nothing else, it offers a different experience from the original game with some pleasant changes!
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