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It often feels like there aren’t that many solo games that feel this intricate and tense. But Garphill Games always deliver. Legacy of Yu is a fully resettable solo and legacy game where you’re desperately (and I mean that) trying to build canals to stop the impending flood whilst also trying to fend off nearby barbarians and minimise townfolk casualties. If that sounds like a lot to think about it is, but it’s also one of the most satisfying parts of the puzzle you’re trying to solve.
Keeping the Tide at Bay
The game is set in ancient China where you’re playing as the townsfolk trying to prevent the flooding of the village by constructing canals and barges against the ever-approaching tide. You’re also trying to fend off encroaching barbarians who threaten your townsfolk and resources. If the town is flooded or all your townsfolk are killed, you lose. If you manage to fully construct the dam then you win! Regardless of whether you win or lose, you get to read a new entry from the story book to see how your next game will be affected. If you win, you usually get another challenge added and these can stack if you win a lot of games and don’t or are unable to remove the additional challenge.
When you start your campaign, there’s a story deck that you’re not supposed to look at until instructed by the story book. Unlocking new elements including huts, barbarians, townsfolk and additional tools is so fun, even when they normally hinder you. The numbered turtles help you to know which entries to turn to and what cards to introduce into future games.
The game is largely based on resource management with a little bit of engine building. You have the option of building different structures such as huts, farms and outposts to help with future rounds. These can give you extra resources or allow you to substitute workers. If you’re able to optimise these actions, it completely changes your prospects in the game and getting the extra resources is very nice.
You also have the ability to trade resources throughout the game. You unlock more options as you build more of the canal and this is another essential part of the game. In earlier games when you’re less sure of what to do, not maximising on trading usually leads to defeat.
The campaign ends either when you’ve won or lost seven games. But as the campaign’s fully resettable, you can give everything another go and you’re likely to see and use completely different story beats and cards.
A New Dawn, A New Day
I think Legacy of Yu is an excellent game, it’s a distillation of things I love from Garphill Games into a solo game. The artwork is lovely and all the different elements come together in a really satisfying way.
You are constantly under pressure to keep all the threats at bay, so you have to be very considered with your choices and trades. This might not be for everyone, but for those who love a tight puzzle, this is perfect. I will say that I’m not the best at calculating and considering things as I just like to do things in board games but I still had a lot of fun. Losing is often still satisfying when you’ve managed to get a little bit further or unlock a new card. It’s only not satisfying if you die instantly. Legacy of Yu is definitely a game that you practice and get better with time (hopefully). But the game is such a lovely experience with the art and resource management, that it doesn’t always matter.
The setting of the game is really unique and sits well with the other historical themes that Garphill Games excels at. You get a lot of mileage out of the game and you can easily chain a few games together. I found each play took about 30-60 minutes and if you have a bad game it’s really easy to set up again. It’s one of those games that once you learn how the different elements like huts, farms and outposts benefit you, you can lean into those strategies the next time you play. Obviously it’s ideal when you’re able to get them all and roll in the resources. I can’t stress how tight this game is, every action has to be maximised and thought through, but the benefit of solo gaming is that you can take as long or as little as you like and you don’t have to worry about delaying other people. The whole game is very unique and is a must own for solo board gamers.
SCORES
Overall rating out of 100: 85
Artwork: 5
Complexity: 4
Replayability: 4
Player interaction: N/A
Component quality: 5
Things I like:
● A really tight puzzle
● Really interesting setting and world
● Unlocking stuff and overcoming challenges feels great
Things I dislike:
● So difficult (or maybe I’m just bad)!
● Might lack depth for some
● While the campaign is resettable, replays will eventually come to an end as well as new content
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