- Designer: Marceline Leiman
- Artist: Zach Higgins
- Publisher: Underdog Games
- Players: 2 Players
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Ages: 8+
I first saw High Tide on Bluesky when the creator, Marceline Leiman, was posting about the game design. The wooden tiles looked so pleasing, I had to check out the game! I was happy to find I was able to pre-order through Underdog Games. I am excited to share my thoughts of High Tide with you, as it is a deceptively strategic game and is very pleasing to the eye!
What’s In the Box?
- 19 Tiles
- 5 Glass Stones
- 1 Bag
- 1 Rule Book
Setup
To set up High Tide, start with 3 Neutral Tiles, 2 Pink Tiles and 2 Blue Tiles. Arrange them randomly in a hexagon shape with 1 Neutral Tile in the center. Then use all remaining Tiles to create a hexagon. Tiles should be place randomly throughout the hexagon, giving you a new game play area for each play. The player who had most recently been to the beach plays first!
Objective
The objective of High Tide is to have the most of your Tile color facing in the grid at the end of play. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest stack wins.
Gameplay
Game play in High Tide is straight forward. On a player’s turn they may move either a Neutral Tile or a Tile of their color. Players must always move a Tile if they are able, and may only move one Tile during their turn. A player moves Tiles either by taking a Neutral Tile or a Tile of their color and placing it on an adjacent Tile. Players may only move a Tile only to an adjacent Tile and only a Tile that is free on at least two sides. Players may only move the topmost Tile of each stack. All Tiles underneath may not be moved. Tiles must stay connected at all times. The grid of Tiles cannot be moved into two or more sections.
A round in High Tide will end once a player can no longer make any legal moves. At this time, the visible Tiles of each color are counted from above to determine the round winner. The player with the most visible Tiles of their color wins the round and takes a Glass Stone. If there is a tie, the player with the highest stack wins the round. If there is still a tie, the player who took their turn last wins. Play then continues until either player is the first to collect three Glass Stones. This player is the winner of High Tide!
Final Thoughts
High Tide is a quiet and relaxing game in which to spend your time. But relaxing does not mean simple, as the game was deceptively strategic! With such straightforward rules, I expected to be able to best my opponent easily. In practice, however, a balancing act of multiple strategies is needed to win. A player must choose each turn if they are going to prioritize covering their opponent’s Tiles, or trying for the highest stack, and the right decision between these two can quickly change each turn. I liked that the Tiles all had different sea pictures on them, either a shell or a starfish, to assist with those who cannot see the different colors of the Tiles. The ruleset makes High Tide very approachable to players of all levels of skill. The random Tile placement during the set up also ensures there will be a different game each time you play. We were happily surprised with the box itself, which opens up like a small treasure chest, revealing the game components within! The QR code inside the box lid ensures that players will always have access to the game’s instructions, even if the rule book is lost. High Tide was an immediate hit for us! As beach lovers, we will continue to play this for the theming alone, and we love that it is travel friendly!
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