Sure it’s fun to be one of the cool kids, to get in on the next fun thing right at the beginning. But there’s always the risk that the hype is much bigger than the game. Not here – Tiny Towns is as big as the hype. This is easily my favorite game to bring to the table for a quick little puzzle right now. It’s accessible without being simple. It’s beautiful without being busy. It’s a puzzle that just makes you want to try again, and again, sure that you can do it just a bit better the next time around but without being so frustrating that you don’t want that next time around.

2nd (two player rating) – Tiny Towns works very well with 2 players. There can be a bit of a “take that” element if you are paying close attention but more often than not, you are so focused on your own little puzzle that that isn’t the case. It is the most interactive solitaire I’ve played and I say that lovingly. It’s a puzzle and while you get to share (and enjoy) others joy and frustration, you are, in fact, mostly building away happily on your own little plot of land. That said, the solo variant is one of the most fun solo games I’ve played. 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

S (setup, take down, instructions) – Set up and take down are very simple. Each player gets their own tiny plot of land and the buildings are put into a common pool. I do wish that there were containers instead of ziplocs just to keep things under control a bit more, but that is a bit nitpicky. Shuffle up the cards and start building. Easy peasy. 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

T (tactile, components, artwork, etc.) – Just look at those colors! Not your standard primary palette. And blissfully not the retro 80s palette I’ve seen just about enough of. But beautiful, muted, warm, colors. And the buildings?! Farms, taverns, cottages! C’mon, you know you wanna try and stack them. It was the components that drew me to this game in the first place. 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A (action, mechanics, general gameplay) – The action is simple. Call out a material type, place on the grid. But the planning is the puzzle. This game takes about 5 minutes to teach but I could try and beat this puzzle for hour at a time. There is no AP because you HAVE to place the piece that was chosen. We do like the variant method where the cards decide. Helps to make it more of a group game as you suffer together when that third glass card is flipped over. Where is anyone going to place that?! 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

R (replay factor) – As I’ve already mentioned, the simple joy of trying to best your last attempt would be enough of a replay factor. But add to that monuments (goals specific to a single player) and random shuffles of common buildings and this game will only improve replay after replay.

5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Final Thoughts – When the only things that disappoints you about a new game is that it isn’t as small a box as you were expecting (Tiny Epic games have completely spoiled us), there is really nothing to complain about. If you’re up for a pretty puzzle that will make you want to try again and again to get just one more tavern, just one more cottage, then don’t hesitate. If you are not a fan of working on puzzles side by side with other players then you might want to think about it. Go play at a friend’s house or your FLGS and then make your decision. For us? This is going to be one of our 10 in 10 games this year. We’re already at 9. 4.8/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟