Your first instinct when reading the title of this game may be to automatically assume that it’s a game geared toward kids. I’m here to tell you to put those assumptions aside because it’s accessible to all members of the household and is fairly strategic to boot, though not so much as to drive away casual gamers. The general idea is to play butterfly cards which eventually end up in your jar. Using the butterflies in your jar, you’ll be trying to acquire delivery cards for VPs. The first player to reach the VP goal (based on the number of players) will signal that the round should play out and the game ends. There’s obviously a bit more to it than that, so I’ve thrown together a quick video that outlines game play and my general thoughts. Special thanks to Stephen Finn from Doctor Finn’s Games for providing me with a press copy for review purposes.
The Butterfly Garden: 2-6 Players, Ages 8+, Average Play Time = 20-40 Minutes
In short, “The Butterfly Garden” is a fantastic game that supports up to six players, meaning that it’ll suit almost any family size. I love how players choose a card in secret, flip them, and then take turns in order based on the number they played from lowest to highest. Lower cards are generally weaker and don’t have a lot of butterflies on them, but they almost guarantee that you’ll have first dibs on choosing a new butterfly card from the pool and to choose a delivery card, assuming you meet the requirements. Go check out my video for more information. The game’s Kickstarter page (the campaign of which was successfully funded) shows that estimated delivery is September 2016.
Final Verdict: 9/10
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