Inis is a strategy game deeply rooted in Celtic history and lore where players compete to become King or Queen of the Island. The game combines area control mechanics with card drafting, featuring gorgeous artwork and multiple victory conditions including controlling territories with six or more enemy clans.
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The Verdict
based on 26 reviews
“Elegant, brutal, and exciting, Inis has some things to say about taking and holding on to power.”
The reviewer enthusiastically praises Inis, describing it as an absolutely perfect and masterful game within its genre, delivering engaging tactical and political gameplay in a concise playtime.
The reviewer enthusiastically praises Inis as his favorite of the Matagot trilogy and one of his top three games of all time, highly recommending it to area control fans for its clever drafting, elegant victory conditions, and overall engaging gameplay.
“Inis is absolutely perfect in its space. It hits every note I want hit in this type of game: funny, tactical, political, and just some real almost stand up moments.”
The reviewer highly praises Inis as a gorgeous and fun game with excellent mechanics and thematic depth that transcends the sum of its parts, allowing for strategic decision-making and exciting comebacks despite minor flaws in component quality and a potential for extended game length.
The reviewers found Inis to be an exceptionally well-designed board game, praising its simple rules, tactical depth, lack of random chance, and beautiful production, ultimately considering it 'a little bit perfect' and even better than previously highly-rated games like Cyclades and Kemet.
The reviewer enthusiastically praises Inis as the 'best Celtic game ever,' highlighting its blend of simple mechanics with deep strategy, exceptional component quality, stunning art, and high replayability.
“Bumbling Through Dungeons highly praises Inis for its elegant rules, tight construction, and the complex tactical puzzle that emerges from strong player interaction, making it one of the most well-designed games of its type despite some inherent chaos.”
The reviewer highly praises Inis as an excellent and epic-feeling area control game, noting its engaging card-driven drafting and straightforward yet dramatic combat. Despite the potential for quick clan eliminations and easily overlooked win conditions, it's considered a 'gold medal game' for its strong reversals and aggressive gameplay loop.
“In short, Inis is not only my favorite game that came out in 2016, but it’s one of my all-time favorite games.”
The reviewer praises Inis as a masterfully designed game that rewards cleverness over brute force, highlighting its deep mechanical integration and the immense satisfaction derived from strategically planned moves and card interactions.
The reviewer highly recommends Inis, calling it one of their favorite area control games due to its elegant blend of easy-to-learn rules with strategic depth, high replayability, and stunning visual design. They emphasize that players who appreciate meaningful choices and engaging conflict will find the game very rewarding.
The reviewer expresses a strong personal fondness for Inis, acknowledging that its unique qualities make it a divisive game—people will either love it or hate it, much like marmite.
The reviewer highly recommends Inis as a really great area control game, noting its stunning artwork and longevity. They emphasize its enjoyable gameplay and unique tile arrangement.
The Tantrum House reviewers highly praise Inis for its deep strategy, unique card drafting mechanic, and excellent Celtic-themed artwork that creates an immersive atmosphere. They found it to be a highly replayable and engaging area control game that rewards thoughtful planning.
“Inis stands out as a game that goes beyond mere territorial conquest, emphasizing strategy, diplomacy, and mythological richness. The game's unique victory conditions, combined with the dynamic interplay of action cards and deeds, ensure a fresh and engaging experience with each playthrough.”
The reviewer highly praised Inis for its strong thematic elements and engaging area control mechanics, highlighting its exciting 'King of the Hill' aspect and how the game naturally pushes towards a satisfying conclusion.
Sam Healey enthusiastically recommends Inis, praising its unique blend of strategic card drafting and area control that evokes a modern chess-like feel, along with its evocative Celtic artwork.
“It manages to blend card drafting and area control in a smart and beautiful package. Best of all, it engages all the players on the board in a battle of the wits.”
The reviewer found Inis to be a fun and strategic area control game, highlighting its engaging card-driven mechanics, various movement and clashing options, and interconnected victory conditions that provide depth and control over gameplay.
“Inis, at its heart, is a ceilidh. It’s a series of wild, reeling jigs where you and your opponents will interlock arms and merrily spin each other around a wildly uncontrollable map as they each try to meet the victory conditions.”
The reviewer praises Inis for its captivating artwork and engaging card drafting mechanics, offering a unique twist on 'dudes on a map' games. However, they suggest the base game lacks the impactful 'monster' elements found in similar titles, and deem the 'Seasons of Inis' expansion largely non-essential due to its limited content and potential for added confusion.
The reviewer praised Inis for its stunning artwork, quality components, and engaging negotiation and drafting mechanics, finding the gameplay interesting and well-balanced. However, they expressed reservations about the game often leading to 'kingmaker' scenarios where victories felt unearned and that the game tended to overstay its welcome.
The reviewer found Inis to be a strategic card-drafting and area control game with deep decision-making, likening the two-player experience to a modern form of chess, though noting that the drafting can feel clunky. It becomes more involved and engaging with four players.
The reviewer acknowledges "Inis" as an objectively well-designed game with beautiful artwork and a fun experience, but notes that its swingy cards and "smashmouth" combat style ultimately make it not a personal keeper for his collection.
The reviewer praised Inis for its distinctive Celtic-themed artwork and strategic gameplay focused on achieving victory conditions. However, he noted that the card drafting system felt clunky in a two-player setting, likening the two-player experience to a modern version of chess.
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