BoardGame Verdict
86

Living Forest is a competitive strategy game where players take on the roles of nature spirits, vying to save the sacred tree from the evil flames of Onibi. Players utilize push-your-luck and deck-building mechanisms, drafting Guardian Animal Cards and managing resources to achieve victory through one of three different conditions. It requires strategic depth and multiple plays to master.

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86

The Verdict

based on 23 reviews

Positive 0%
Mixed 0%
Clever amalgamation of different mechanics and play styles, including deck-building and push-your-luck.
Engaging and dynamic gameplay with tough decisions and strategic depth.
Beautiful art style and custom components, including card illustrations and cardboard tokens.
Multiple paths to victory provide replayability and diverse strategies.
Fast-paced and accessible, making it enjoyable for various player types.
Can be perceived as a little light for serious hobby players, while potentially having too many elements for mainstream family gamers.
Setup and tear-down, especially sorting cards and punching out tokens, can be a bit tedious for the game's duration.
Some victory conditions may feel unbalanced, with one path sometimes appearing significantly easier, particularly with two players.
Certain actions, such as the "wind action" or movement around the central board, may feel underutilized or less impactful.
Lack of a reference card for symbols can make remembering actions difficult for new players.
100
Shut Up & Sit Down, AvaVideo

The reviewer highly praises Living Forest as a lovely and forgiving deckbuilding game with a charming aesthetic and clever mechanics, offering a smoother and more refined experience than similar titles.

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95
slickerdrips, Danijel LjubasVideo

The reviewer absolutely adores Living Forest, praising its beautiful artwork, engaging mechanics, and easy-to-learn gameplay, despite personally struggling with its push-your-luck element. They highly recommend the game, stating players will not be disappointed.

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95
Dad's Gaming Addiction, DanielVideo

The reviewer enthusiastically praises Living Forest as a wonderful game, highlighting its excellent push-your-luck mechanics, engaging gameplay, and absolutely stunning animal artwork. They particularly adore the game for being easy to teach and understand.

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90
All You Can BoardVideo

The reviewer likely had a very positive opinion of 'Living Forest', an acclaimed game known for its engaging push-your-luck and engine-building mechanics, suggesting it is a strong recommendation for players.

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90
Geeks Under Grace, Stephen HallArticle

“The reviewer found Living Forest to be a game that 'just feels good,' appreciating its push-your-luck deckbuilding, multiple paths to victory, fast gameplay, and beautiful artwork.”

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90
MarcoOmnigamer, MarcoOmnigamerVideo

The reviewer highly recommends 'Living Forest,' praising its engaging gameplay, solid design, and surprising depth that appeals to both families and experienced gamers, noting the stunning artwork is surpassed only by its excellent design.

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90
Board Game Dad, Board Game DadVideo

The reviewer, initially hesitant about its deck-building mechanics, found Living Forest to be a surprisingly engaging and accessible game with more depth than expected, ultimately recommending it as a personal favorite family game.

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90
GamesRadar+, Matt ThrowerArticle

“GamesRadar+ highly praises Living Forest as a rare achievement in board game design, successfully blending push-your-luck, deck-building, and tile placement into an excellent and fun experience, despite acknowledging its potentially niche appeal.”

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90
Board Game BarrageVideo

The reviewer highlights 'Living Forest' as a rewarding game, effectively blending push-your-luck, deck-building, and engine-building mechanics, which led to its Kennerspiel des Jahres win. While acknowledging initial setup, the game is described as a relatively simple process once started and offers engaging strategic decisions for enthusiasts.

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90
Board Game Hangover, Bryan DrakeVideo

The reviewer highly recommends "Living Forest," praising it as a visually appealing, fast-paced, and easy-to-learn push-your-luck deck-building game with engaging win conditions and enjoyable mitigation strategies. Despite minor criticisms regarding the lack of a rules reference and the limitation of one or two actions per turn, the game is enthusiastically recommended for fans of its mechanics.

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85
kovray, kovrayVideo

The reviewer thoroughly enjoyed Living Forest, praising its simultaneous play, multiple victory conditions, impactful player interaction, and excellent components, though they noted it shines best at higher player counts rather than two players.

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85
Board Game TipsArticleTop List

“We like Living Forest Duel so much that we recommend it in the following board game recommendation lists.”

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