Rising Sun is a strategy board game for 3 to 5 players set in legendary feudal Japan. Players take on different clans, engaging in action bidding, alliance making, and area control across four seasons. The game culminates in a war phase where honor and strategic positioning are crucial for accumulating victory points and determining the ultimate winner.
The Verdict
based on 33 reviews
The reviewer considers 'Rising Sun' a modern masterpiece, highlighting its highly interactive gameplay, excellent variable player powers, and fantastic replayability, despite noting that new players might find it complex.
The reviewer highly praises 'Rising Sun' as their personal favorite, particularly enjoying its 'tea party' alliance system and the strategic depth that allows players to win through presence rather than just combat.
“Rising Sun is full of sly social maneuvering and tricky outcomes. It offers a gaming experience that you may find yourself pondering for days afterward, second-guessing forced marches and vengeful back-stabs.”
The reviewer enthusiastically praises Rising Sun for its engaging blend of negotiation and area control, streamlined mechanisms with significant depth, and overall beautiful production, anticipating it will be among his top games of the year.
“I’m still baffled how a magnificently produced Ameritrash-looking miniatures game by CMON is at the same time a highly strategic, low-luck, streamlined war game with Euro sensibilities. And that is perhaps the greatest yin-yang duality of all.”
“All in all, this is not an Axis & Allies all out war game and hence falls back towards my view that this is a Euro with an area control mini-game. That said, it deserves the high praise it has received and I continue to look forward to bringing this out in larger groups for a quick but epic conquest.”
Board Game Coffee highly regards 'Rising Sun' as an engaging and well-designed game that is worth learning and playing, showcasing its impressive components and immersive gameplay.
The reviewer highly praises Rising Sun as a fabulous board game, noting its beautiful design, unique mechanics, high replayability, and excellent value for its components. They emphasize that it plays well and looks amazing on the table, making it highly recommended for those who appreciate both aesthetics and gameplay.
The reviewers expressed significant enthusiasm for Rising Sun, highlighting its rich combination of territory control, resource gathering, and a unique, secret bidding system that encourages strategic alliances and betrayals. They particularly praised the cool and stylish artwork and were excited enough to have personally backed the Kickstarter campaign.
“Wrapping up this review, it’s clear that Rising Sun stands out as more than just a beautiful board game. Its strategic depth, combined with the high-quality artwork and components, makes every session a new adventure.”
The reviewer enthusiastically praises 'Rising Sun' as a spectacular game, highlighting its beautiful design, immersive rule mechanics, and exceptional replayability. They emphasize the great value of the game's high-quality miniatures and the overall stellar gameplay experience.
Rising Sun was highlighted as one of the most popular board games, significantly climbing in rank to secure a spot in the top 10.
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