BoardGame Verdict
90

Santorini is an abstract strategy board game where players compete to build a beautiful village on a 5x5 grid island. Players move their workers and construct new tower sections, aiming to be the first to reach the third level of a building. The game incorporates unique 'God Cards' which grant variable player powers, adding significant strategic depth and variety to each game.

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90

The Verdict

based on 34 reviews

Positive 0%
Stunning visual design and high-quality components
Simple rules and quick to learn
Deep strategic gameplay and high replayability
Fast playtime, conducive to multiple rounds
God powers add significant asymmetric variety
Best experienced as a two-player game
Some God powers can feel unbalanced or lead to "take that" moments
Requires committed opponents for full mastery
100
Roll To Review, David NorrisArticle

“The best games are easy to learn but hard to master. Simple enough for newcomers to grasp yet deep enough to challenge veterans. Santorini embodies this perfectly.”

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100
The Brothers Murph, NickVideo

The reviewer enthusiastically praises Santorini as a gorgeous, engaging, and strategically deep 2-player abstract game, highlighting its excellent production quality and the significant replayability added by the God Powers.

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100
SideGame LLC, Mackenzie Franklin and DevonVideo

The reviewer highly recommends Santorini, placing it as a top choice for engaging and enjoyable board game experiences with children.

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95
The Board Game FamilyArticle

“I’ll tell you straight out that the game is fantastic! It’s because it’s a great game on many levels.”

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95
Game Boy Geek, The Game Boy GeekVideo

The Game Boy Geek highly praises 'Santorini: The Golden Fleece' expansion, stating that it introduces fantastic new elements like hero powers for balancing player experience and additional god powers that enhance variability, making it a worthwhile addition to an already great game.

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95
Board Game Dad, Board Game DadVideo

The reviewer highly praises Santorini as a quintessential board game, noting its incredibly simple rules yet deep strategic gameplay, which is further enhanced by various god powers for high replayability.

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95
Grant Lyon, Grant LyonVideo

The reviewer highly recommends Santorini as a beautiful, quick, and fun head-to-head two-player abstract game, noting that the new edition enhances replayability with more god powers.

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95
GeekDad, Jonathan H. LiuArticle

“But if you enjoy abstract strategy games, Santorini really shines. I highly recommend giving it a try, and thanks to Spin Master, it should be fairly easy to find a copy now.”

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95
The Opinionated Gamers, Chris WrayArticleTop List

“I’ve never been a fan of describing games as “elegant,” but this game is elegant: the simple rules unfold into deep strategies. It was certainly one of my favorite games of 2016.”

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95
Polyhedron Collider, Rory J. SomersArticle

“There is a surprising, and delightful depth to a game that looks more like a toy than what most would consider a 'hobby board game'. This all blends together to present a game that at once is light, fun, and charming but also poses interesting and thought-provoking choices.”

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90
Allies or Enemies, Allies or EnemiesVideo

Santorini is praised as a simple yet deep abstract strategy game that is easy to learn but challenging to master, offering significant replayability through its unique god powers and featuring an exceptionally cool 3D production that enhances its appeal, especially as a two-player experience.

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90
Board Game BarrageVideo

The reviewer highlighted Santorini as a strong introductory abstract strategy game, praising its accessibility and depth for new players.

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