Players take on the role of Renaissance merchants collecting gems to purchase mines, transportation, and artisans who produce even more gems. The goal is to be the first to acquire 15 prestige points by building an efficient gem-producing engine.
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The Verdict
based on 36 reviews
The reviewer highly praises Splendor as their all-time favorite game, noting its engaging core loop of collecting gems to purchase cards that provide permanent bonuses and accumulate prestige points, with the ultimate goal of attracting nobles.
The reviewer rates Splendor as a perfect 10/10, indicating it is an excellent and highly recommended game.
“This review describes "Splendor" as a nearly perfect gateway game and a must-own title, praising its high-quality components, beautiful presentation, and simple yet engaging engine-building mechanics. The game is celebrated for being extremely easy to teach and quick to play.”
The reviewer enthusiastically praises Splendor as a nearly flawless and massively addicting modern classic, highlighting its smooth and intuitive gameplay, alongside its rich and striking visuals, deeming it one of the best games of the decade.
The reviewer initially dismissed Splendor due to its abstract nature, but after playing, he absolutely loved its engaging depth, quick gameplay, and high player interaction, solidifying its place as a permanent favorite in his collection.
“Despite the strategy, my 9 year old son, George, can win fair and square, probably more often than I can. That makes for a brilliant family experience.”
“This gem-collecting game is easy to learn but requires enough strategy that it keeps players enthralled over multiple rounds.”
The Shelfside review praised Splendor as an excellent simple starter euro game with skillfully designed mechanics, making it highly recommended for new players or those seeking a quick game, although one reviewer noted a preference for heavier games and another felt the noble mechanic was unbalanced.
“Are there better games out there? Sure. Of course. But they’ll have to wait a bit, because I’m playing Splendor and I can’t stop.”
“Splendor is a fantastic gateway game. It presents a core “eurogame” mechanic of building an economic engine, and strips it down to a very easily understandable format (and it really does play in only half an hour).”
“Splendor is an excellent game. It’s about as distilled as an engine-building game can be, and in this case, it’s a good thing.”
“This review regards Splendor as a triumph of elegant game design that masterfully balances simplicity with strategic depth. Its high-quality components and excellent replayability are highlighted as key strengths, making it a worthy addition to any collection.”
“Splendor is defined by is brilliantly simple rules, tight game play, and strategic engine building challenge.”
“Splendor beckons you into the vibrant world of Renaissance merchants, where the pursuit of gem mines, modes of transportation, and opulent shops is the path to acquiring prestigious points. In this strategic game of chip-collecting and card development, your goal is to amass wealth and influence that will make you the most renowned merchant of the era.”
The reviewer highly recommends Splendor, calling both the tabletop and digital versions fantastic and praising it as an excellent, staple engine-builder game suitable for almost anyone.
The reviewer highly recommends Splendor, describing it as an intuitive, enjoyable Euro-style filler game that plays quickly and offers good value for its component quality, making it a great fit for players seeking a new, engaging experience.
The reviewer highly recommends Splendor Duel, praising it as an excellent two-player adaptation of the original game that retains its strong engine-building mechanics while introducing new elements.
The reviewer found Splendor to be a fast-paced and addictive game centered around chip collecting and card development, offering an engaging experience.
The reviewer highly recommends Splendor, praising its straightforward, quick gameplay and excellent components, making it an accessible and enjoyable game that encourages repeated plays for families.
“The reviewer describes Splendor as a fantastic game that is quick to learn and play while still offering a good amount of strategic depth. The close scoring in their games highlighted how every move can be critical to winning or losing.”
“Engine building is a common part of many games, but for most it feeds into some larger goal. Splendor is a game where you develop an engine so that you can develop an engine, and for all its sparse austerity it shines all the brighter because of it.”
The reviewer highly recommends Splendor, noting its approachable and elegantly designed gameplay makes it excellent for introducing new players to the hobby. He praises its intuitive mechanics, replayability, and great value, despite personally preferring heavier games, calling it his most-played game due to its enduring appeal with his family.
The reviewer praises Splendor as an exceptionally accessible and fast-paced engine-building game suitable for both new and experienced players, despite minor issues with repetitiveness and a somewhat procedural feel.
BoardGameDave considers Splendor an exceptionally approachable and engaging game, making it ideal for introducing new players to modern board games, and despite not being perfect, its longevity and satisfying engine-building gameplay make it a worthwhile and affordable addition to any collection.
“Tight design, ease of play and wonderful components help Splendor shine. This is an excellent game to get if you are new to the hobby or looking to bring new players into the hobby, as it is easy to learn, plays quickly and is very fun.”
The reviewers consider Splendor Duel to be an excellent two-player adaptation that retains the core appeal of the original while introducing fresh mechanics and a more streamlined experience, with one reviewer highly recommending it as potentially the best two-player game of its release year.
“But Splendour undoubtedly is a quality addition to that small but vital genre of catch-all medium-light hobby games that seem to offer a little bit to please pretty much anyone, like light glittering on the surface of a gemstone.”
“This is a game that doesn’t really need to exist, but I’m glad that it does. Puzzling out what route to take on your turn exercises the brain more than just deciding to take a blue, black, and red gem from the supply.”
The reviewers found Splendor to be an accessible and enjoyable set-collection and card-drafting game, perfect for families or as a lighter option, despite some initial simplicity in its presentation. They praised its ease of learning and teaching, making it suitable for a wide range of players.
The reviewer found Splendor to be a very well-designed, light, and strategically interesting engine-building game that is easy to learn and teach. He praised its excellent components and considered it a strong contender for awards.
The reviewer considers Splendor a decent and enjoyable abstract puzzle game that is still worth playing despite its unappealing aesthetics and moments of slow pacing.
“Despite some of its shortcomings, Splendor is one of those must-have (or at least must-try) games for every true board gamer. It’s a fun little chunk of a board game, that anybody can get into without a hassle.”
“Splendor makes a great gateway game or a heavier filler game, but lacks depth and starts to fade after repeated plays.”
The reviewer finds Splendor to be an incredibly accessible and rewarding engine-building game, highly recommending it as a gateway game despite its limited variability which might lead to it wearing thin after numerous plays.
The reviewer suggests that while Splendor is an enjoyable game, they would opt for the Marvel re-theme or the digital app version over keeping the original physical board game.
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