BoardGame Verdict
91

Sweet Lands is a heavyweight Euro-style strategy game where players build candy empires and cities of sweets. With over 200 cards, 14 unique characters, and 449 wooden tokens, players compete to claim the crown of confections through careful resource management and strategic planning.

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91

The Verdict

based on 16 reviews

Positive 0%
Visually appealing with a charming and unique theme
Deep and strategic gameplay with multiple paths to victory
High replayability due to asymmetric player powers and a large variety of cards and map layouts
High-quality components and production value
Very long playtime, especially at higher player counts
Lengthy and cumbersome setup process
Hefty rules overhead that can be difficult to teach
Low player interaction, often described as a 'multiplayer solitaire' experience
100
Board of it, Tally and FarrellArticleTop List

The reviewer expressed immense enthusiasm for Sweet Lands, stating that the prototype was so engaging and addictive it would unquestionably be their favorite game and a top contender for their game of the year. They highlighted the challenging decisions and high replayability, eagerly anticipating the final product.

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95
The Dice Tower, Wendy, Chris, and Mike DelisioVideo

The Dice Tower reviewers enthusiastically praised "Sweet Lands," noting its engaging optimization puzzle, excellent production, and balanced gameplay. They expressed a strong desire for repeated plays and believe it could be a long-standing favorite on their top games list.

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95
Should I Buy This Board Game, Chris (The Dice Tower)Video

The reviewer expresses strong enthusiasm for 'Sweet Lands,' highlighting its engaging complex Eurogame mechanics and high replayability, making it a game he wants to revisit often.

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95
Cardboard East, JayVideo

The reviewer enthusiastically praises 'Sweet Lands' as one of the best games they've played this year, highlighting its clear building mechanics, interconnected actions, and engaging engine-building that starts slow and rapidly expands.

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90
The Opinionated Gamers, LornaArticle

“I have really enjoyed my plays of Sweet Lands on TTS. I can’t wait to get a physical copy and admire all the wooden bits.”

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90
Board Game SanctuaryVideo

The reviewer finds Sweet Lands to be a deeply satisfying and intricate heavy Eurogame, praising its interconnected actions, multi-step goals, and cohesive design that appeals to players who enjoy complex strategic challenges.

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90
No Fluff Solo Gaming with John LaRuffa, John LaRuffaVideo

John LaRuffa highly praises Sweet Lands as a fantastic and challenging solo strategy game that rewards planning and offers significant replayability, despite its somewhat abstract theme and bland card art. He finds it to be a super fun experience that 'bakes his cake' as a solo player.

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90
Board Gaming Ramblings, Phil and RyanVideo

The reviewers expressed significant enjoyment for 'Sweet Lands', highlighting its appealing sweet theme combined with deep Eurogame mechanics, beautiful production, and high variability, making it a great fit for fans of heavy Euro games.

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90
ThinkerThemer, Should I Buy This Board GameArticleTop List

The reviewer expresses strong affection for "Sweet Lands," highlighting it as one of their favorite games from 2025 and appreciating its straightforward solo mode.

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90
Jesta ThaRogue, Jesta ThaRogueArticleTop List

Sweet Lands is lauded as a compelling heavy Eurogame featuring a delightful candy theme and sharp decision-making, though players should be prepared for a substantial setup and a learning curve due to its occasionally unintuitive rules.

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90
Tim Chuon, Tim ChuonVideo

The reviewer highly enjoyed 'Sweet Lands,' praising its rewarding mechanics, refreshing income phase, and satisfying depth that exceeded his expectations, despite minor issues with backtracking actions and occasionally confusing citizen cards.

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90
One Board Family, Ryan and PhilArticleTop List

Sweet Lands is a highly enjoyable heavy Eurogame with a delightful candy theme, offering deep strategic choices through worker placement, engine building, and hand management. The game promises excellent replayability with its diverse character abilities and multiple paths to victory.

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90
Bad At Boardgames, Brad Lake and Toph FergusonVideo

The reviewers highly recommend Sweet Lands, praising it as a wonderful, crunchy, heavyweight Eurogame with a unique blend of mechanics that offers an engaging and replayable puzzle for players who enjoy deep strategy.

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90
Foster the Meeple, JamieVideo

The reviewer expresses enthusiastic support for Sweet Lands, highlighting its potential and encouraging viewers to back the Kickstarter campaign due to their positive first impressions.

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85
Party Tails GamesVideo

The reviewer found "Sweet Lands" to be a highly strategic and engaging heavy Eurogame with an appealing candy theme. While they thoroughly enjoyed the deep gameplay and replayability, they noted that its extensive setup and long playtime might make it challenging to get to the table regularly, despite its potential to be a top-tier game for them.

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80
Board Game QuestArticle

“Like its cookie rabbit pieces, it’s absolutely adorable, but also quite crunchy and may give you a headache from overindulgence if played at higher player counts.”

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