About the Game
Santorini is an abstract game for 2-4 players. It takes about 20 minutes to play. The box suggests it is for children ages 8+, but Maci has been able to play since she was 6 (using just the basic god powers). The mechanics of the game are simple, but it does take strategy and thought to be successful.
The Mom Review
I like Santorini. I’m always willing to play, but in my opinion, the selected god powers can make it or break it. It can be frustrating at times to keep track of everyone else’s powers and make sure you are not accidentally setting someone else to win on top of trying to win for yourself. I really like that it is short and very simple to teach to others. Also, when playing with younger children or people who are new to gaming, the game works well even without the god powers. Simply move, build. Setup is also quick and simple, which I appreciate since I usually set up most of our games. Overall, I give Santorini an 8 out of 10. I’m always willing to play, but it’s not usually one of the first games I will suggest.
The Kid Review
I think Santorini is a great game! I love the special powers to help you win. The two powers that I really like are Atlas and Pan. Atlas lets you build a dome wherever you want on the board. Atlas also helps you block other players from winning and makes it so they can’t move. Pan lets you win easier because when you get to the second level and go down, you win. But I don’t like Bia because she removes people. The funnest part of all is building, winning, and having fun with my family! I love this game and I would rank it 10 out of 10. The difficulty rating for kids age 8 and up would be easy.
The Dad Review
Santorini is definitely an abstract game, and a good one at that. I warn families that it can suffer from a ‘take that’ quality if you are using the god powers, especially the advanced powers. What I mean by that is, each person gets to select a god power that can block or sometimes even remove a player’s piece from the board. I had such a power and it did not make my daughter happy at all. Now, she could have offset this power by playing differently, but it’s not easy when the kiddos are younger. At the time of this review my daughter is 9. My wife also doesn’t love ‘take that’ types of abilities and I could tell, when the game was over. Even though she won, it wasn’t a great time had by all. In closing, I would definitely recommend this game for families, but knowing that when adding god powers it may be wise to sort out the cards that could create negative moments. As far as a family game ranking my score would be a 7 out of 10.
Overall Thoughts
- 8/10 as a family game
- 9/10 for easy setup
- Easy to learn and teach to others