If there was a category of board games called “Games You Could Frame,” Bees: The secret Kingdom would be in it. 

This is a game buzzing with beautiful art and a welcoming nature that we have been enjoying playing as a family these chilly winter afternoons and think you might too! Beekeeper suit not required!

What is Bees: The Secret Kingdom? 

Bees: The Secret Kingdom (“Bees”) is a card game for 2 to 6 players where you will gather pollen and deliver them to your beehive to produce honey. The more honey you produce, the more victory points you will earn. 

How do you play?

Players take turns in clockwise order until the last Honey Card is drawn from the Honey Deck.

On your turn, you will choose one of two actions:

Action 1: Gather Pollen

Draw 2 cards from the Gathering Deck. (These are the cards with flowers)

You will choose one of these cards to play and discard the other. You take Pollen Gems from the pool that correspond to the pollen symbols in the upper right hand corner of the card. All other players, if able, may each take 1 pollen gem that corresponds to any of the symbols in the lower left corner of the card. 

After taking your pollen, discard your played card.

Action 2: Produce Honey

Buy one honey card from the cards displayed by paying the required pollen gems from your personal pool. Resolve action text, if any, then place the honey card face up in front of you and flip over the next honey card in the deck to refill the available honey cards. 

Game End. 

After the last card is drawn from the honey deck, all other players will get one more turn. Then count your honey cards and remaining pollen gems. The player with the most victory points was the busiest bee and wins the game!

What do we think?

This is a really lovely entry level game. Bees looks beautiful on the table and is sure to be one that turns heads and has your friends, family, or strangers asking what you’re playing. I could see Bees making for a lovely game to enjoy over your relaxing morning coffee, afternoon tea, or even out at a local restaurant. Because of how beautiful it looks, people are bound to ask how to play, and luckily, it’s so easy to teach, that you’ll be able to get them going in no time. 

This makes Bees a nice filler game! Not only is it easy to teach, but it plays quickly and easily accommodates up to 6 players! The majority of our games have taken around 15 to 20 minutes; the smaller your player count the quicker the game will go. The game is very easy while still providing a few interesting choices that players can make. I like that the choices aren’t anything too strenuous or stressful though, this not only keeps it happy in the filler category, but also more inviting to a newer or younger board game audience. If you’re a serious, hard core gamer this may not be the game for you, but I can definitely see this finding a happy home with those new to hobby games. 

The set collection style of gameplay kept reminding me a bit of Splendor. It almost feels like Splendor lite and I mean that in a good way! 

I love that there is’t a harsh take-that element to the game. When a player plays a pollen card, all opponents have the opportunity to gain pollen if their pool isn’t already full. This means that players are constantly building their pollen pool and should always have the ability to gain each type of pollen color, even if they haven’t been able to draw it. This keeps the game friendly and competitive.

Great for Kids Too!

Because of this, our kids have also enjoyed Bees a lot. It is very welcoming to a younger audience. Both our 7 and 5 year old were able to pick it up no problem. The game itself is relatively language independent except for some text on the bottom of the hive cards. We had to read those to our son, but he was able to play the rest of the game pretty much independently and stay relatively competitive. 

Also included in the box are some additional cards for an “advanced mode” of play. I love that these can be easily added or removed depending on who you are playing with. When we play with the kids we do not use them as it makes the game slightly less friendly but works well for those who are ready for that mode of play.

Summary

If you are looking for a new and beautiful entry level game, Bees: The Secret Kingdom could be a great fit for you. I truly cannot say enough good things about the art. It makes the game an absolute stunner on the table. The light, friendly game play also makes it worthwhile to pull out with your friends for a quick filler or for families to play together. Kids as young as 5 or 6 can easily learn and enjoy playing along which we think is just wonderful!

While it won’t have the brain burning decisions some are looking for, it does perfectly what it sets out to do: provide simple rules that are easy to learn and allow for smooth game play for those looking for a calm game to enjoy or a welcoming entry into the world of board games. 

A special thank you to Van Ryder Games for sending us a copy of Bees: The Secret Kingdom to review. As always, our thoughts and opinions are our own. 

Game Info:
Title: Bees: The Secret Kingdom
2-6 players ages 6+
Designer: Kamil Cieslo
Artist: Dagmara Gaska
Publisher: Van Ryder Games

If you liked this review, be sure to check out:

The Bears and The Bees (another entry level bee game!)