Grab your chisels, paleontologists! It’s time to head out on a field assignment to gather dinosaur fossils in the 2-5 player game Jurassic Parts!

How Do You Play?

Players take turns using sharpened chisels to break up a slab of rock made out of hex tiles. 

On your turn, you get three sharpened chisels to place out around the hex tiles. Players can work together, using their chisels to continue breaking apart parts of the slab that others have started. Once a section of the tiles is broken from the main slab, the tiles are divided among the players who helped contribute to the break.

The person who contributed the most chisels gets half of all the tiles from the section. Then the next player with the most tiles get’s half of the previous players total from the remaining tiles. The next contributor get’s half of that amount, and so on and so forth until all tiles are divided out. If there are no more tiles left to divide, remaining players get nothing. Any remaining tiles are given to the Field Leader where they will be available for purchase throughout the game. 

Tiles players collect are assembled into various dinosaur fossils. Each has their own point values. 

Players also collect amber by completing fossils. This amber can be used to purchase more actions from the Field Leader.

Once all the tiles from the main slab have been collected by players, the totals of all completed fossils are added up and the player with the highest score wins. 

What Do We Think?

There are a few things Jurassic Parts does really well and a few that left us wanting more. 

Let’s start with what Jurassic Parts does well:

Breaking to Build

I love that you aren’t just breaking apart the slab. You’re also working to collect and build dinosaur fossils. Because you use the slab parts you break away to build these fossils in front of you, at the end of the game you have something you can look back on and be happy with in a small way, even if you didn’t win. My sons like to work to collect their favorite dinosaurs (T-Rex usually) so if they can collect and build that dinosaur, they’re at least happy about that. 

Simple Choices

I like that the game is based around simple choices. It’s easy to learn and play so it’s a great choice or families who have kids that may be in different difficulty levels for the games they play. Say you have an 8 year old and a teenager, both could happily play this game together. 

While the choices are simple, there’s still plenty to think about strategy wise. Do you want to work to break off a large piece of slab? Should you try to grab a valuable wild tile quickly while the group is working on a larger slab? Do you go for multiple dinosaur fossils or work hard to collect plants? Use your amber to get a tile you need or save it for an endgame push? Small decisions can make a big impact in the final total. 

Well Designed

The game itself really looks great. The art is fantastic and the pieces are high quality. These are thick tiles that you won’t have to worry about bending or breaking from normal use. To top it off the game comes in a small box that holds everything comfortably — no Tetris puzzle pieces to put it away. This won’t take up any more space on your shelf than it needs to. 

Where does Jurassic Parts struggle?

Lacking Memorable Moments

We found Jurassic Parts to be lacking a high moment in the game. Overall, the game feels the same beginning to end. There isn’t much of any tension to be found, no sense of urgency or excitement generated by moves that players make. I suppose you could say you might feel tension if you are about to be left out of a slab break, but it’s small and often not that big of a deal.

Jurassic Parts is a quieter game. That’s not a bad thing per say, it just means that it lacks those moments that make you remember a game. It’s pleasant to play, but it probably won’t deliver any laugh out loud moments. Sometimes though, a quieter game is exactly what I’m looking for! Unsurprisingly, this often gets played during nap time. 

Struggles at Higher Player Counts

Jurassic Parts also struggles at higher player counts, particularly five. It is rough when the pieces are split and you get nothing. While adults can handle that relatively fine, even prepare for it based on how many chisels they have contributed to a slab break, kids can get disheartened. For me, this feels mostly like a kids’ game so that’s an important part to note. Jurassic Parts is best with 3 or 4 players. 

Ultimately, these two points are not deal breakers for us. Our family has really enjoyed playing this game together.

Summary

Jurassic Parts is an enjoyable family game. While it is lacking the energy that delivers memorable moments, it is a relaxing set collection experience. The need to work together with your opponents to break off large sections of rock while also trying to make sure you don’t let them collect the tiles they need keeps the game interesting and tricky without ever being difficult to play.

This is a well designed game with great artwork. Easily enjoyed by players with a wide range in ages, we recommend Jurassic Parts for any family with an aspiring paleontologist. 

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A special thank you to our friends at 25th Century Games for providing a copy of Jurassic Parts for review. As always, our thoughts and opinions are our own. 

Game Info:
Title: Jurassic Parts
2-5 Players Ages 10+
Designer: Kevin Lanzing
Artist: Andrew Bosley, Crimson Studio
Publisher: 25th Century Games

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