Is this a puzzle? Is it a game? It’s both!
Land vs Sea is a relaxing and strategic two player game. This is a puzzle game where players will work to connect tiles to build an ever expanding map and enclose land or sea territories.
Game Play Overview of Land vs Sea?
Players take on either the position of Land or Sea. If you are land, you are trying to enclose land territories on the map to earn points. If you are Sea, you’ll work to connect and enclose sea territories.
Players have a hand of two double sided terrain tiles. While players may look at both sides of their tile, they must keep them in view of their opponent so that they may see one of the two sides.
On your turn you’ll play a single hexagon tile from your hand and connect it to the map. All tiles are double sided and players will choose which side they would like to play. Tiles must be played so that the sides connect to like terrains. You cannot play a sea side to a land side. After playing a tile, players draw back up to two tiles.
Some tiles have icons on them that allow players to play an additional tile from their hand or steal a tile from an opponent.
When a player encloses their territory type (Land or Sea) they earn points based on the number of tiles the enclosed section uses. So if there are three tiles that the land spreads across, the Land player will earn three points. Sometimes a player may enclose the territory of their opponent, when this happens, their opponent will earn the points for the number of tiles the enclosed territory spread across.
There are also white Xs on different terrain types. The player who encloses a terrain with Xs on them earns one point for each X present in the enclosed terrain.
The game continues until all tiles have been played into the map.
The player with the most points is declared the winner.
The game also comes with advanced variants that increases the strategic difficulty and scoring opportunities for the game.
In addition to the advanced variants, there is also a 3 and 4 player variant to accommodate more players.
What Do We Think of Land vs Sea?
Land vs Sea is a surprisingly delightful back and forth two player game! I did not expect to find such a level of depth to this game as I have. It is both a satisfying puzzle to build and an enjoyably frustrating strategic challenge.
Not only that, but it is just plain fun to build this beautiful map and watch it expand on the table. To get an idea for just how cool this game looks, check out our Instagram Reel.
I think it’s important to quick note that this game has a 14+ age recommendation on the box. However, Land vs Sea can easily be enjoyed by the whole family. We have played it with our son as young as 5.
As a two player game, Land vs Sea also feels entirely unique. This is a game you can teach quickly and play with anyone. The standard game is very straightforward. Players understand the task quickly. Connect tiles to finish my territory and earn points. It’s honestly as simple as that. Even the counting of points is blissfully straight forward. (Though sometimes it can be difficult to remember which tiles you’ve counted — especially on larger areas you’ve finished.)
In addition to the straightforward scoring, I also love the added strategic element of the Xs! Anyone can choose to enclose an area to earn the points for the Xs on that terrain. This can be a really enticing proposition for players to try and both cut off their opponent if they’re building a larger terrain, and also swipe up those X points for themself.
Everything Stays Friendly
I appreciate that the game is never really mean. While players can attempt strategic moves by placing tiles that expand their opponents territory so they can’t enclose it on their next turn, you also can’t spend too much of your time trying to mess with the other player lest you abandon your own territory as well. There’s also the tiles that allow you to steal one tile from the other player, but even this doesn’t leave them without options. Since each tile is double sided and opponents only ever see one side of the others’ tiles, you may not harm them as much as you think.
Perhaps my favorite element of the game though is the satisfaction you get when the game is all over. Win or lose, every time we’re always happy to look back over the map we created together.
No Unnecessary Elements
I love that the game has everything you need in a concise and well designed package. The scores are kept track on the box. Printed around the edges of the box are the necessary information you need to know what each symbol does on the tiles. And perhaps most wonderfully, all of the advanced elements are already printed on the tiles without distracting you if you wish to play the standard game. You are not required to add any extra element if you wish to play a harder game!
Advanced Variants
The advanced variants included in Land vs Sea provide a great way for players to increase the scoring potential and strategy decisions.
These give players points for connecting Mountains and Coral illustrations on their tiles, and/or connecting Caravans and Ships to create trade routes. Players can play with either, neither, or both to make their games as challenging as they wish.
We enjoy both options, finding them to add a nice challenge to each game.
Three and Four Players
If you would like to play Land vs Sea with more than two players there is that option as well.
The four player rules merely have players play as teams. Team Land and Team Sea will work together against the other. Truth be told, this is fine, but I would personally just rather play a game where all 4 players can play independently.
That said, the three player game does work well and uses all additional scoring options found in the advanced variants. The third player assumes the role of the Cartographer, earning points for connected chains of mountains and coral. Additionally, they score points from created trade routes where the number of ships and caravans is equal to each other.
While it is nice to extend the playing options for the game beyond two players, I still believe that Land vs Sea shines best as a two player game.
Summary
Land vs Sea is an excellent two player game that is sure to be a hit with any fans of Carcassonne or those who enjoy the challenge of puzzles.
The game has a lot more depth than is immediately apparent, with games taking longer than one expects as players are presented with a lot of interesting choices to think through. There can be a lot of thought put into where a tiles is placed and how one can realistically work to enclose an area to earn points while simultaneously working to make sure their opponent is saddled with wild, sprawling areas they cannot enclose.
This is an immediate recommend and a welcome addition to the world of two player games.
Land vs Sea was included in our 2021 Gift Guide, be sure to check that out for the best board game gift ideas!
If you’d like to pick up a copy of Land vs Sea click here.
Find this and all our favorite games on our Amazon Storefront.
A special thank you to our friends at Good Games Publishing for sending us a copy of Land vs Sea for review. As always, our thoughts and opinions are our own.
Game Info:
Title: Land vs Sea
2-4 Players Ages 14+
Designer: Jon-Paul Jacques
Artist: Jon-Paul Jacques
Publisher: Good Games Publishing
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