To play Spilled Mushrooms it has been a humbling experience. There I was, thinking I was good at both puzzles and card games, I found myself short on my first “delivery” of this mushroom collecting card puzzle game. This is what I got for misjudging a game with cute animals on the cover.
In Spilled Mushroomsa History of the gameyou’re a mushroom supplier, he messed up the timing: you dumped the mushrooms (obviously) and somehow did it so excessively that they were scattered across several habitats. Wow! You have one week to collect them all and deliver them to their destination. But – sounds like my dream scenario – you’ve befriended wildlife, so you have a support network of animals willing to help you right your wrong.
The game requires light math and a lot of strategic thinking. Each animal can collect a certain number of mushrooms and do so within the number of days written next to the hourglass symbol on its card. For example, Hippo can take five mushrooms in one shot, but only in one day. Meanwhile, the Porcupine can only catch one mushroom at a time, but it will do so within six days.
Each animal also has a unique trait that has the potential to interact with other cards in its habitat. A Moose or an Elephant will increase the gathering ability of other animals, while a Grizzly Bear will do the opposite. The Platypus is… well, the Platypus is messed up. As you play, you’ll earn little tokens that can be used to help you stack your deck with the cards you want to see in your hand. You can only place one card per turn, and there are three habitats to clear during the seven game days that make up a round. Each of these sites will have a different number of mushrooms.
After clearing the cobwebs out of my head and learning the flow of the game, I was able to pick myself back up and start winning some rounds. But it’s almost impossible to successfully collect all your mushrooms on the first (… or second) try. The puzzles take a few minutes to solve, and they’re procedurally generated, so you’ll get something new every time. Sometimes they are quite difficult. Spilled Mushrooms also allows you to create custom deliveries where you choose habitats, number of mushrooms and available animal cards.
Despite the difficulty, Spilled Mushrooms it’s a really relaxing game – and one that I’ve been enjoying for a long time. reminds Wingspan with a focus on nature and a quiet soundtrack, it’s a great thing to pick up at the end of the day or, conversely, when you want to relax. thinking while drinking your morning coffee. This will probably be in my regular games lineup for a long time.
