Takenoko Board Game

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Takenoko is a game for 2-4 players that focuses around caring for a giant panda bear. This involves having a farmer grow different types of bamboo on their associated, watered fields and moving the panda around to eat it.



While light and silly, the theme is fun and beautifully integrated in every aspect of the game. The components are of excellent quality, from the sturdy interlocking bamboo pieces to the decently thick cardboard land tiles to the miniature panda and farmer figurines.



Players build a single garden (board) and move a sole farmer and panda around it while trying to complete hidden goals dictated by drawn cards. As such your actions influence your opponents directly and will often aid them in completing goals, adding depth to gameplay choices. When one player achieves a set target number of goals everyone else gets a final turn and then victory points for completed goals are totaled to determine the winner.



There are three types of goal cards (players start with one of each):

1) Panda goals - claim a certain color/number of bamboo by having the panda eat it.

2) Plots goals - redeem when the shown configuration of colored land is on the game board and irrigated.

3) Gardener goals - grow pictured color(s) of bamboo to shown height.



On each turn a player will choose two of the following actions:

1) Draw three garden plots and choose one to add to the board.

2) Move the panda and eat bamboo if possible.

3) Move the gardener and grow bamboo if possible.

4) Lay piping to irrigate plots.

5) Draw a goal card.



Goals can be redeemed any time on your turn and do not require an action.



There are some further rules, but that's the gist. The game is quick to teach and plays relatively quickly. There is a fair amount of luck involved, so while your choices do matter don't enter looking for pure strategy.



The biggest criticism of the game (from my own group and other reviewers) is balance. The panda cards appear too easy to complete in comparison to the other goals and points awarded, so there is a tendency for players to concentrate on drawing only those. I don't think it's game breaking though, and people who drew a variety won just as often in the games I've played (timely use of tokens that prevent a certain tile from having its bamboo eaten can help to derail opponents using that strategy).



Overall Takenoko is a high quality, enjoyable game to have on hand for casual or younger players or for breaks from the more complex stuff. It's not going to blow away veteran gamers, but I still found it plenty worthwhile.