Reef Route is a roll-and-move, player-elimination game.

Title: Reef Route

Year Published: 2016

Designer: Arpad Fritsche

Publisher: Brain Games

Players: 2-4

Game Time: ~15 mins

Set-up Time: ~1 min

Ages: 2-4

Theme: Under the Sea

Mechanisms: Dice Rolling, Grid Movement

How to win: Survive! Or reach the Coral Reef first.

Game Description

A myriad fish wiggle in the ocean and you are part of a large school of tropical fish trying to find shelter on a reef. You are helping the small fish travel on their chosen route to the reef where they can stay safe from predators.

Set Up, Game Play & Game End

Learn how to play Reef Route in just 2 minutes!

Reef Route Round-Up

I say this about Brain Games all the time but ignore the fact it’s a kid’s game. This is a bit more of a kid’s game than Ice Cool and King Frog, but it’s still fun for grown-ups.

Even though you roll and move you still have choices.

When moving a predator, which one and in which direction? Defensive, moving it away from your fish or attacking, moving towards your opponents… but that may also be closer to your fish anyway…

When moving your fish, or your opponents, you still have a lot to plan for. Again, do you risk and push forward or hold back and try and survive?

The gap between your fish and the predators is a small one so you don’t have much room to thread through, but it’s definitely possible. I’ve seen it done, but never done it myself 🙂

The components are nice, big and chunky 🙂 Everything you expect from Brain Games.

Reef Route Rating

A good fun, mean game that’s not just for kids as adults can have fun too.

I give it 6/10

Reef Route First Impressions June 2017

This is a brief overview of the rules then I give my thoughts on them.

0:10 – Overview
0:16 – Game Play
2:38 – Summary

Jesta ThaRogue

Note: The copy I played was a review copy generously provided by Brain Games, big thanks to them for this game.