A Rapid Review of Survive: Escape from Atlantis

Submitted by Chris James on 12/11/2013 - 17:00. Category: Reviews

This article was originally published in:

CGI#2: Kingdom Builder, Kickstarter Infographics, and Casual Video Games

Queen Games’ Kingdom Builder has won the 2012 Spiel des Jahres award – learn how to play and find out how the publisher came to be. Plus: an in depth look at tabletop funding on Kickstarter by game weight, a new hierarchy of gamers, helpful tips from a successful game retailer, and what the board game industry can learn from the casual video game movement. More »

by Chris James Editor-in-Chief and Award-Winning Game Designer

Survive: Escape from Atlantis is a delightfully devious game from Stronghold Games in which the goal is to move your survivors from the sinking island of Atlantis to solid ground located at each corner of the board. Each piece has a hidden point value that players do their best to memorize so they can prioritize their moves and maximize their scores, since only a few of the survivors will make it to safety.

When tiles are removed from the island, they spawn many surprises, including whirlpools and dangerous sea creatures that put survivors in harm’s way or special abilities and boats to help transport them to safety. Not only can players move their own pieces on their turn, but they can also control a whale, shark, or sea serpent — all of which can be employed to wreak havoc on other players and possibly ruin their day.

The artwork is bright and colorful and the components are of sound quality. The new 30th Anniversary Edition is a nice touch to enhance this classic game, which deserves a spot in any casual gamer’s collection.