Ishtar: Gardens of Babylon, from Bruno Cathala and Evan Singh, is a combination of tile-placement and area control. The premise of the game pits you as rival gardeners, seeking to do the seemingly impossible – grow beautiful gardens in the middle of the desert.
A lot of Eurogames involve building up a town, a city, a land, or an empire. But what happens when the formula gets flipped on its head? What happens when we actively try to prevent the growth and expansion? Let’s find out with R. Eric Reuss’ 2017 game, Spirit Island.
