Matagot Takenoko Board Game | Bamboo Farming Game | Panda Themed Strategy Fun Family Game for Adults and Kids | Ages 8+ | 2-4 Players | Average Playtime 45 Minutes | Made by Matagot

I saw the game Takenoko being played on Will Wheaton's show on YouTube called Table Top. Amazon had it on special before and I hesitated to buy it before it had sold out. This time when it went on special I did not hesitate to buy and am glad I didn't. I like the game because you can play the game with two people and it is still fun (up to 4 people can play). Most of the time, it is just me and my wife that are playing. Sometimes it takes a while before I can convince her to play a new game (she is used to few of her classic favorites). But because this had a cute little panda character with it, I think that helped convince her that it would be fun. The game is beautifully made and colorful. This is definitely a quality game. The pieces in the box are organized well, the pieces are colorful and sturdy, the game cards are intuitive to use, and the instructions are fun to read and look at. The whole game concept is very well thought out. The game states it takes 45 minutes and I can see that after you get used to it, it can be played in that short of a period of time. However, when you are just learning it, plan on it taking significantly longer. Not only are you learning the game and the rule nuances, but since it is a strategy game you are figuring out the strategy also. I have played this two times so far. Once with just me and my wife. She liked the game so much that when my daughter and fiance were over she suggested that we all play it. It takes a while to explain the concept and the rules and you really have to just start playing it. After we had been playing it a while, my daughter audibly expressed an "Aha" moment. From then on she took over. She ended up finishing her goal cards first, which essentially ends the game and you then tally points. My daughter and I ended up in a tie, but she won the tie breaker. Overall, it was a fun night and they asked the next day the name of the game, so that they could buy it. She said it was addicting. You will find it that way also.

My 6 year old son loves playing board games with me when I get home from work every night. Unfortunately his idea of a good board game is Candy Land. I've been trying to find a game that has some strategy but that's simple enough for him to follow. I discovered "Sushi Go!" which is really a fantastic game that I would highly recommend. We've been playing that for the last month or two and I decided to look for something new. I found this and it got great reviews but it sounded pretty lame. Take care of a panda bear and please the emperor. But it got 4.7 stars so I gave it a shot. Here's what I think. Pros: + The length of the game is perfect. It takes us about 45 minutes to play through a full game. + It's challenging but easy enough for a 6-7 year old to pick up if they're patient and have played a couple board games in the past. This might be a little tough for a 6 year old that's never played a board game before. + There is a surprising amount of strategy involved and planning ahead. + The game itself and the pieces are really is beautifully made. + There's no text to read, just pictures. This is huge for a child new to reading. + It's fun for adults and children. + I really enjoy playing the game with just two people but I can see how it would be even better with 3 or 4. Cons: - Are there any? I'm struggling to think of something I don't like. If I had any complaints at all I'd say that for an adult only game the strategy is a little light. Here's a basic summary of the game-play. You're tasked with taking care of a garden and panda bear to please the emperor of Japan. You're given some cards that have different point values on them. They have different tasks on them to earn the points. You can pick more cards as the game goes along. For example you can grow a specific amount of pink and yellow bamboo to get the points on one card, you can have the panda eat bamboo to get points from another card, or you can create different shapes in the garden for the last type of card. You can't just grow bamboo anywhere, you need to have water. The water comes from a lake in the middle of the board and you need to run pipes to the areas of the garden where you want water. You can also move the panda and the gardener around the board where they will either grow or eat bamboo respectively. There are some modifiers you can add to each piece of the garden to give it a pond, make bamboo grow twice as fast, or build a fence so the panda can't eat bamboo there. Each round you also roll dice which affects the weather and adds some additional complexity to the game. For example, if there's a lightning storm the panda gets scared and runs somewhere random and eats bamboo wherever he lands. If it's sunny you get to take 3 actions during your turn instead of the normal 2, etc... Overall this is a great game. I'm really glad I found it and so is my son. Highly recommended 5 stars!

I'm doubly impressed with this product. First off, it's a great board game. The pieces are cute and of great quality. The dice is wooden and solid, as are the individual player chips. The bamboo pieces are wood as well. The tiles that comprise the board are thick and sturdy. The whole game feels of good quality. The concept of the game is creative, and the gameplay is simple to learn, but still has lots of room for strategy. Even the rulebook is fun to read; it's formatted like a little comic book. This made the game fun and easy to learn. I love playing this game. It's one of my new favorites. However, there's another reason that this game is a great purchase: the customer service is excellent. The copy of Takenoko that I received had a broken panda piece inside. One of his ears was missing. I was disappointed, so I emailed a picture to Asmodee's customer service. They were excellent; they responded very promptly to my email. They then mailed me a new panda piece completely free of charge. I have a lot of respect for a company that stands behind their product like that. I'm very impressed that they worked so quickly to replace the broken piece. I felt that showed a lot of integrity. I will definitely purchase from Asmodee again! Great game, great company.