Ishtar: Gardens of Babylon
Plant flowers, buy trees and turn the desert into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Who it's for
You like medium-weight tile-placers with some conflict over shared space, and you enjoy Cathala games. Best around three.
Not for you if…
You want a pure solitaire building puzzle or a very light party game. The competition over spaces is real.
Vibe's take
Clever and slightly competitive, with a nice puzzle of what to plant where. The interaction is sharp but never nasty.
About this game
Ishtar: Gardens of Babylon is Bruno Cathala doing what he does best: a clean, clever board with plenty of tension. You are a gardener turning desert into the Hanging Gardens, planting flowers that help you gather gems and trigger actions. Gems let you buy trees, which block the link between two flower spots and earn points, or upgrades, such as extra points for each tree at game end. You also recruit apprentices and send them into the flower copses you have created to score. A rondel and some area majority thinking keep the choices open without burying you in rules. Think of a medium-weight tile-placing puzzle with a shared garden you are all fighting over.
Get it
Categories
By the numbers
Players
Duration
45 min
Ages 10+
Complexity
2.3 / 5 — LightBGG Rating
6.3/10
Rank #1,789
3.6k ratings
Published
2019
Designed by
Bruno Cathala, Evan Singh
Published by
IELLO, Portal Games, Devir, Hobby Japan, MEBO Games and 3 more
/pic8255989.jpg)
/pic224426.jpg)
/pic4657338.jpg)
/pic580143.jpg)