Shifting Stones

Swap and flip tiles in a rocky ruin to match your pattern cards, at the cost of discarding cards.

Designer: J. Evan Raitt
Published by: Gamewright
Editions by: Piatnik, Magellan, FoxMind Israel, AURUM, Inc., Studio Supernova

Leave no stone unturned. Nine mystical tiles lie in a grid of rocky ruins, and your hand holds cards showing patterns. Your goal is to rearrange the tiles so they match one or more of those patterns. The catch is that you must sacrifice a card every time you swap or flip a tile, so every move costs you something. Carve out the most points in Shifting Stones and victory is set in stone. It is a quick race of pattern puzzling for one to five players, with a solo mode too, around twenty minutes, and a light ancient-ruins flavor.

Nine tiles in a three-by-three gridEvery swap costs a cardPlays solo or up to five

Who it's for

You want a small pattern puzzle with a clever cost mechanic, something like a pocket-sized spatial brainteaser.

Not for you if…

You want a long strategic game or lots of interaction. Shifting Stones is short and puzzly.

Vibe's take

Brisk and brainy. You eyeball the grid, find the cheapest swaps and wince when you have to sacrifice a card you needed.