PROJECT L REVIEW

By Saggyhead

Project L by Boardcubator is a feast for the eye. Simple yet puzzly, this game has Saggyhead in a Tetris style spin!

Puzzle me this

Project L is a simple and quick puzzle completing game. You draft puzzle pieces and place your tetris shapes into them in order to complete them for both new shapes and points.

On your turn you get three actions, and you can do any of the following; you can perform a Master Action which is to place one piece into each of your available puzzles. You can upgrade an existing piece you have to the next level, or draft a one square yellow piece. Place a single piece into a puzzle, or you can draft either a black or a white puzzle tile. That is it. You can repeat actions, but you only get to do the Master Action once per turn. Once a puzzle is completed, you get the pieces used for it back to your supply, the tile goes into your scoring tile for end game points, and you get the prize piece depicted for your supply too.

Judging a Book By It’s Cover

They say with food, the first taste is with your eyes, and I really subscribe to that idea with games too. If a game is visually appealing I’m giving it a better chance of being good than if it looks like hot garbage. Now I know that we should not judge a book by it’s cover, but yet here I am, saying I judge a game by its aesthetic. This game is beautiful and incredibly striking. The dark box is matte and just a beautiful feast for the eyes. The plastic components are thick and clack together with a lovely sound. The dual layered cards have a real high quality feel to them which adds to the enjoyment of playing the game.

The gameplay is incredibly simple. Which for some may well be a turn off, but for me even the most simple games have their place. If you are feeling tired and want some quiet gaming that allows you to enjoy time with your loved ones without the pressures of the digital world and that dreaded “screen time” but without needing to flex the brain muscles too much then Project L really fits.

A Feast for The Eyes

The aesthetics I simply cannot get over. This game is just so striking. I enjoy playing good looking games more. It feels like a treat to play something that is high quality. I suppose that is of course the essence of a collector. You collect things that, to you, look good. I just happen to collect board games which you can also enjoy playing as well as having on the shelf.

This game has a very limited set up, a couple of minutes at most. It also has the instructions on the back of the box as it is such a straightforward game to grasp. The rulebook is well laid out and very simple to follow. As to be expected given the look of the game as a whole, the rulebook is graphically beautiful.

I know that most people played Tetris a lot in their childhood, I was never really into it. Likely because I was not very good at it! Well after all these years, I am afraid I am not any better at Tetris than I was then, my brain doesn’t work all that well with the shape puzzles. So I don’t do well at this game, but this has not mattered a jot. I really enjoy playing this game. It is easy to understand and easy to learn and plays in a quick time. There is very little downtime in the game, which I really appreciate. I enjoy playing, not waiting for my turn.

Too Simple?

Although the replayability is increased by the fact that the market will have different combinations of score cards available each time you play, at higher player counts you will likely see all the tiles in a couple of plays. For two players, you only use 12 of the black tiles, so there is a lot more variability associated with not playing with all the tiles each game.

The game play is really simple, which for some will mean that the more serious heavy gamers will find this to not have enough depth to it. There is a significant amount of luck involved in how the market comes out and although I haven’t experienced this, I do envisage it is possible to feel like you just can’t catch a break with the tiles available. However the speedy gameplay will mean that this is quickly over so I don’t see this as a significant ding to the reputation of the game as a whole.

Round Up

I think that Project L is a game that fits in the filler game category. For me it is a puzzly game that allows you the headspace to have a conversation with your fellow players without being bogged down in the strategy. The game is played relatively quickly and it wastes no time on your table. Scores remain pretty low and so the players are generally all pretty close in the end. I enjoy this game, although I won’t play it every day it has earned its place in my collection. Oh and did I say it was beautiful?

SaggyScore: 80/100

Likes

• It looks beautiful both on the shelf and on the table.
• The quality of the components is great.
• The game plays quickly and is easy to learn and easy to teach.

Dislikes

• The black box and cards do show fingerprints so will need a quick wipe every so often to keep it looking fresh.
• Some people may find this game too light, although for me it really has its place.