Takenoko I LOVE This Game!
My Husband bought me the Collectors Edition of Takenoko and when I first saw it, I immediately thought: ok this is definitely a girly game made to entertain young children.
However, Takenoko turned out to be a fantastic game! Ive even put it in my �top five" games list.
Its a game meant for 2-4 players and is recommended for ages 13 and up, yet my Husband and I had no problems playing this with our kids who are 11 and 12. The box says it plays in about 45 minutes, but weve found most games take about 60 if playing with 4 people --youll be having so much fun, time wont matter anyways!
The backstory of Takenoko is written in a comic book style inside the rulebook. Its a super cute game where a Chinese Emperor whom has a large garden --grows a wide selection of bamboo plants, maintained by his Gardener. However the Emperor has now received a present - a large panda bear which he lets roam around in his garden. Unfortunately the panda has quite the appetite for bamboo much to the annoyance of the Gardener.
So.. you have a panda who wants to eat all of the bamboo and a gardener who has to grow it. Its as simple as that.
The rules are simple and they even give you the English translation of the word "Takenoko" which essentially means "bamboo shoot" - its obvious why they went with Takenoko!
You dont have to think too hard about what you are doing. Players build up the garden with tiles while controlling the Gardener and Panda --both to grow and eat bamboo plants. The objective cards for growing bamboo vary from height, certain colors and laying out the garden in a particular order. Scoring points happens upon completing these objectives. The weather also plays a roll in this game and gives players additional options on their turn.
Its super easy to teach people how to play --even non-gamers.
I have to say my favorite part of the game is the quality of the pieces. They are gorgeous to look at and are very well crafted. I love the colourful stackable wooden bamboo pieces that fit together, and the high quality tiles and cards.My favorite pieces are the two miniatures-- one being the Gardener and the other one the Panda. Fully painted and absolutely adorable - they steal the spotlight from the rest of the game.
This is a game that I enjoy pulling out to friends who are swayed by beautiful art and cutesy charm.
Designer: Antoine Bauza (2011)
Publisher: Asmodee / Matagot
No of Players: 2-4
Time: about 45 mins
Ages: 8+
Oh.. and we ended up buying the original version as well because we love Takenoko so much.. So just for size comparison-- heres a picture of the original figures next to the gigantic Collectors edition figures!
download file now
