Image taken from https://boardgamegeek.com/image/5177326/alices-garden

Designer: Ikhwan Kwon
Publishers: Lifestyle Boardgames, Mandoo Games
Artist: Eugenia Smolenceva

I think Alice’s Garden is the very first board game I ever played solo. My fiancée and I had some friends introduce it to us and I immediately enjoyed it. Even after only a few plays, I was considering buying it based on its light and easy set up and game play and its decent price point. Once I found out it had a solo mode, it was a done deal! At this point, I was gaining interest in solo gaming mainly because I stared (and still stare …) at a computer screen all day. The idea of coming home and having something I can do without any other players (the fiancée works later than I do usually), without a screen, and that engages my brain was very intriguing. So, since this game isn’t too complex, it seemed like a good solo starting point.

You have been hired by the Queen to assist with her garden. The game starts by choosing a felt bag of pieces based on shape (square, L, T, I, or Z), and then drawing two and choosing one to play on your board (flipping and rotating are allowed). The other unused piece gets discarded for the rest of the game. Once you’ve taken from one bag, you cannot draw from that bag again until you have a piece from each of the other bags. Then you can start over and have all five bags to choose from. The game ends when you can no longer place a tile on your board.

The main goal of this game is to fill your board, but there are other factors that affect choices for the placement of the pieces. Obviously, the shape of the pieces is crucial, but the more important aspect is the symbols on the pieces. There are four boxes on each piece and each box has a symbol that impacts your end game scoring in a different way. The trees 🌳 want you to fill their forest so you gain points based on the number of boxes filled between them, the mushrooms 🍄 give you points if there are two or more in a column, the roses 🌹 like to grow together so the points are based on number of roses in adjacent spaces (up to a certain number), the pawn chess pieces ♟ gain points if they are placed on the chess board sections (naturally), and the card soldiers 🃏 let you draw a single box tile if they land next to one of their friends. The single pieces can be helpful in filling your board. It’s honestly not a super complex game, but there are many different strategies, many ways to score, and many decisions to make.

Gameplay was one of the first things that lured me into this game. I love that it’s a little Tetris- like puzzle game with the added twist of deciding where a piece could yield the most points. I’ve probably played this game around 10 times solo, and even though I think I have some strategy figured out, there’s always something that makes me rethink my choices. Another huge draw for me is the theme, art, and their synergy. I find the art whimsical (Elizabethtown anyone?), charming, and very fitting for a game in Alice’s Garden. The iconography on the pieces along with the game board provide a well-rounded theme that connects to the story we all know.

One small downside to this game for me is the “replayability factor.” There isn’t much variability between games besides the associated luck of the pieces you draw and strategic decisions you make. It’s basically just a “beat your own score” kind of game. One major plus in this department, though, is the double-sided game board. Both sides play quite differently and can alter your strategy.

Having played it both solo and multiplayer, the solo mode doesn’t take much (if anything) away from the game for me. Since each player always plays with their own board, you’re basically playing the same game with just a few tweaks and no opponent(s). All the actions are still the same, all the strategy options are still there, and the game flow is still smooth and consistent.

Overall, I find Alice’s Garden to be a delightful treat when I want a quick game that doesn’t have any intricate set up or take down, but that still delivers a good puzzle that requires thinking and strategizing without being overwhelming. It’s also easy to teach and has an appropriate game time length, so it’s a great game to play with friends when you’re just hanging out and having a good time. Or, if you’re like me, you can just wander through the garden alone and see what you find! Even though I’ve played it quite a few times, it won’t be leaving our shelf any time soon.