Saltfjord Components Overview and Impressions
I’ve heard nothing but good things about Saltfjord and it is one of my most anticipated games of 2025. I’ve also heard the game lacks a nice and cohesive look, and after spending about an hour punching tiles and sorting pieces, I agree with that sentiment very much. While the components are top notch all around, the overall aesthetic of the game is very…dark?
I don’t want to harp on the look of the game too much, only because I’ve heard so many good things. There are a lot of brown colours used both in the pieces and the player and central boards, and that can make the game look a little bit drab. I don’t think it’s enough to NOT purchase the game – that would be silly in my opinion – but if you love flashy games, this one isn’t it.
That said, everything here is really nice and great quality. All of the punchboard bits are fantastic – the thickness is perfect, and they all punched beautifully from the punchboard. The iconography across the game looks strong as well, so I don’t see a lot of visual issues in that regard.
There are also a few wooden components that players will be using. The little gear tokens are pretty nifty, as are the little boats each player has. There are also a baggies of worker meeples and carts which are great to get out on the board. If anything is going to make this game pop a bit, it is these pieces.
The central board looks really busy, but I love that everything is printed directly on the board. You won’t be making piles of building pieces off to the side – each size piece has it’s own spot on the board, complete with costs and benefits. I LOVE when board games are created to hold all the game pieces. This might make the board game feel busier than it needs to be, but it’s a trade off that is well worth it to me. This helps a ton with space issues, especially on smaller tables.
There is no insert in the box, which is a bit disappointing, but there is one thing I wasn’t expecting that wiped the disappointment from my face. In Saltfjord, players will have two boards that come together to make the player board. On the one side you will have a resource track, and you’ll be able to upgrade resources as the game progresses. This specific board is dual layered, and has little compartments for each type of resource. This is where you will place the little wooden cubes to represent resources you have. I absolutely LOVE that these are dual layered, although they almost need to be – since all the resources are just cubes of the same colour, it’s incredibly important that they stay where they are to denote what resource the cube actually is.
Ultimately, I think the look of the game probably is indicative of the experience and time the game is set in. That said, I still like my games to pop a bit more than this one does. It’s not a game breaking for me, but it does take a little bit away from the overall experience when everything looks so dark and drab! That said, the actual produce components are outstanding, and look like they will hold up well long term.
Article By Adam
