Skyrise Components Overview and Impressions

I absolutely love reviewing board games but every once in a while, we get the retail version of a game in the office when a much sexier version exists out there in the wild. That was my feeling when Skyrise landed on my table over the weekend, but despite not having all the deluxified buildings and pieces, the retail version of Skyrise is absolutely stunning!

Let’s start with the boring stuff – the cardboard boards you’ll be using to build out your city are fantastic – they easily go together to build the city you need to play, and even after putting them together again and again, I’m not seeing any fraying from where the cardboard rubs together to create that perfect connection. The player boards are equally as nice – this isn’t the thickets cardboard I’ve ever seen, but it is still very durable and perhaps even linen finish?

In the deluxe version of Skyrise, all the buildings you can build are unique sculpts for each size. With the standard retail version, the buildings are just different heights, but otherwise look relatively the same. I thought this would bother me when looking at images online, but when I got all the pieces out of the box, I’m thrilled to say they are outstanding. They feel great to hold and place, and I love the colours used for each player.

There are also a number of cardboard chits that will go into a draw bag, and this might be my only issue with the game. Anytime you pull things out of a bag, I always wish those pieces were made of wood, even if it was thin disks. I don’t think there’s any reason to not purchase the retail version of Skyrise, but I think it’s worth noting none-the-less.

I am looking forward to getting more games of Skyrise played as we work towards our review of the game, but the production has me and the gaming group excited for future games!