Sanibel review: "If you want the perfect summer board game, this might be it"

Combining the exceptionally relaxing hobby of board gaming with the all-time favorite pastime of beachcombing, Sanibel swaps the usual heated competition you'll find in the best board games for warm sands and sea views. As a gently-paced game with Tokaido style movement and Tetris-like tile placement, Sanibel is a tranquil race up and down the shell-strewn sands to collect and collate the best set of treasures ever to be happened upon.

You'll spend your turns building up your own personal patterns with the items you collect, working on tricky goals that will fall into place as time goes on. Sanibel is a game of constantly weighing up how much you're willing to sacrifice for a potential leg-up in subsequent rounds, because, in the words of Elizabeth Hargrave herself, "The further forward you jump, the farther back you fall."

Sanibel features & design

• Push your luck to claim more shells but go last next turn
• Collect and bank specific shell arrangements without blocking yourself in
• Work toward personal goals as you Tetris your way to victory

After choosing a counter and matching board, players spend their turns meandering away from the deckchairs on the far left of the central beach-themed board, along the seafront to the lighthouse, and back again in a loop. Along the way, you'll build up your shell collection, with your bag growing fuller and more complex as you sift along the strip of sand. As you play, you'll work toward the personal goal (or goals) printed on two lighthouse tiles randomly dealt to each player at the start. These goals are cemented at the half-way mark, which we'll get to in a moment.

Movement works on a last-player-first basis, though as long as you move from your current beach segment and remember to stop at the lighthouse for others to catch up, you can move as far up the board as you like. The further ahead you go, the more shells you earn, but the reverse turn order means you risk sacrificing precious shells next round. Once you've picked a spot, you'll gather up the number of shells printed on your chosen space – everything from different Echinodems, to Bivalves, to Snails, and even Shark Teeth – dropping them in to fill up the grid on your player board. In order to actually score points with them, you'll need to cleverly slot them into specific combos. There's a handy Sanibel field guide for every player so you don't have to remember every potential arrangement, too.

Now, dropping shells into the bag requires some spatial planning. Shell tiles can't poke out the sides or top, and have to touch either the bottom of the bag or the top edge of another tile. The grid and tile shapes means it's easy to accidentally block off small sections if you're not careful. It's a case of carefully selecting each shell in perfect order, so you're not left with unfilled gaps or incomplete chains.

While the beach will start to deplete as you round up the most applicable marine detritus, it's consistently replenished by the rolling wave that follows along behind you. The wave spits out a certain number of hex or diamond tiles per beach section, depending on the number of players. And while there always manages to be a surplus, their usefulness varies.

Stopping at the lighthouse the first player there gets their pick of bonuses. Again, the furthest forward gains the most benefit but misses out on going first in the next round. This is where your lighthouse tiles come in, with either one or two now being slotted into your bag for a (hopefully) big bonus alongside any shells you've nabbed. Lighthouse tile bonuses range from easy to downright impossible: everything from a point per triangle piece or unique bivalve, to impressive arrays like pinwheels or rows of horizontal diamond pieces.

Racing back along the final stretch is much of the same game-loop, with the final round offering yet more bonuses to top off your score. These include some extra points, to a final stash of shells for your bag – provided you can fit them in!

Gameplay

• Two player is a tranquil stroll, while four player is comparatively stressful
• The agency to slot tiles as you see fit is incredibly satisfying
• Precarious player boards stress me out

As with many competitive board games, the more players you're up against, the more intense the run. While a two player game is a gentle stroll with little take-that action, a four player game has far more potential to end in death stares and broken friendships as you scramble for the perfect shells. It betrays the tranquility the game promises a little, but while other players can jump in and grab the shells you want first, there's no direct take-that action. Besides, player count is at least a factor you can control.

Control is a big theme in Sanibel too. While you're beholden to whatever treasures the wave washes up, there's a great deal of agency offered around movement and tile placement. It makes the journey a very personal one, and cleverly encourages the first player advantage to ebb and flow as players naturally relinquish the first move for a bigger stash, or vice versa. Players with a hankering for pattern arrangement are certainly catered for with each completion sending a little hit of dopamine.

While the components are lovely, adorned with painterly illustrations that infuse perfectly with the theme, a triple layer player board would have been much appreciated to help prevent accidental slips. One knock of a player board almost ruined the game for us several times, since scoring hinges on some pretty precarious arrangements. It's almost like playing Buckaroo with children or pets running around.

With the addition of sand crabs that let you steal tiles from other beach sections, and random goals for everyone, play is elevated with little moments of cheeky delight and novelty. It doesn't sound like much, but these really go a long way to add layers to otherwise very simplistic gameplay.

Should you buy Sanibel?

Weighted on the simpler side, Sanibel is a lovely short board game that doesn't require too much player interaction or brain power. With gentle, satisfying gameplay and a speedy setup, it's definitely one for interim game sessions or after dinner game nights that you don't want to last into the early hours. Sure, it's unlikely to hold the attention of players leaning into the heavier side of strategy, but it's definitely worth a play whether you're a beachcombing enthusiast or just looking for something a little lighter. Plus, you can play it over and over, and never end up with the same pattern twice.

Ratings

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Sanibel

As with all our tabletop review content, our reviewer was sure to familiarize themselves with the game's rules before playing it multiple times with different player counts to see how the experience differed.

For a better understanding of our reviews process, check out how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

If you want more tabletop recommendations, be sure to drop in on the best card games or the best tabletop RPGs.