Wingspan Board Game Review

As you may have noticed, I review a LOT of games. And I thoroughly enjoy it! I rarely come across a game that I don’t like at all. In fact, I can’t think of a single game that I’ve reviewed that I absolutely hated. They all have their positives. Or maybe I’m just a “glass half full” kinda gal?  But I definitely have my favorites. And I have a few favorite companies as well. And Stonemaier Games is definitely one of my favs! Why? Well, simply put, I haven’t reviewed a game for them that I didn’t love. It all started with my review of My Little Scythe. And from that moment on I knew I was hooked. Their production quality is top notch. Their games are beautiful. And my family always has fun playing them! So I was thrilled with the opportunity to review Wingspan. Again, I’d heard great things, so I wanted to try it for myself. And I was NOT DISAPPOINTED! This game is beautiful, well made, and fun to play! And as a homeschool/gameschool family, I was THRILLED with its educational value as well! 

So, let’s get to that review, shall we? 

What I love:

1.) The production quality - As I’ve mentioned before, Stonemaier Games is really excellent at production quality. And Wingspan is no exception! The box is beautiful. The player boards are beautiful. And the cards are beautiful. And everything - including the cardboard food pieces - seem to be well made and sturdy. 

2.) The gameplay - Honestly, I thought gameplay might be a bit complicated. But it really isn’t. It’s pretty straightforward, which allowed even my 8 year old to play. I’d say the biggest “complication” would be reading comprehension. Your child definitely needs to be able to read in order to choose cards wisely and use their abilities.

3.) The strategy - Although the gameplay is straightforward, there’s definitely lots of strategy involved in where you place your birds, which cards you choose, etc. That means the game not only works well as a family game, but my hubby and I also enjoy playing alone. 

4.) The re-playability - The base game comes with TONS of cards - 170, to be exact! This means no two games will be the same. I cannot tell you the frustration I feel when we find a game we love, only to realize that we’ve gone through all the cards super quickly and have to buy an expensive expansion in order to keep enjoying the game.. (I’m looking at you, Dixit!) But Wingspan’s base game will give you plenty of play opportunities. 

5.) The expansions - To me, one of the signs of a great game/game expansion is when you just really “want it” - not need it to continue playing. I hate feeling like I’ve been pushed into a corner. “If you want to continue playing this game, you need to shell out more money.” I can’t stand that. But Wingspan doesn’t feel that way. I don’t feel “pushed” to buy the expansions. The base game components are fantastic and re-playable for quite some time. But… I WANT THE EXPANSIONS! - Not because they are necessary, but because the base game is so awesome that I want to have the expansions too!

6.) The player count - The game plays 5 players! For our family of 5, that’s a HUGE selling point! I’m never more heartbroken than when I buy a game that my whole family will love - snd it only plays 4 players. Who gets left out? Who has to play as a team? Sadness. So a game with a 5 player count is my love language! Stonemaier Games really “gets me.”

7.) The educational content - Besides being s really solid game, Wingspan is also extremely educational. I have an 8 year old that loves birds and this game just thrills her! All the beautiful bird portraits, info on wingspans, food types, location info, and interesting facts just make this game a feast for the eyes AND the brain! And that makes this mama very happy!

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Final thoughts:

Wingspan is beautiful, well made, strategic, fun to play, fairly simply to learn, and educational. In my opinion, it’s definitely a must have. And if I hadn’t received it for review, I’d definitely be buying it!

I received this game, free of charge from Stonemaier Games, in exchange for my honest review.