Let me take you back in history to a time of before the world had embraced modern board games, yes I’m talking about 1998, a time of less complex Euros when beige was king. Reiner Knizia was already making classics, one of which was Samurai, a tile laying game set in medieval Japan in which players competed to gain the favour of three different factions. It is often held up as one of his tile laying masterpieces alongside Tigris and Euphrates and Through the Desert, but Samurai has long been out of print and is hard to come by, much like one of my all time favourite Tigris and Euphrates.
Well the wait is over no more, sort of. Hanami is a beautiful and less ‘fighty’ themed reskin of Samurai which is on Kickstarter now, and coming to retail in 2026. Out are the Samurai and in are the sakura blossoms. In Hanami, you’ll now be picnicking in parks across Japan, reserving spots by placing tiles to carry out the different activities found in each area. This new reimagining keeps the same core gameplay and concepts as it’s predecessor, with an option to play with both the classic Samurai ruleset, alongside a new Tokyo ruleset offering new challenges and tiles.
The new art looks absolutely beautiful, and the theme should make Hanami feel a little more relaxing than Samurai and with recent Knizia tile laying gem Rebirth highlighting how great his new tile laying games can still be, Hanami will definitely be a game to watch out for or back now!
