It can be challenging to get friends and family together for a game night. Our busy schedules often make it difficult to find an hour or two where we’re all free to sit down and fully commit. As a result, I don’t get to play games as much as I’d like. However, I’ve discovered that solo gaming is a great way to satisfy that itch until I can finally organise my next board game night. This has led me to explore more solo variants of games I love.
Sometimes, I’m in the mood for a big, epic experience such as Mage Knight or Andromeda’s Edge. However, I do not always have the time or energy to sit down for a three-hour solo board gaming session. That’s when games such as Harmonies hit the table.
Harmonies is a quick-to-set-up game, and the solo variant is no exception. It’s also easy to learn, with minimal additional rules. The centre board is flipped to the opposite side, revealing only three spaces for tiles. On your turn, you choose a space and collect the corresponding three tiles. The remaining tiles are then removed from the game.
As usual, you can take an animal card, but if you don’t, you can discard one from the offer and replace it with a new card from the deck. This helps to refresh the offer and give you more options. The game ends when there are no tiles left in the bag or you have fewer than two spaces left on your player board, just like in the multiplayer variant. Then, you score as normal.
If you’re familiar with playing Harmonies multiplayer, the solo version is incredibly easy to pick up. Since there’s no virtual opponent to worry about, your turns are quick and straightforward. The game can even play in as little as 15 minutes. Combined with the quick setup, you’ll find yourself playing multiple games in a sitting.
The solo variant’s downfall lies in its lack of a clear objective. Apart from your highest score, there’s nothing to aim for or beat. In the rulebook, your score is rewarded with suns, with the ultimate goal of accumulating the most. However, this feels almost like an unnecessary addition, making it more akin to a practice session. This is ok and the game is enjoyable enough to ensure that it hits the table but the lack of any real goal leaves you feeling a little unfulfilled.
There are some fan base scenarios out there that give you three starting animal cards that have to be completed in order to win. I’ve tried some of these variations, and they significantly enhance the gaming experience. They create a more in-depth and rewarding puzzle, and introduce a win-or-lose condition that’s lacking in the variant in the rulebook. I’ve even created my own scenarios by randomly drawing animal cards until I have three of a different colour, which seems to work well. This encourages you to consider how the starting cards can complement each other to maximise efficiency with your tile placement. It’s just a shame that scenarios weren’t included in the rulebook like they were in Cascadia.
Overall, I really enjoy the solo variant of Harmonies. The absence of the risk of someone taking your tiles or animal card makes the game even more relaxing. The beautiful artwork and components, along with the quick setup and playtime, ensure that I keep coming back. However, the lack of real goals is disappointing and means the experience isn’t as fulfilling as it could be. Fortunately, it’s easy to create your own scenarios to mitigate this. For a quick, pleasant, and puzzly experience, Harmonies will always remain one of my go-to games.
Scores
Overall: 82%
Artwork: 4/5
Complexity: 2/5
Replayability: 3/5
Player interaction: 0/5
Component quality: 5/5
