Gloomies
Publisher: Ravensburger
Designer: Filippo Landini
Illustrator: Justin Chan
Release Date: August 2025
Number of Players: 2 to 4
Age Rating: 10 and up
Playing Time: 50 minutes
MSRP: $39.99
Product #: 24617
ICv2 Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
There is something inherently attractive about cute little characters in game aesthetics. They tend to draw one in while undermining the concept that the game is inherently competitive in nature. The cute little critters can’t be that mean, can they? Sometimes, this lures one in before ensnaring them in something much deeper than those whimsical graphics might imply. That seems to be the case with Gloomies, but is there as much depth as first appears?
Summary: The titular Gloomies are big-eyed glowing sprites who apparently devote themselves to growing and then collecting improbable flowers in competition with each other to express their floral excellence. The game divides these two tasks into entirely separate phases, each offering a similar but subtly distinct style of play.
In the first phase, Growing, the players use their cards to add wooden flower tokens to a six by eight grid, strictly following the sequence on the board and earning bonuses if they are among the first to advance a row to a deeper level of the grid. Then, they draft cards from the tableau to fill their hand. As an added twist, they retain the cards that they play, effectively building their own individual deck which they will use in the second phase.
When a sufficient area has been filled with flowers, a scoring round is resolved before the second phase, Harvesting, begins. Here players no longer add flowers to the board, but instead use the deck they drafted in the first phase to pull flowers off the board, again following the strict sequence and earning bonuses by advancing the various rows. The flowers they gather can either be assigned to “order cards” they earned in the first phase, which award points only if they can be completed, or left in their general collection for a lower but safer point value. Once sufficient flowers have been collected, the game ends and points are tallied to find the winner.
Originality: Gloomies blends a few familiar mechanics in some interesting ways, with a bit of card-drafting, a little deck-building, tactical tile placement, and set collecting. None of these are particularly new concepts, but they are put together in a novel way that feels fresh and interesting. The result is a set of mechanics that are easy enough for a reasonable family game, but which offers enough tactical and strategic depth for a light- to mid-weight Eurogame.
Presentation: Justin Chan’s artwork is adorable, with mysterious little Gloomie critters in a dizzying variety of shapes and forms. The box cover offers bright colors and action to draw in the eye, with an easy-to-read title. The box back has a lovely photo of the game components and a very brief description in three languages, which sadly gives little in the way of a hint about the game mechanics. The game joins a growing trend that I’m personally developing a fondness for, using the box itself as a base for the game board, and the delightful artwork is carried out throughout all of the components.
Quality: Here I was quite surprised, because it’s something of a mixed bag. The board is good thick boardstock, nicely designed to fit in the box to create a dual-layer playing surface with notches to hold the flowers as they are put into play. It uses two pieces which can be flipped and rotated, making a total of eight possible arrangements for the playing field. The wooden flower tokens are excellent, and designed well enough that our colorblind player had little issue distinguishing them. The various tokens are very good, as thick as the game board layers, and the do-it-yourself tray for holding the flower tokens is a nice touch. But, the cards feel thin, with radius corners that are not quite consistent. My biggest disappointment was the player aids and order “cards”, which are both printed on very thin cardstock that really isn’t up to the same standards as the other components in the game.
Marketability: Euro-style games like Gloomies that offer competitive play without direct player confrontation continue to enjoy a broad audience, and this one offers a good balance between depth and accessibility. It promises to scratch that itch for a casual strategy game suitable for families or a friendly game night, packaged in charming and enticing visuals.
Overall: The whimsical artwork and 10+ playing age might trick some into underestimating what Gloomies has to offer, which would be a mistake. While this is not a heavy “enthusiasts” game, it does feature significant decision making, rewards good planning and tactical risk-taking, and it has enough strategic depth to invite skillful play. The designer made a good effort to enhance replayability with the double-sided gameboard that allows different layouts to play on, and the differences between the two phases within the game helps keep things interesting after the first couple of plays. Meanwhile, the charming artwork and excellent tactile playing pieces enhances the play experience. The result is a lovely and pleasantly fun game.
It is a bit marred, however, by the inconsistent component quality, it saddens me to say. I worry that the thinner cards, particularly the order cards, may not stand up well to robust shuffling and repeated play. Which would be a shame, as there really seems to be some intriguing depths to the design that are worthy of exploration.
And that’s why I’m giving this game 3.5 out of 5.
Source: ICv2
