Review: Harmonies Board Game

Players: 1-4
Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes
Year Published: 2024

First off—the artwork! This game is absolutely gorgeous. Add to that an 8.4 rating on BGG, a flood of positive reviews, and the fact that many people compare it to Cascadia (one of my all-time favorites!)—that alone was more than enough reason for me to grab a copy!

Inside, you’ll find a delightful array of components:

• A deck of animal cards with adorable illustrations
• A pouch brimming with high-quality wooden terrain tokens
• A handful of clear cubes
• Vibrant player boards to build your ecosystem

Everything feels polished and pleasant to handle—even the tokens are double-sided (a nice upgrade over Cascadia). The only minor letdown is the pouch, which feels a bit flimsy and might need replacing after several games

At first, I was worried the game might feel repetitive and monotonous—just stacking tokens and fulfilling preset combinations from cards. But it turned out to be quite the opposite, and I was pleasantly surprised. Harmonies, in terms of rules and overall feel, is more like a blend of Azul and Cascadia.

At the beginning of the game, a central board is placed in the middle of the table. All wooden tokens are placed into a bag, and tokens are then randomly drawn to fill each of the five slots on the central board with three tokens each.

Above the central board is a second market displaying five animal cards, randomly selected from the deck. On their turn, each player must perform one mandatory action: take all three tokens from a single slot on the central board and place them on their personal board. The placement rules are clever and strategic, as each terrain type scores points at the end of the game based on its own unique scoring conditions.

For example:

• Rivers and yellow fields cannot be placed on top of existing tokens
• Gray mountains and trees can—and ideally should—be stacked vertically
• Ideally, tree trunks should be topped with green foliage
• Players can earn bonus points by constructing two-story huts—red roofs placed on clay, wood, or stone foundations

At the end of the game, players earn points for various features:

• Isolated fields consisting of at least two yellow tokens
• Mountains, based on their height (note that single gray mountain tokens do not score points)
• Trees, which score according to their total height
• Huts, which earn points if they are surrounded by three different terrain types
• The longest continuous river

Additionally, if you are using the reverse side of the player board, you can score extra points for creating islands separated by rivers.

As you might guess, each animal card requires a specific configuration of terrain tokens. On your turn, in addition to drafting tokens, you may take one of the available animal cards from the market and place it above your player board. To do this, you'll need to use transparent cube markers to fill the slots shown in the top-right corner of your board—indicating that the animal is now part of your habitat.

You can have up to four animal cards at any given time. Once you’ve fulfilled all the required patterns—meaning you’ve successfully built the associated terrain configuration the specified number of times—the card is moved to your personal discard pile, freeing up space for a new one.

The game ends when any player has two or fewer empty spaces left on their board, or when there are not enough tokens remaining in the bag to fully refill the market.

As mentioned earlier, points are awarded for successfully placed terrain, as well as completed animal cards. If an animal card hasn’t been fully completed by the end of the game, you still earn points based on the highest unfilled slot.

This game is delightful. As someone who considers Cascadia the gold standard for family-friendly strategy games, I was excited to try Harmonies—and it absolutely lives up to the comparison. In terms of visual design, gameplay depth, and the satisfying decisions you make each turn, it holds its own.

What sets Harmonies apart is its intricate terrain placement rules and the unique scoring conditions associated with each terrain type. Add to that the multi-level configurations required by some animals, and you’ve got yourself a beautifully layered puzzle. It’s challenging, but in a good way—drawing you deeper into the satisfying logic of building your landscape.

Replayability is strong thanks to the rotating animal card market (expect to go through 5–7 cards per game), the constantly shifting token pool, and the double-sided player boards. The reverse side features a new hex layout with islands and additional scoring opportunities. Plus, special animal cards—chosen from a pair at the beginning of the game—add even more variety. These require only a single cube to complete, making them a tempting early-game boost.

Setup is quick, and games typically wrap up in about 30 minutes. For players who enjoy a bit more control and long-term planning, a two- or three-player game is ideal. With fewer players, the markets shift less frequently, allowing more time for strategic counter-drafting. That said, with three players, turns can take slightly longer due to the number of factors to consider.

I highly recommend Harmonies—8/10. It’s visually stunning, fast-playing, and offers just enough challenge to keep you coming back for more. The compact box (roughly the size of Cascadia) makes it perfect for travel or game nights where table space is limited. Whether you’re exploring one terrain type in depth or balancing a mix, Harmonies rewards thoughtful planning and creative play.