Designed by Florian Sirieix, with art by Laura Bevon, Treetopia is an easy-to-learn family game for 2-4 players. It's published by Funnyfox and distributed in the UK by Hachette Boardgames. Treetopia is centered around replanting trees from hostile environments into a shared sustainable sanctuary. Players aim to gather the most seed points while contributing to a better tomorrow.
Each player begins with a personal tableau of three randomly dealt cards. These cards represent different species of tree growing in harsh environments such as swamps, deserts, industrial parks and icy landscapes. On your turn, you can either draw a card or activate a special ability token.
Players’ hand sizes remain fixed at three cards, creating interesting decisions around managing one’s tableau without feeling frustrated. Deciding which card to discard to the market to stay within the hand limit can be the difference between victory and defeat. Additionally, choosing to skip a turn to activate a token introduces meaningful tension to the gameplay. Cards serve as permanent resources until the player decides to plant them in the sanctuary to score seed points.
The game integrates a variety of strategies that feel accessible, even for casual players. With a playtime of about 20-25 minutes, we found the competition among players to be close, with only small differences in accumulated seeds. Scoring is straightforward: if your current tableau meets the requirements to replant one of your cards, you can plant it in the sanctuary and score the seed points shown on the card. There are over 20 possible replantation requirements so this may feel daunting at first, but after one or two plays, the requirements become intuitive and easy to understand.
This is a game my partner—who is not typically a board game enthusiast—has enjoyed and even suggested bringing out for our friends. If your goal is to engage people who usually avoid games due to their complexity, Treetopia might be the perfect choice.
(Review by Aditya Singh)