Designer: Liberty Kifer

Artist: Liberty Kifer

Publisher: Light Heart Games

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract, pattern building, pattern recognition, set collection, solo game, tile placement

Funding Status: At the time of this posting, Crystallo is already fully-funded.  In fact, pledges currently total more than 9x the initial funding goal.

Player Count: 1

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

What It’s About: Winner of the 2018 BGG PNP Contest for Best Overall Game, Best Puzzle/Abstract, and Best Original Artwork, Crystallo is an abstract/puzzle solo game using card/tile placement to collect gems, free mythical creatures, trap the Black Dragon, and collect treasures.

How It Works:  In Phase 1, the player attempts to free all six creatures in the Dungeon; in Phase 2, the player attempts to trap the Black Dragon and collect treasure. Phase 1 features the player dealing out 7 cards from a 36 card deck, and then placing 7 more cards on top of the first 7, creating 7 pairs of cards, each with an overlapping quadrants. Every time there’s an overlapping pattern with one orb and three crystals of either varying or similar color and/or shape, a similar orb is removed from one of the six imprisoned creatures. Clearing all 3 orbs of off each of the six creatures (with 5 cards dealt to each of the 7 piles) will allow you to progress to Phase 2. In Phase 2, the players perform a similar mechanic on a tableau of 9 cards in front of them. But instead of trying to remove orbs to free creatures, they’re placing orbs (6 of them) to imprison the Dragon. And in either phase, players will encounter 9 Treasure cards containing 2 orbs each. Activating both orbs allows the player to claim the treasure, and claiming all three treasures in any or all of the three sets gives the player some helpful bonus abilities. Points and Titles are awarded both based on how far along the player progressed in the game, as well as how many Treasures they collected along the way.

Comparisons: Other puzzle-y games with solo capabilities include Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Cottage Garden, Indian Summer, Sagrada, Spring Meadow, Starving Artists, and Tiny Towns. A couple that lean more heavily toward the abstract side are FITS and NMBR 9.

What Should I Pledge?:
$15 Knight: a copy of the game with all unlocked stretch goals. Also full-color, full-quality PnP files, and 6 coloring pages.
$40 Hero: the Knight Pledge plus a 30″ x 30″ playmat with dragon artwork.

Add-Ons:
None.

KS Exclusives:
None.

All-In Total: In the continental U.S., you’re looking at $44 including shipping. If you don’t feel you need the playmat, then Crystallo is yours for $17, shipping included.

Crystallo completes its Kickstarter on Friday, May 31st and tentatively ships in December 2019.