| PLAYERS | TIME | DESIGNER | ARTIST | PUBLISHER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | 45 mins | Antoine Bauza | Nicolas Fructus Picksel Yuio | Bombyx |
METHOD
TAKENOKO, or to give it it’s more affectionate name, Panda Nom Nom, is a 2-4 player game in which a gardener is attempting to grow bamboo in the emperor’s garden, while the Panda is moving around and eating the bamboo. Players score points by taking and completing contract cards of three different types: Expanding, Feeding, and Growing.
POINTS OF INTEREST
TAKENOKO is quite a relaxing game and it starts slow as the garden is small to begin with. But as more and more tiles are placed out, and as the garden becomes irrigated, it can really ramp up by the end.
I like that irrigation is required to be able to grow bamboo. While everything touching the starting Pond tile is automatically irrigated, players must utilise special bonus tiles, or collect and place little blue irrigation sticks, to reach further out from the centre. I also enjoy the weather die that you roll at the beginning of you turn (except the first), with each face giving a useful bonus action. The art work is really nice and the little gardener and panda figures are cute.
It can get quite tactical as you have five actions to choose from each turn, and can only carry out two. So it’s about maximizing your efforts towards whatever contact cards you have. And if you have an idea of what your opponent is doing, which isn’t too difficult, you can try to end your turn at their inconvenience.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
An issue I have is that we’ve settled into a rut where we barely touch the Gardener contract cards. They are the most difficult to get, and the difference in points doesn’t match the effort required. I know some people don’t like that contract cards can be completed after the fact (though there is a variation where this is not the case). We don’t mind it and enjoy how it all ramps up towards end game as the board state can complete several cards.
TAKENOKO has the CHIBIS expansion which adds several new things to the game. It has a new type of garden tile which, when watered, grows all bamboo of that colour instead of just a single tile and those ajoining. This is great, especially at 2 because it grows more bamboo. The expansion also includes a female Panda who, when she ends on the same tile as the male, can cash in eaten bamboo to have baby Pandas. This involves choosing an available token that matches the bamboo colour taken, with the same three rewards being available across the three colours. And finally the set adds new contract cards to link with these new components.
I really enjoy adding in this expansion. The ‘mama’ Panda is a nice twist with clever positioning needed to get them together. And the new tiles just make growing a little easier and bamboo more abundent.
FOR 2-PLAYERS?
TAKENOKO is pretty good at just 2, and maybe a little easier. With less players moving the Panda and the Gardener around between your turns, it’s a little easier to plan ahead. That said, the bamboo is a little lighter on the ground with less players meaning that it can end up with one player always growing, and the other always eating. The garden also grows slower, though the game length is compensated with a different amount of goal cards required based on player count.
| – – CONCLUSION – – TAKENOKO is a super cute gateway game that I grabed early on in the hobby. The randomness of the goal cards coming out can win or lose a player the game, and it can be frustrating with more players as you lose control over moving the shared panda and gardener pieces. But overall it’s a beautiful looking game that plays out in a nice chill way. |
Review #0002
Always Play Blue 