Spirit Island — co-op done right
Most cooperative board games suffer from one of two problems: alpha gamer (one player makes all the decisions while others go through motions), or solvable optimization (the game has one correct play). Spirit Island avoids both.
Here’s why.
The asymmetry
Each player picks a Spirit. Spirits are radically different — Vital Strength of the Earth is about defending and slow build-up, Lightning’s Swift Strike is about fast aggressive damage, Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares is about subtle fear-based control.
Different powers, different playstyles, different mid-game strategies. This means the alpha-gamer problem is harder — you simply can’t be best at every Spirit. You have to trust your teammates.
The decision space
Each turn, you choose powers from your hand. This is partial information — you know your own hand, not your teammates’. Communication is essential, but the game’s rules limit how much you can plan in advance (no concrete future-card revealing).
This creates a co-op experience where everyone is genuinely contributing.
Asymmetric difficulty
The Adversary system means you can scale difficulty. Brandenburg-Prussia is the introductory easy adversary. England is medium. Sweden is hard. Russia is brutal. France is exceedingly difficult.
This means a group can grow with the game. Start with no adversary, then add easy ones, then harder. Years of content.
Theme
The colonialism reversal is unique in board games. You’re playing as island spirits defending against European invaders. The game’s narrative — that the invaders are wrong, that you’re protecting the land — is rare in tabletop and feels earned.
Why it’s #5 not higher
Two reasons:
- Setup time. First time playing a new Spirit takes 20 minutes to read the panel. Subsequent times are faster but it’s still slower than other games.
- Solo experience. It’s playable solo by controlling 2 Spirits, but it loses the co-op communication element which is the heart of the game.
For a co-op game, it’s the best. Among all games, it’s top tier but not the very top because the experience requires the right group.
Recommended starts
- First game: Vital Strength of the Earth + River Surges in Sunlight, no adversary. Learn the basics.
- Second game: add Adversary Brandenburg-Prussia level 2.
- Third game onward: try harder Spirits and adversaries.
Avoid playing at low player counts (1 or 2) until you understand the basics. The interaction between Spirits is much of the fun.
A word on expansions
The expansions (Branch & Claw, Jagged Earth) are uniformly excellent. Once you’ve played the base game 5 times, get them. They add adversaries, scenarios, and Spirits. Worth every dollar.