Developer: Shapes and Dreams, BrutalHack
Publisher: Assemble Entertainment, Shapes and Dreams
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Beacon Patrol – Review
Making board games into video games isn’t an unusual thing, but rarely do we see it work out as well as it does in Beacon Patrol. Just released as a collaboration between indie developers Shapes and Dreams and BrutalHack, with some publishing help from Assemble Entertainment, this game offers three different game modes where you place tiles to explore the coast, gaining points as you go. This game is pure casual fun that can be enjoyed alone or in co-op multiplayer with up to three of your friends. And yes, you do get to customize your little seagull friend!
Story
Beacon Patrol does not really have a plot. You are part of the coast guard, according to the game’s lore, and that’s why you’re sailing around the shorelines securing beacon buoys, lighthouses, and waterways. But there isn’t any more plot than that, and obviously, this game doesn’t exactly need a narrative focus.
Graphics
We are absolutely charmed by the art style of this game. It’s just incredibly adorable, and it’s always nice to see classic 2D art for something as simple as this. The almost monochromatic look of the tiles that use only blue, red, and white as the color scheme keeps the board from getting too visually cluttered, while the ability to zoom in and out allows a nice oversight of the playing field. We also appreciate that a lot of the unlockable customizations are purely aesthetic in nature, such as being able to change the look and color of your ship or dressing your seagull up in a silly accessory. They don’t influence the game, but they’re a nice addition.
Sound
The soundtrack of Beacon Patrol is also rather minimalistic, though we did enjoy the few songs that were there. The tracks are livened up with nautical sound effects, all to give you the sense you’re actually on a boat in the ocean. Overall, we think they did a great job of setting the atmosphere through the music. There’s not a lot here to compliment, nor is there any voice acting or anything else, but there’s also nothing to complain about.
Gameplay
Beacon Patrol is a tile-laying exploration game that can be enjoyed alone or with friends, based on a board game. There are three different modes available. Exploration mode is basically the single-player version, where you can play by yourself to lay tiles down and score as many points as possible. The game ends if you run out of tiles, but in this version, there are ways to generate new tiles in your deck, so the challenge is to keep playing as long as you can. Meanwhile, board game mode is very similar in setup, except that it’s designed to be played cooperatively with up to four players. All of you take turns placing down the tiles, swapping them between each other, and working together to achieve that high score. The last game mode is creative, a mode where scores don’t matter, and you can simply use tiles to build the shoreline of your dreams.
No matter what mode you’re playing, you always start the game with a singular tile in the middle of the map, the Coast Guard HQ. Four other tiles will be in your hand at the start of your turn. You must place these down on the map strategically to draw out the coastline, with your boat automatically moving to the tiles you place. Of course, the borders of the islands must make sense too, and tiles sometimes can’t be placed in certain spots. If a tile truly annoys you, you can always discard it. You’ll even get a movement token for your troubles. Movement tokens can be used each turn to move around the map across your already placed tiles.
You score points by exploring a tile fully, which means four different tiles border it on all sides. Various types of tiles will grant you a different number of points. Moreover, tiles can also have other side effects, such as fishery tiles, which generate an extra tile in your deck if you end your turn while standing on them. All these mechanics combine into a game that is very easy to understand while still allowing some challenge. You can work together with friends or just by yourself to beat your own high scores for some extra fun. Creative mode, on the other hand, is great for people who simply want to enjoy the game’s music and atmosphere to create their own landscape, almost like putting together a puzzle.
Conclusion
Beacon Patrol manages to capture the spirit of the board game perfectly and bring it to video game enjoyers. At the same time, the versatility of both the single-player and multiplayer modes allows you to experience the game in whatever way you prefer. If you’re sick of combat or competitive games, Beacon Patrol is perfect to spend some blissful hours on.
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