Just the other day I wrote a post about how much our family loves Machi Koro. To my delight, Pandasaurus Games has announced a standalone sequel for this classic board game. You can pre-order Machi Koro 2 today, with a posted release date of October 6, 2021. If you do take advantage of the pre-order opportunity with the publisher, you will be awarded with 3 promo landmark cards! Who doesn’t love a promo, right?
So what’s new with Machi Koro 2?
In the original Machi Koro, all players start with a wheat field and a bakery. Machi Koro 2 changes this up by allowing players to choose which establishments they wish to start with. From what I can tell, this is done by using a tableau system that reminds me of Splendor.
Once the starting establishments have been purchased, play continues in the same fashion as the original. Roll. Collect Income. Build. The transactions between players also seem to be similar. The way you pay your opponents has always amused me in this game. I mentioned it in my original overview of Machi Koro if you’re interested to hear more about it.
The game concluded when the first player completes their third landmark. Again, players get to choose which landmarks they build in their city. I love this freedom to choose, versus building the same landmarks each game.
Thoughts
We actually love Splendor (and Splendor Marvel) and Machi Koro. Both games are great, easy to teach games, that don’t take forever to play. My kids never play Splendor with us, perhaps because of its lack-luster theme. I’m wondering if Machi Koro 2 could be a stepping stone to Splendor. And then maybe Century Golem too! So much potential. This was an easy pre-order for us! Can’t wait to get it to the table in October.
