Wouter & Ymke 
Maple Valley’s eagerly awaited annual spring festival is in the throes of preparation, and it’s up to the children to forage in the woodlands for materials to craft decorations and festive items. In this imaginative game, you join forces with skillful friends, embarking on expeditions to gather items that will enhance the celebration, all before nightfall.
👥 1-5 players, ages 8+
⌛ Playing time: 60 minutes
📝 Designer: Roberta Taylor
🎨 Artwork: Shawna J.C. Tenney
🏢Publisher: Happy Meeple Games (Dutch Version)(review copy provided)
In this game, players embody various woodland critters, beginning with a unique character card and an additional ally. Over five rounds, the aim is to be the creature that adds the most delight to the festival. Scoring is primarily achieved through completing favours – tasks that generate fun activities and offer bonus points.
🐾 Each player’s turn is initiated by playing a card that depicts a route of a certain type: water, rock, or forest. Players can travel as far along this path as they choose. Upon reaching their destination, they can utilize the location’s benefits. This could involve collecting resources from the forest, finding new companions in the village, or discovering maps, party favours, and patches in other places. The turn ideally concludes with crafting one or more favours using gathered resources, contributing to the festival’s charm.
🌲 Once all cards in hand are played, companions are returned to the player’s hand, signaling the start of a new round. After five rounds, points are tallied to determine who contributed most significantly to the festival. Points are earned through majorities on the festival cards, hearts on companions, and the party favours crafted.
Maple Valley, designed by Roberta Taylor, first came to life through a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2023. We had the pleasure of reviewing the Dutch retail version, provided by Happy Meeple Games. Suitable for 1-5 players aged eight and above, the game unfolds over roughly an hour, once you’re accustomed to its rules and gameplay. Fans of Creature Comforts will find familiar elements in Maple Valley, as it shares the same vibrant world, creative team, and the stunning artwork of Shawna J.C. Tenney.
🎨 The game’s artwork is both playful and visually striking, giving Maple Valley an appealing look on the table. The rulebook is well-written, clear, and filled with helpful illustrations and examples, making the game easy to learn. It comes with colorful, high-quality components, with the wooden animeeples particularly stealing the spotlight. The cards are beautifully illustrated and radiate the same charm found in Creature Comforts.
🏡 Maple Valley offers straightforward gameplay, with player turns being simple to explain. The challenge lies in finding potent combinations of favour cards. Strategic depth emerges from the decisions made during the game. While many points can be scored through favour combinations, other scoring methods shouldn’t be overlooked. The essence of the game is in seeking profitable card combinations and synergies.
🤝 In Maple Valley, players never block spaces for each other, but the competition arises in a first-come, first-served fashion, particularly when securing favours, companions, and patches. It can be a bit frustrating when another player claims a card you’ve been eyeing. The game scales well to the player count, with the number of players affecting the availability of spaces on festivity cards, and with higher player counts offering a faster rotation of the different card types.
🔄 The game’s appeal is enhanced by its variability. Each game session brings a different supply and demand dynamic in the festivities and forests. With two outposts included in every game, six to choose from, and a diverse selection of friend cards, favour cards, and patch cards, no two games are identical. Each playthrough feels distinct, often leaving the winner uncertain until the final scoring.
💭 We find Maple Valley is a delightful, family-friendly board game that’s easy to understand and engaging to play. It offers a relaxed gaming experience with a cheerful vibe. Thanks to its straightforward rules and gameplay, it’s the perfect game to gather families around the table. This was certainly our experience, and we highly recommend it for those looking for a fun, inclusive gaming experience.
📝 Disclaimer: Our review is based on a copy provided by Happy Meeple Games, the publisher of the Dutch version of Maple Valley.
