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Finspan is the latest game in the Wingspan series, and this time, we’re headed underwater. You play as a marine biologist exploring the ocean, searching for all kinds of aquatic life to study and add to your growing ecosystem. After spotting birds in Wingspan and dragons in Wyrmspan, the focus now shifts to fish, from the sunny shallows to the darkest depths. Let’s find out what’s waiting in the deep.
👥 1-5 players, ages 10+
⌛ Playing time: 45-60 minutes
📝 Designers: David Gordon & Michael O’Connell
🎨 Artwork: Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo & Mesa Schumacher
🏢 Publisher: 999 Games (Dutch version, review copy provided) Originally published by Stonemaier Games.
Gameplay Overview
Over a four-week diving trip, you and your fellow biologists explore the depths of the ocean, looking for fish to study and add to your research. Each week, you’ll take six turns. On your turn, you place one of your divers on the action you want to take. You can either play a fish card into your ocean, or go for a dive at one of the three dive sites.
When you play a fish card, you pay the cost and place it on your board. Costs can include fish cards, fish eggs, or young fish. Some fish need to be placed on top of a smaller fish in order to be played. Think of them as the ones that like a little snack before settling in. Each fish has specific zones it can live in, depending on how much light it needs. Some also require being placed in a particular dive site.
All fish come with special abilities. If it says “when played,” you get to activate that ability right away, which can give you a nice bonus or set off a satisfying chain reaction.
The other option is to dive. Each of the three dive sites is split into three zones: sunlight, twilight, and midnight. As you dive, you move from the top downward, and if you’ve placed a fish in a zone you pass through, you’ll get that zone’s bonus. Some fish also have an “if activated” ability that triggers when you pass them during a dive.
While diving, you’ll collect cards, gain and hatch eggs, and move young fish around your ocean. When three young fish end up in the same space, they group up and form a school, which is just as satisfying as it sounds.
At the end of each week, you check the achievement board to see how well you did on that week’s goal and score points. Then you pass the first player token, and the next week begins.
After all four weeks, it’s time for the final scoring. You’ll earn points for any fish with a ‘game end’ ability, plus the point value on each fish you’ve played. You’ll also score extra points for consumed fish, eggs, young fish, and schools.
Whoever has the most points after all that wins the game and can proudly call themselves the top ocean explorer.
Game Info
Finspan is the newest title in the world of Wingspan, designed by David Gordon and Michael O’Connell, with development support from none other than Elizabeth Hargrave, the creator of the original Wingspan. The game is designed for 1 to 5 players, works well for ages 10 and up, and usually takes around 45 to 60 minutes to play. It was published by Stonemaier Games and brought to Dutch tables by 999 Games, who kindly sent us a review copy.
What’s in the Box
If you’ve played Wingspan or Wyrmspan before, some parts of Finspan will feel familiar. But this time, the layout flips. Instead of working across a landscape, you’re heading straight down into the ocean. Player boards are set up vertically, which fits nicely with the diving theme.
Each player gets a set of diver meeples in their color, and the game comes with 125 cards featuring beautifully illustrated fish along with fun facts for the curious minds out there. The icons are clear and easy to understand, which helps you focus on the gameplay instead of constantly checking the rulebook.
There’s also an achievement board and a set of nine double-sided tiles to mix things up each game, along with player aids, a scorepad, and tokens for eggs, young fish, and schools. These are made of cardboard, but if you’re the type who loves a deluxe feel, there’s an upgrade pack available with wooden tokens and squishy eggs. The game is also a bit more affordable than other titles in the series, probably thanks to the simpler components.
Gameplay Experience
If you’ve played Wingspan, you’ll find your footing here pretty quickly. Finspan keeps that same feeling of building up a personal ecosystem, but this time you’re dealing with fish instead of birds or dragons. Your ocean tableau grows vertically, and each column represents a dive site. You’ll have to think not only about what kind of fish you’re playing but also where they go, since placement depends on both depth and location.
The basic flow is simple. On your turn, you either play a fish into your ocean or send one of your divers down to explore. Fish cards have their own quirks, like needing to be played at a certain depth or in a certain site. Some are predators and need to be placed on top of a smaller fish, and are worth more points.
Diving is where the game really sets itself apart. Each dive site is made up of three zones: sunlight, twilight, and midnight. As your diver descends, you pass through each layer and collect the bonuses from any fish you’ve placed there. Some fish even trigger extra effects when you pass them. This turns a simple action into a fun little puzzle, especially as the game goes on and your ocean fills up.
You’ll also be managing a few resources, but nothing too complex. Instead of a bunch of different food types like in Wingspan, you’re mostly dealing with fish cards, eggs, and young fish. These are used to pay for playing new fish and can often be gained through diving. Since fish cards are also used as currency, drawing one you don’t need never feels like a waste.
You also get a solid head start, which helps ease you into things right away. You begin with a few fish already printed on your board, plus a couple of starter cards, so you don’t need to make big decisions before the game even begins. Things get moving quickly, and you learn as you go.
It’s also worth mentioning that while Finspan is easier to grasp than Wingspan or Wyrmspan, there’s still plenty to chew on. Deciding when to play a fish versus when to dive, and how to time your combos, creates just enough tension to keep each turn interesting.
Our Thoughts
After playing quite a bit of Wingspan and Wyrmspan, we were curious to see how Finspan would mix things up. In short, it does just enough to feel fresh, without completely changing the formula. It keeps the same general flow but feels a bit more streamlined. You’re not juggling a ton of different resources, and the added depth and location mechanics add a bit of spice without overwhelming you.
We liked how easy it was to teach and how quickly turns move once everyone gets the hang of it. There’s also less downtime compared to some engine-builders, since the options are more focused. That said, if you’re looking for a radically different experience, this might feel a little too familiar.
The underwater theme is really well done. The illustrations are lovely, and the overall vibe is calm and immersive. It feels different from the other games in the series, even if the structure is similar.
Do you need Finspan if you already own Wingspan or Wyrmspan? That depends. If you love the system and want a lighter, slightly faster version that’s easy to teach and play, then yes, this one could be a great fit. But if you’re hoping for a major shift in gameplay or something that really breaks the mold, you might not find quite enough here to justify adding another box to your shelf.
For us, we really enjoyed building our ocean, experimenting with different strategies, and watching those little underwater engines come together. And honestly, we’re still thinking about those squishy eggs. We might not need the upgrade pack… but let’s be real, it’s probably only a matter of time.
📝 We received a review copy of Finspan from 999 Games.
