Nippon: Zaibatsu – A Modern Classic Returns

Back in 2015, when we were still figuring out the heavier side of board gaming, we stumbled across Nippon. It was around the time of our very first visit to Spiel, and we were just starting to fall for those crunchy, thinky euros. Amid the many worker placement games released that year, Nippon immediately felt different. Not just another cube pusher, but a game where taking a worker action didn’t mean placing one, but picking one up. That small twist completely changed the way you had to think.

We played it a lot. At home, online, and even demoed it for a couple of years at Essen. So when we heard that Nippon was getting a new edition, it caught us off guard. But looking back, it also made perfect sense. Game design and components have come a long way in the last ten years, and Nippon: Zaibatsu feels like a natural next step.

Set in 19th-century Japan, the game puts you in charge of a zaibatsu, one of the big industrial conglomerates that helped shape Japan’s rapid economic growth. While Western countries were still catching up, Japan pushed forward. As the head of one of these conglomerates, you’ll build and upgrade factories, manage production, fulfil contracts, and sell goods on the market, all in the hopes of leading Japan through its industrial transformation.

👥 1-4 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 90-120 minutes
📝 Designers: Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro & Paulo Soledade
🎨 Artwork: Maya Kurkhuli

🏢 Publisher: CrowD Games (preview copy provided)
Check out the Kickstarter campaign by clicking here

Gameplay Overview

Nippon: Zaibatsu is played over three periods. Each period has an open number of rounds, so you can never be quite sure how long one will last.

On your turn, you’ll either take an action or consolidate. Most of the time, you’ll be taking a worker from the hiring area linked to the action you want. You place that worker on your player board, pay the cost of the action, and apply its effect. If you emptied the hiring space by doing so, you refill it with a group of workers from the queue. And if that queue is also empty, the round ends. After refilling the board, a new round begins. Once the queue runs out for the second time, the period ends and you move into a scoring phase.

You’re managing a zaibatsu, so factories are at the heart of your engine. You can build six different types, each with their own strengths. But building one isn’t as easy as just paying some money. You also need to meet the right R&D level. That track can be improved through actions and bonuses, and you can boost it temporarily using silk.

Later on, you can upgrade your factories by adding machines. You’ll use another action for that, moving machines from your player board into factory spaces. When you produce goods, which requires coal, these machines help increase your output. How much coal you have depends on your mining track, which, like R&D, you can improve as you go.

Once you’ve got goods, you’ll need to decide what to do with them. Contracts are one option. They increase your income and often give you handy bonuses. But the most interesting part is selling goods on the market. This lets you place influence tokens on the main board, which are important for regional control and scoring. The number and type of goods you use determine where you can place those tokens, so timing and planning really make a difference.

You can also build trains and ships. Trains go onto the map and count towards majority control in the regions. Ships are used in the Iwakura Mission area. They bring in upgraded departments and expert workers, both of which improve your actions and bonuses during consolidation.

Speaking of which, consolidating is what you’ll do when you need to reset. Instead of taking a new action, you clean up. You get income based on your finance and mining tracks, and gain bonuses based on the colours of your top and bottom workers. If those colours are different, you get both bonuses. If you’ve collected enough workers, you may also place a favour token into one of your end-game goal slots. Then you pay salaries, depending on how many different worker colours you’ve used, and discard all your workers to get ready for the next round.

At the end of each period, there’s an influence scoring. Every region is checked for majority control, and points are awarded based on your position. Influence tokens always count, but trains only add to your total if you have influence in that region. After the third period, there’s a final consolidation and one last scoring. You’ll score your favour tokens based on their position and type, and you get points for your leftover resources. In the end, the player with the highest score wins.

A Closer Look: Review & Impressions

Game info

Nippon: Zaibatsu is a medium-heavy economic eurogame designed for 1 to 4 players, with a playtime that usually sits between 90 and 120 minutes. It’s designed by the duo Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro and Paulo Soledade, and published by Crowd Games. This new edition builds on the foundation of the original 2015 release, with a handful of mechanical updates, polished production, and a clearer visual style.

We received a preview copy from Crowd Games, which gave us the chance to explore the new version ahead of its Kickstarter launch on 29 April. Everything shared here is based on the prototype version, so keep in mind that some things might still change. That said, we already got a good feel for what the final game will offer, and there’s a lot to be excited about.

Production & Components

Even though this wasn’t the final version, it’s clear that the new edition is aiming for a tidy blend of table presence and usability. The main board feels carefully structured, with action spaces, markets, and regions all clearly separated. The muted map of Japan works nicely as a backdrop. It’s thematic, but not overwhelming. The Iwakura Mission area, where ships land and departments upgrade, fills up beautifully over time and adds a nice splash of colour.

The new player boards are a big upgrade. They now connect all the moving parts more intuitively, from factories and machines to trains, ships, and the goal tracks. The boards include recessed spaces to help keep things in place, which is a small but much-appreciated detail. The artwork on the factory tiles brings a human touch, with imagery inspired by Meiji-era industry, without distracting from the gameplay.

The wooden components stand out nicely on the table. Worker meeples come in several colours. Expert workers are represented by small wooden tiles, making them easy to spot on your board. Trains, ships, cogs, cherry blossom tokens, all of it is tactile and satisfying. Most importantly, the iconography is clean, colour-coded, and quick to pick up once you’ve played a round or two. Everything supports the gameplay instead of getting in the way.

The Kickstarter will offer two editions of the game. The Standard version uses wooden cubes for resources and includes cardboard tokens for some elements. The Emperor’s Edition bumps things up with screen-printed wooden tokens, upgraded tokens for rewards and influence, and extra content: more factory tiles, more alternate starting setups, new modules, and a plastic organiser for your components. There will also be a free set of metal coins included for backers of the Emperor’s Edition during the campaign.

Gameplay Feel

Nippon: Zaibatsu isn’t a game you jump into half-asleep, but it’s also not trying to fry your brain. If you’re already familiar with economic euros like Mombasa, Brass, or GWT, you’ll feel right at home. The core of the game is a mix of action selection, resource management, and smart timing, with one clever twist: the colour of the workers you choose matters. It affects your bonuses, and how much you’ll have to pay in salaries later. That single design choice adds a subtle, ongoing tension that shapes every turn.

The factory system offers multiple ways to build your engine. You might focus on production efficiency, go heavy into contracts to accelerate your economy, or try to dominate regions with well-timed market sales and train placement. There’s also a more defined ship strategy this time around. Ships bring in expert workers and upgrade your departments, which give stronger, colour-specific bonuses and make consolidation even more rewarding. Worker colours become part of the long-term puzzle, more than just pretty meeples on your board.

Factories also do more than just produce. Some offer instant rewards when built, others upgrade actions or improve consolidations. You only get to build a few, so the combination you go for has a big impact on your playstyle. We found ourselves weighing not just what goods we needed, but which factory effects would help shape the flow of the game.

Our Experience

We’ve played the original Nippon many times over the years, so stepping into Zaibatsu felt like meeting an old friend with a sharper haircut. The rebalancing of certain tactics makes some of the stronger moves from the old version a bit easier to challenge. Boats feel more relevant now, and silk gives you a bit more flexibility when your plans need adjusting.

We played across different player counts, and while it runs smoothly at two, the game really shines with three or four. The competition ramps up just enough to make you care about every action, without things becoming chaotic. Once the iconography clicks, the turns move quickly, and there’s a rhythm to the game that becomes quite satisfying. Planning your next few moves, keeping an eye on the influence races, and figuring out when to consolidate (and when not to) felt just as important as the big flashy plays.

We especially liked that the game rewards repeat plays. It’s not overly punishing, but it gives you more each time you come back. Like a slow-burn drama that gets better the second time you watch it.

Curious about what’s changed from the original?

If you’ve played the 2015 version of Nippon, you might be wondering what exactly is new. Zaibatsu stays true to the spirit of the original, but includes quite a few thoughtful updates. The player boards are more intuitive, the ship system is more involved, and the way bonuses work during consolidation has been reworked, especially with the new top-and-bottom worker colour rule. There’s a fresh coat of polish here, not a full redesign. And that’s exactly what fans of the original will likely appreciate.

If you want a detailed breakdown of the changes between Nippon and Nippon: Zaibatsu, we’ve put together a separate post that compares the two versions side by side. [Read the full comparison here]

Player Interaction & Replayability

For a eurogame, the player interaction is surprisingly direct. You’re not attacking each other, but you are constantly in each other’s way, fighting for influence spots, competing for factory tiles, and eyeing up the same worker colours. In the market regions, it’s possible to bump out a lower influence token by placing a higher one, which can be a satisfying moment, or frustrating, depending on which side you’re on. Trains can also tip the balance when regions are contested, especially late in the period.

Replayability is strong. There’s variable setup in the form of randomised demand tiles, factory availability, and asymmetric starting bonuses. The worker queue changes every round, which means no two turns ever feel quite the same. You’ll also find yourself reading the board, and the other players, trying to time your consolidations just right or predicting when someone’s about to grab that worker you had your eye on. It’s interactive, dynamic, and always gives you something to chew on.

Final Thoughts

Let’s be clear. Nippon: Zaibatsu is not a game for absolute beginners. But if you’re already into euro-style games with strong economic planning and a healthy dose of interaction, there’s a lot to enjoy here. The updated version respects the original while modernising some key parts. From the dual worker bonuses to better boards and a more integrated ship system, it plays tighter, looks better, and gives you more flexibility without losing focus.

If there’s anything to nitpick, it might be the first play. The rules are well explained, but the number of moving parts can feel a bit much at first. This is a game that rewards patience, planning, and ideally, a group that’s happy to explore its depth over multiple plays. It’s not trying to wow you with flashy combos, but it builds tension through meaningful decisions. And yes, the occasional colour-induced salary regret.

If you’re into smart games that unfold slowly and reward thoughtful planning, Zaibatsu is well worth a look. And if you’re a fan of the original, you might find yourself wondering, like we did, how you ever played it without expert workers and dual-colour bonuses.

📝 We received a preview copy from Crowd Games for this review.