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Connnect is a roll-and-write game with a bubbly look and a brainy core. It’s abstract, lightly competitive, and full of little decisions that build up over twelve quick rounds. If you enjoy number puzzles and spotting patterns, you might find something interesting here. If not, well, you’ll probably find it all a bit clinical.
Each player gets a personal sheet, and the aim is to fill it with numbers in a way that creates shapes called “connects” to score points. Everyone plays simultaneously, though there’s a small race element to grab the best rewards. It’s not loud or flashy, but there’s enough going on to keep your attention, especially once the game gets going.
👥 2-4 players, ages 8+
⌛ Playing time: 30 minutes
📝 Designer: Sarawut Jirawaree
🎨 Artwork: Jirakit Soonthornlarpyod
🏢 Publisher: Four Comma Game (review copy provided)
How it plays
Each player gets a pencil and a sheet. Four random connect-5 shape cards are laid out in the centre. These are the large patterns you’re all trying to form, and only one person can claim each of them. You also draw three objective cards, one from each of decks A, B and C, which provide extra ways to score. Then there’s a dice card in the middle to help explain how the dice work.
Before the first round, the starting player rolls the three dice twice. Everyone writes those six numbers in the setup section of their sheet. These numbers can be used later when claiming shapes.
Each round is made up of three phases: roll, fill and claim.
First, the active player rolls all three dice. They choose one to be the zone die. This tells everyone which area of the sheet they can use that round. Zones 1 to 3 are column pairs, and zones 4 to 6 are row pairs. The other two dice are the number dice, and those are the values everyone will be writing.
In the fill phase, all players write the two numbers into empty circles in the chosen zone. You can place them wherever you like in that zone, and they don’t have to be next to each other. If you can’t legally place one of the numbers in the chosen zone, or if you’d rather use something else, you can spend a bonus or a free action. Bonuses are earned as you play. Free actions are limited, and using one costs you points at the end of the game.
While placing numbers, you’re trying to complete the circles spread across your sheet. Each completed circle scores one point. If you manage to complete three circles in a line, you get a small bonus for that too. Circles can count for more than one line if you’re clever about it.
After everyone has written their numbers, it’s time for the claim phase. This is when players can use numbers already on their sheet to draw a connect shape. Connects can be three, four or five numbers long. The rules are simple: the numbers must be adjacent and either form a sequence (like 2, 3, 4) or be identical (like three 5s). Shapes can be flipped or rotated, but each number can only be used in one claimed shape for the entire game.
Connect-3 and connect-4 shapes give you bonuses and points. Connect-5 shapes also give you points, but you have to match one of the four public shape cards. Once a connect-5 shape is claimed, it’s no longer available to the others. The faster you claim one, the more points it’s worth.
After that, you check if you’ve completed any of the three public objectives. Then you pass the dice to the next player. After twelve rounds, everyone adds up their score. You get points for your connects, completed circles, connected lines, objectives and bonuses. Free actions subtract points. Whoever has the most points wins. It’s fairly straightforward once you’ve played a round or two.
What it looks and feels like
The presentation is clean and lighthearted. The box is cheerful, with soft colours and a character floating along chasing bubbles. It doesn’t really reflect the gameplay, but it gives the game a friendly first impression.
Inside, you get 100 player sheets, three yellow dice with blue pips, four pencils, a dice reference card, fourteen objective cards, four connect-5 scoring cards and eight connect-5 shape cards. The components are functional and nicely designed. There’s no excess, but everything does its job.
The player sheets are clear and colourful, with circles laid out in a grid and sections for bonuses and claimed shapes. It looks a bit busy at first, but once you’ve played a few rounds it becomes second nature. The iconography is consistent and the colour coding helps, especially when your sheet starts to fill up.
Overall, the visual design does a good job of supporting the gameplay. It’s not flashy, but it’s thoughtful.
Our experience
We’ve played Connnect quite a few times now, with different player counts. Setup is quick, and teaching it didn’t take long. Most people picked it up within the first round or two. That said, the first game can feel a bit overwhelming just because there are so many small systems and symbols. It’s not difficult, just a bit busy.
The early turns felt relaxed, with players exploring the grid and trying to work out what to aim for. But the pace picks up halfway through, once the connect-5 shapes start getting claimed and the objectives are within reach. Suddenly, people are scanning their sheets much more carefully and second-guessing placements.
There’s no player interaction in the usual sense, but there’s definitely tension. You’re aware of what the others are doing, and you’ll feel it when someone else grabs the connect-5 shape you were quietly building toward. That moment hurts.
At two players, the game feels more like a solo puzzle. With three or four, the race for shared goals adds a bit of competitive pressure. We liked both versions for different reasons. The game runs quickly either way, with very little downtime.
The bonuses are a nice touch. They give you a bit of flexibility, and unlocking them feels rewarding. The challenge is knowing when to go for one versus when to hold out for a higher score. Sometimes we got that balance right. Sometimes we really didn’t.
Our thoughts
We’d say Connnect is a well-structured game that fits neatly into that space between casual and thinky. It’s abstract, and there’s no real theme to speak of, but the gameplay is logical and offers some good decisions. If you like spatial puzzles and you don’t mind a bit of maths creeping in, you’ll probably enjoy what it offers.
There’s a lot going on, but it all fits together fairly well. Once you’ve seen how the different scoring systems connect, it becomes a satisfying little puzzle. The more you play, the better you get at spotting opportunities and planning ahead. It’s definitely a game that benefits from repeat plays.
That said, we wouldn’t bring it out for every group. Some people just don’t enjoy this kind of abstract number game, and that’s completely fair. If you’re after atmosphere or interaction, you won’t find much here. Also, the sheet can get messy toward the end of the game, and there’s a fair bit to track if you’re not used to multi-layered scoring.
For us, it worked best as a light but focused filler between heavier games, or something to bring out when you want to play without needing to explain a full rules booklet. It’s not trying to be flashy or clever for the sake of it, and that’s part of its appeal.
📝 We received a copy of Connnect from Four Comma Game for review.
