Pyramido: Forgotten Treasures – For Those Who Like Their Puzzles With Layers

Somewhere deep in the jungle, half-swallowed by time and trees, lie forgotten pyramids filled with hidden treasures. In Pyramido: Forgotten Treasures, you’re not there to admire the view. You’re here to build your own pyramid, layer by layer, and collect the most valuable gems in the process.

This tile-placement game invites players to take on the role of pyramid builders, each creating their own structure by placing domino-like tiles across four stages. The aim is to group coloured gem icons and score points by activating those areas with matching gem tokens. It sounds simple, and it is to learn, but it gradually reveals a bit more depth than you might expect.

Let’s take a look at how it plays, what it looks like on the table, and how we got on with it.

👥 1-4 players, ages 8+
⌛ Playing time: 45 minutes
📝 Designer: Carl Brière & Ikhwan Kwon
🎨 Artwork: The Creation Studio

🏢 Publisher: Synapses Games (review copy provided)

Gameplay Overview

The game begins with 90 double-sided dominoes shuffled and divided into five face-down piles. In front of each pile, three gem tokens are drawn from the supply bag. To kick things off, the top tile of the first, third and fifth piles are flipped face up. These are the ones you can choose from on your turn.

Each player builds their own pyramid, starting with a base made of ten dominoes. The shape of this base can either be five tiles wide and four high, or the other way around. From there, you’ll gradually add fewer tiles in each stage: six in the second, three in the third, and just one in the final round. So yes, it really does feel like you’re working your way towards the top.

On your turn, you select a face-up domino and take one gem token from the set of three placed in front of that domino. You then flip the next tile from any face-down stack and place your chosen domino into your pyramid, following a few rules. The two-colour blocks must be placed fully aligned to the grid, and during the first stage they must be adjacent to an existing tile. You’re free to rotate the tile, which helps a lot when trying to make the most out of your available colours.

From the second stage onwards, things get a bit trickier. Now you’re placing tiles on top of previous layers, with each tile needing to rest so that one of its corners fits into the centre of a block below. This brings a nice bit of spatial thinking into play without being fiddly. It also allows you to connect colour areas across different layers, which is where most of the higher scoring comes from.

At the end of each stage, there’s a scoring phase. Players may place gem tokens onto areas of their pyramid to activate them. An area is any group of connected blocks of the same colour. Placing one matching gem on an area scores it normally, while using three (or mythical gems as substitutes) doubles the score. Each gem icon printed on the activated tiles is worth one point, or two if you’ve doubled it. Mythical gems that you didn’t use are each worth one point on their own, so they’re worth hanging onto if possible.

After scoring, you may keep up to five gems in your inventory and discard the rest. Then the next stage begins.

The game ends after the fourth stage, and whoever has the highest score wins. It’s that simple. Well, sort of.

Artwork and Components

There’s quite a bit to like here visually. Pyramido: Forgotten Treasures manages to look thematic while still keeping everything clear and easy to follow. It has a bit of a jungle-meets-stone-ruins look to it, but it never goes so far that it gets in the way of the gameplay.

The domino tiles are thick, double-sided and have a clean, readable layout. Each side shows two coloured blocks in red, orange, green, blue or purple, along with printed gem icons that are easy to spot. The textures on the tiles suggest age and wear without making the tiles feel cluttered. Small details like vines or cracks give a bit of atmosphere but don’t distract from what matters.

The colours have good contrast, which is important, especially as you begin stacking tiles in later rounds. Grid lines on the tiles help keep placements accurate and make it easier to see which colours are connected. That might not sound exciting, but when your pyramid starts growing and you’re trying to plan ahead, you’ll appreciate that clarity.

The physical gem tokens are translucent plastic crystals in the same five colours as the tiles, with clear gems used to represent mythical ones. They’re satisfying enough to handle and stand out nicely once placed on the board, especially against the matte finish of the tiles. The game also includes a cloth bag for drawing gems, and a scoring pad. Nothing extravagant, but everything works as it should and feels solid.

There’s also a bit of spot-foiling on the tiles, which gives the game a slightly more polished look. It’s subtle, not flashy, and adds a little sparkle without turning into a distraction.

How It Played For Us

We’ve played Pyramido: Forgotten Treasures across different player counts, and overall, it gave us a smooth experience. It’s easy to teach, and most players understood the turn structure after just a few rounds. The game gets going quickly, and the four-stage format gives it a nice sense of progress as your pyramid starts to take shape.

Building upwards over time is quite satisfying, especially when you manage to connect colour groups across levels. It gives you those little moments of “ah, that actually worked”, which is always a good feeling in a puzzle game. The placing of gems during scoring is a small thing, but it makes the process feel more engaging than just writing numbers on a pad.

We noticed that player count does change the feel of the game. At two players, things were more relaxed and strategic, with more chances to think ahead and prepare. At three, competition for certain colours became more noticeable, but it still felt manageable. At four, it became a bit more unpredictable, and tile availability started to matter more, sometimes in a frustrating way.

One of the more interesting decisions comes at the end of your turn, when you flip a new domino from one of the face-down piles. You have to think about whether what you reveal might help your opponents more than it helps you. There’s a small but meaningful bit of risk involved, and it gives you a sense of indirect interaction without adding too much tension.

Our Thoughts

To be honest, this isn’t the sort of game that tries to impress with flashy mechanics or dramatic twists. It’s quiet, focused, and thoughtful, more like solving a layered puzzle than outsmarting your friends. If that appeals to you, then there’s quite a lot here to enjoy.

What it does well is reward planning. Players who commit to two or three colours early and build around them tend to do better than those who try to score everything. The game encourages focus and consistency, and it punishes scattershot strategies. It’s not harsh, but you’ll notice the difference in your score if your pyramid ends up looking like a rainbow.

The mythical gems are worth paying attention to. While they might not feel as exciting during the game, those leftover points at the end can easily decide a close match. Saving them for the later stages, when larger areas emerge, is often a smart move.

There are a few downsides. Occasionally, the available tiles don’t help much, especially if your colours are spread out or awkwardly placed. That can leave you feeling like you’re just making the best of a bad situation. And while the game is accessible, it may feel a bit dry for players who prefer more interaction or surprises.

That said, compared to the original Pyramido, this version feels like a step forward. The pacing is smoother, the scoring more flexible, and the overall presentation more polished. It’s not revolutionary, but it doesn’t need to be. It does what it sets out to do with confidence and care.

This is a game that fits nicely into a relaxed evening with friends, or as a warm-up on a game night. It’s not likely to become your new obsession, but you might find yourself pulling it off the shelf more often than expected, especially if you enjoy a good tile puzzle with just enough strategy to keep things interesting.