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Honey Wall looks like a calm little game about bees… and then you play it and realise it’s not that peaceful at all. I mean, you’re building a hive, sure, but at the same time you’re watching everyone else try to mess with it.
You’re trying to grow your honeycomb and protect your larvae, and at first it all feels quite open. But pretty quickly you notice that where you place things actually matters more than you expected. One awkward placement can make later turns harder, and leaving something exposed is basically asking for trouble. So yeah, it’s not just relaxing puzzle time. You’re always thinking a step ahead.
What I like is that it feels simple at first, but after a few turns you start seeing the consequences of your earlier placements. Where you place things now can either help you later… or completely block you. Where you place things now can either help you later… or completely block you. And when the wasps show up, well, that’s when things get a bit personal.
👥 2-4 players, ages 10+
⌛ Playing time: 15-30 minutes
📝 Designer: Maarten van der Meulen
🎨 Artwork: Kris Lauwen
🏢 Publisher: Jolly Dutch (review copy provided)
Gameplay Overview
On your turn, you roll dice and then place what you get. That’s really the core of it, but there’s a bit more going on once you get into it.
At the start, you’re rolling two white dice. Later on, once you unlock extra dice, you’ll roll three, and you can choose which ones to use. You also get one reroll per turn, and you can reroll as many dice as you want. That sounds generous, but honestly, it doesn’t always save you when the roll just isn’t what you need.
The results give you honey, larvae, or wasps. Honey and larvae are what you use to build out your hive, but there are rules. Honey has to go next to larvae, and larvae need to connect to either honey or other larvae. So you can’t just throw things anywhere and hope it works out. You kind of have to think a few steps ahead, even if the dice don’t always cooperate.
Then there are the wasps. If you roll those, you can mark someone else’s larvae, as long as it’s not fully surrounded yet. Those will score for you later, so you’re always glancing at other players’ sheets to see where you can benefit.
There’s also the flower track on your sheet. When you place something on a flower, you unlock bonuses. That can be extra placements, new dice, or some points later on. The different dice lean in different directions. Some give more honey, others more larvae, and one of them is basically there to annoy people with more wasps.
The game ends when someone hits one of the conditions, either two groups of seven or more larvae, or five smaller groups. When that happens, it just stops. No finishing the round or anything. That caught us off guard the first time, to be honest.
Scoring is based on the size of your enclosed groups. Bigger is better up to seven, then it actually drops off. And stolen larvae count too, based on the final group they’re in. So sometimes you’re kind of hoping your opponent finishes something… which feels a bit strange, but also quite nice.
Artwork, Components, and Visual Design
The game looks nice, with lots of warm colours, yellows and greens, very bee-friendly. It’s easy on the eyes and fits the theme without trying too hard.
Your player sheet is basically a big honeycomb you fill in, with a tree at the bottom for the bonuses. It works well in practice. It’s clear what’s going on, and you don’t really get lost in it.
The dice are simple and readable, which is good because you’ll be looking at them a lot. Each colour has its own role, and after a few turns you kind of know what to expect from them.
One small thing though, there are no pencils in the box. You have to grab your own. Not a big deal, but also… come on, it’s a roll and write.
Our Experience
The turns go by pretty quickly. You roll, maybe reroll, place your results, and move on. Turns are quick, and because you’re keeping an eye on other players’ sheets, you don’t really switch off.
The start of the game feels a bit tight. You don’t have much space yet, and the placement rules limit what you can do. So you’re mostly trying not to mess up your own sheet early on. It’s less about doing anything big and more about setting yourself up so you don’t get stuck later.
Once you unlock some bonuses and extra dice, things open up more. That’s where it started to click more for us. You start to see different approaches at the table. Some players focus on growing quickly, others try to close off groups as soon as possible to avoid problems later.
The wasp part can change how the table feels. Sometimes it stays light, sometimes it becomes a bit more targeted. If someone is clearly ahead, they’ll usually get hit more. It really depends on the group whether that feels fun or a bit frustrating.
The reroll helps, but it doesn’t fix everything. You still get turns where the dice just don’t give you what you want. And because you have to place things if possible, it can mess up your plans in ways you didn’t expect.
One thing that stood out for us is how suddenly the game can end. You think you still have time, you’re working toward something… and then someone completes their condition and it’s just over. It adds a bit of pressure, but it can also feel a bit abrupt.
Our Thoughts
Honey Wall does something interesting with a pretty simple system. You’re not just focused on your own sheet, you also end up keeping an eye on what others are doing. It feels a bit different from games where everyone just focuses on their own sheet.
What we found most interesting is the scoring with stolen larvae. You’re not just taking something away from someone, you’re also depending on them to finish it. So sometimes you’re thinking, “please finish that group so I get points too.” It’s a bit weird at first, but after a few plays it starts to make more sense.
The main decision is really about timing. Do you go for bigger groups and risk leaving them open for too long, or do you play it safer and close smaller ones? Since seven is the sweet spot, you kind of aim for that, but it doesn’t always work out the way you planned.
The interaction is probably the part that will split opinions. Some people will enjoy it, others might not. If you’re expecting a more relaxed, mostly solo experience, this might feel a bit more direct than you’d like.
We also noticed that getting better dice early can give you a bit of an advantage. It’s not completely out of control, but it’s there, and you feel it during the game.
In the end, Honey Wall is a solid game. It’s easy to learn, plays quickly, and has enough going on to stay interesting for a while. It’s not something that completely surprised us, but it has its own identity.
And yeah… sometimes it feels like you’re carefully building your hive, only for someone to come along and casually take a piece of it. I guess that’s just life in the bee world. Not everything is honey and sunshine.
📝 We received a copy of the game from Jolly Dutch Productions.
