5-minute glimpse: Pergola – We'll create the perfect garden in a relaxed way

Rebel is, for me, in the distribution of Asmodee Germany is a publisher that particularly excels at producing simple games with beautiful, high-quality components. Examples include Meadow and Mlem. What they all have in common is that, despite their simplicity, they offer considerable replay value. This year, Rebel released a beautiful new game in Germany: Pergola. Whether it lives up to our expectations in terms of gameplay is revealed in the following review.

This 5-minute insight is intended to deliver what the title suggests. A brief insight with our opinion in just under 5 minutes of reading..

In Pergola, we take on the role of gardeners tending our own garden to grow plants and attract various insects. Over 15 rounds, we select tools that allow us to grow or attract different things. The player with the most points after 15 rounds wins.

The train journey from Pergola is pleasantly simple. On our train We choose one of four toolsThe shovel is placed above the action board. We then receive the two game components depicted on the chosen shovel. These can be either plants, insects, or lanterns. We can then expand our garden with the chosen game components by placing them anywhere on our personal garden board. The positioning is irrelevant – except for the conditions for victory points.

Subsequently We are carrying out the action of the action board, where our chosen tool was located. There are a total of four actions that can be activated: insect flight, bird flight, water droplet movement, and frog jump. Finally, the turn is ended by filling the gap in the tool row. The game ends after each person has made 15 moves.

Planting plants, attracting insects

As simple as the gameplay of Pergola is, the ways to generate victory points are quite complex. There are four types of plants, each attracting a different insect. Every single plant and insect generates victory points in a unique way. Therefore, careful consideration must be given to how the plants are arranged to maximize points while simultaneously creating opportunities to collect as many points as possible from the insects they attract.

The actions on the action board are one of the main ways to attract insects. Insect flight This allows us to move insects that are already on our garden board. For example, we can move insects we have previously placed to spaces where they would generate more victory points. Bird's-Fly We may take the top leaf from one of the three stacks of leaves. This leaf contains various insects and one of five colors. For each leaf color collected, you also receive one victory point at the end of the game.

The Frog jump The game lets us move a frog around the pond. It jumps onto one of seven water lilies. Three of them award bees, butterflies, or ladybugs. The other four award giant dragonflies, for which certain conditions must be met. The larger the dragonfly, the more points it generates. Speed ​​is key here, because first come, first served.

The Water Drop action allows us to move one of two water drops down our waterfall. Depending on where the water drop lands, we receive various bonuses in the form of insects. Reaching the end grants us additional victory point conditions that we can fulfill.

Honey jars & lanterns

Honey jars are another way to generate victory points. To do this, you must collect bees on clematis. Once you have collected a certain number of bees, you may activate one of four honey jars. Each of these sets new requirements for victory points.

Lanterns can be obtained by collecting tools. There are four different types of lanterns in total, each granting a unique bonus that can be used during your turn.

Information about the pergola

Conclusion

First and foremost: Pergola is another beautiful game with fantastic components! It's also wonderfully relaxing to play! Pergola is simply fun. Combining the individual plants and insects to get as many points as possible from your garden is consistently motivating. Our test games always ended with close finishes, which you hardly notice during gameplay and keeps the game quite exciting.

Overall, I can't really say much bad about it. Pergola is a well-rounded package that works well. It's suitable for both casual and frequent gamers because its basic principle is nicely simple, yet offers enough room for interesting decisions. In the first game, the sheer number of different ways to score victory points might be overwhelming for casual or infrequent players. But simply jumping in and playing can also be fun if you're just focused on creating a beautiful garden. Plus, you generally gain points with every single turn, which is quite rewarding.

You shouldn't expect a true tactical masterpiece, of course, but Pergola hits the mark for me. After a hard day at work, I always appreciate having a game to relax with, and Pergola is one of the better ones in my collection that makes that possible. And if you're not in the mood for company after work and just want to play something quick and easy, you can also go solo, try your hand at scoring points, prove yourself as a gardener, and have a good time.

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