Project L is a fast-paced engine building strategy game with simple mechanics that make it a perfect family game packed with choices that will keep your brain racing.

The core of the game lies in completing puzzles with pieces. Completed puzzles give you points as well as extra pieces to use. The more pieces you have, the more complex puzzles you can try to complete to unlock higher points.

The most points scored when the puzzle deck is empty determines the winner…

Project L has had a real buzz around it this year and it’s not hard to see why as visually this is a super-slick product that really pops on the table and is learnt in minutes making it a great all-round game with real family appeal.

And this isn’t style over substance either, because beneath that well polished surface is a tricky little engine builder humming away smoothly. While it’s fair to say this isn’t a deep game by any means it certainly offers a surprising number of ways to challenge you in the conquest of it’s puzzles.

Per round players have 3 actions they can perform from a possible 5 (more with expansions) and many can be performed repeatedly with the exception of the Master Action which is limited to once per round.

It’s a simple concept of actions and nothing ever taxing which means its a breeze to get the game rolling, but with forward thinking it’s possible to pull off some very swift combo moves. Combos that will see you mop up several puzzles through a single Master Action which brings back all your pieces and you’ll still have spare actions to set up the next engine.

As the goal in Project L is to acquire the most points, this Master Action is a very powerful way of acquiring valuable points and allowing you to set up for your next engine but it can come at a price if you don’t pay attention to your resources!

In terms of strategy it seems at face value the game offers 2 routes to glory: tackle many low-value, yet easy puzzles or hedge your bets and go for more tricky and complex patterns which require a larger pool of tiles but pay off in big ways.

In reality that strategy can’t play out in the short term and early stages in any game will tend to play out the same, where you’ll focus on low value cards as you build your pool of tiles. But as that pool grows the game spices up and then… wow… all of a sudden like the final furlong of a derby one opponent will make a dash and break away with a strategy of high-value cards and then it can be anyone’s game…

It’s another aspect to the fun and frustration of Project L when nerves of steel are required, because if you dedicate to harder puzzles too soon then your pool of tiles will dry up quicker than a puddle in the Sahara.

Tiles only return or grow in your hand when you complete a puzzle so if you push your luck too soon then that strategy can cause you to hit a wall and there’s literally no resources to draw on!

Equally the same can be said about the Master Action, a move that allows you to apply 1 tile to every puzzle in your collection (if you wish) – but play it at the wrong moment and again you’ll have no resources to draw from.

In these cases the game is still forgiving and doesn’t freeze you out – instead giving you the option to slowly crawl up the resource ladder by selecting a simple level-1 tile that burns up valuable actions in order to upgrade itself to something more fulfilling.

This is the charm of Project L however, because typically with resource games you invest and you lose that resource, but here you eventually gather them back (with interest!) That’s an unusual mechanic which helps develop the engine building to come and ultimately means no mistake is truly wasted, it can only delay you slightly and you can build yourself back up! 

In terms of player interaction it’s not at the front of the pile as you’re effectively focusing on your own world of puzzles. But it’s just a great turn in the game when someone takes the advantage and makes a break for it, or slams suddenly into the wall with no resources.

It’s something you’ll be anticipating and hoping to leverage by keeping your cool, but when it happens it’ll cause a ripple across the table and the game is really on from that moment forward…

Tactically there’s also an element of take that to be had as every opponent tile and puzzle is always freely in sight. A nice by-product of an open design allowing you to steer the game to some degree by taking quick win puzzles from the table and forcing people to opt for trickier puzzles and slow their progress.

(On the flip side it allows everyone to help younger players see opportunities – just please don’t be that person at the table who forces their opinions on a player.) 

But let’s drag this review back a little as this implies the game has great strategy to leverage when actually the beauty of Project L lies in it’s simple mechanics, ease of play and the furiously fast nature in which you can complete your own puzzles.

This is a game that’s learnt in minutes and I feel the designers have been over cautious in their recommended age range; this game was humming along great with a group of 8-10 year olds in the mix and I believe this is a great example of the perfect audience for this game – it really is a family friendly experience for all ages. 

Project L brings a lot of levity to the table and games can be over in no time which makes it a great party game where new players can cycle in without waiting around too much.

But don’t consider this a filler game by any means, sure a game can be over swiftly but there will always be a round at the table of “Can we play again?” and the answer’s always “YES!”

This game won’t leave the table all night it’s that sticky!

With that in mind, replayability of Project L combined with those characters at the table means every game plays out differently, but it doesn’t stop there as the designers have included a variety of alternative play styles to keep things entertaining all in the base game.

But if you want to spice things up even more for older players then you can expand Project L beyond the base game with the Ghost Piece & Ambassador expansions, soon to be followed by the upcoming Project L: Finesse.

These all add variations on game play with new components and actions, but as a party mode the Ghost Piece comes with an additional player count which is a must – so yes this is a game that will stick around for a long time and can be extended to add new experiences.

As you can tell this is a glowing recommendation for a game that has high production values and one of the widest player appeals we’ve seen in a long while.

If there were to be any critiques it is that this is a beautiful game that can be marred by greasy and clumsy fingers with no way to circumvent the inevitable Cheeto stains on what are immaculate minimalist puzzle cards.

This game as a plastic card variant would be a dream scenario as this is a title that will be played to death on many gaming nights and may suffer accordingly for that popularity.

But that aside this is a robust game with stunning production of recessed cards and gorgeously retro polyomino tiles – so please give this game a spot on your shelf it deserves the buzz and accolades as it’s the perfect game when there’s a mix of players to consider in the room – this is my definite go to!