Gemblo (Korean & English Language) | Board Game | Family | 1-6 Players | Ages 6+ | 20 Min

I play a lot of abstract strategy games and have every version of Blokus available - not quite sure which came first, but they're similar enough that if you like one you'll like both. However, they aren't identical by any stretch. The primary difference is the placement rule requiring you to be one space away from a previously placed tile. This prevents one player from effectively building a wall and keeps the game moving in an interesting way.I've only played a few games thus far and can probably say that this has edged out Blokus for me in this category. I will say that I don't love the gold board and I think this version of Gemblo uses "gems" with less detail than previous versions.The board becomes quite hectic as you get toward the end of the game and there are a wider variety of shapes than in Blokus (or Blokus Trigon) - good luck trying to use all of your gems, I haven't gotten close yet. Makes for an interesting and challenging puzzle-type game that actually builds a bit of tension. Initially the board is open and everyone is doing their own thing - eventually you'll find yourself slyly eyeing a spot on the board and trying to act nonchalant as other players hover pieces over the general area.5/5

The tile slip to easy

Very creative variations on a well known block placing game with play modes for 1 to 6 players. For a solo player, there are several pages of puzzle challenges to solve. For FOUR players you play inside of a smaller square region, and for just TWO players it is the same you each must play two colors (or else the field of play is too generous and you both just play all your pieces). For THREE players you play a limited hexagon region. And for 5 or 6 players you use the whole board. These different regions are denoted with embossed symbols on the board, pretty simple but a little hard to see at times. Might be nice if they included a cardboard insert to block off the unused portions of the gameboard in 3 and 2/4 player modes. I think we will be marking the 2/4 player boundaries on the game board in permanent marker for visibility.The rules were easy to pick up, as the concept is the same as the more famous four color game. But rather than corners touching, you play your new pieces exactly ONE segment away from your previous pieces. That's a little odd at first if you're used to the square based game. But it's a fun change with new patterns to master.The six colors include orange and purple in addition to the four standard colors of red, green, blue and yellow. The playing pieces look quite beautiful as you place them and the board fills up. It took a little practice to get adept at placing the pieces in the hexagon depressions on the board.The instructions are in Korean and English, with the English rules located just after the Korean rules a few pages into the manual. The grammar is pretty odd, could use a little editing for English readers. But for the most part the game is so simple you ALMOST don't need written rules.Production value of the box, pieces, rules, and plastic insert are all good. Very well developed gameboard and pieces.The sweet spot of this game is a family or group of five or six who all want to play, with adults and kids of all ages. Or someone who is looking for a change from the old square based game.

At first I thought it was missing a piece. After counting all the pieces, the numbers were correct. Then I compared each piece to the list in instructions and found out I had 1 red piece that doesn't appear in the book. I looked at it closely and one edge was rough and sharp like a part of it broke off. Purple block shape pictured is what the broken red should have been. I am going to try to return for a replacement.

First. It has English AND Korean instructions included (you can get any language instructions on BGG website). The package is in Korean. This was A stock sent to me, didn't seem to be b-stock or clone.I grabbed this because I do Extralife charity events and we generally need more games that are this easy to teach but also can play 2-6 players while still being fun. Many games fail at all player counts but this one works great. It works at ages as low as 8 and even has some single player puzzles for you to do (with hundreds more on the internet)There are plenty of reviews of how to play and the great game this is. I am just here to reassure this copy I was sent is in great condition and will go nicely with my English version for charity events.

As another reviewer mentioned, the pieces don’t line up exactly perfectly at times with the board. It’s not the biggest deal but we did find it a touch frustrating at times. Overall, though, this is a fun, unique game. The rules themselves are easy to figure out, though the “who wins” can be a touch complicated with the tie-breaking rules. The fact the board can also be used for tangram style play and just basic puzzling is great, too. The image I attached is of all the pieces provided placed on the board, so they don’t quite fill up the board but it’s close. I can see children playing with this a lot just as a puzzle type thing, and adults having fun with the game many times over. Overall, a good game to have on the shelf.