Iki Second Opinion

Iki is a worker placement and set collection game for 2-4 players. I found out about this game when it was nominated for the Kennerspiel award this year and I was intrigued as it’s such a pretty game and I love games with Japanese themes and aesthetics. I’m glad for how well it’s taken off as it could’ve got lost in the sea of games. It’s an excellent game that has so many satisfying components from completing sets to increasing the experience of your workers. I can’t think of many other games like Iki, there’s a lot to love about it.

Going To Market

Iki is a worker placement game in the truest sense as you are not only placing your worker meeples, but also worker cards in the market. And you can do business with them, they gain experience and retire. They also unfortunately can die in quite cruel ways (like in a fire or by starving), which seems like an odd feature of this game. But I morbidly like it, as it gives Iki more character.

The artwork of the cards is so beautiful and I love seeing how it all looks in the marketplace. And there are so many idiosyncratic cards, like the Chilli Peddler who’s carrying a massive chilli. Or the Eel Stand where the owner is just the most ripped man (and for why?). The artwork doesn’t have to be like this, but it makes me love it all the more for being beautiful but also a bit weird. It leans into cool parts of Japanese culture like the Karuta Maker, which I know about because of the anime Chihayafuru (my fave anime). Karuta is a very niche Japanese card game; it’s so nice that Iki goes into these very obscure parts of Japanese culture. You can tell a lot of love went into making this game.

Iki was originally released in 2015 with very different artwork and this recent re-release has jazzed up the graphics and tightened up some of the rules. I love the new artwork so I’m a big supporter of that, but from what I gather the core gameplay is the same. You’re competing to gain the most iki (effectively victory points), which come from a variety of different actions like getting sets of workers, buildings, sets of fish and tobacco pouches to name a few. The artwork of the fish and tobacco items are also very nice.

A very abridged description of Iki is that you’re hiring workers, you do business with them to gain resources to gain points or build as your Oyakata (the big meeple) goes round the board. The seasons change and different events happen like fires and paydays. You’re trying to have the most fulfilling experience as a trader in Edo era Japan.

The Ikizama track (the man with the hat) determines your movement and it’s one of the more combative parts of the game, as only one person can be on each spot. It makes you prioritise firefighting (as the higher powers get to bid first), gives you an idea of where everyone is moving and whether you can capitalise on these moves by creating new business opportunities that can’t be resisted.

A Peaceful Retirement

If you couldn’t tell, I think Iki is an excellent game. It definitely takes a while to get your head around it cause there are so many meeples and they all do different things. There are so many different ways to earn points and it has the potential to overwhelm people so it isn’t a game I’d put in front of a beginner. But on the other hand, it means the game has depth and allows players to develop better strategies as they play more, so it gets better with time.

Like many games with resources, it’s always satisfying to get more stuff whether it’s from your worker or someone else’s. There’s also always the nice dilemma of whether you should take the bonus from your friend or not, as if you do they get some experience and sometimes the bonus for you isn’t worth it. It’s also interesting to see how the placement of your worker matters, whether it’s furthest away from a fire or you effectively get a colour bonus from Nagaya harmony. Since there are so many ways to get points and you get them all the time, it’s nice to feel like you’re progressing and even if you don’t win, you got a lot of iki along the way.

Admittedly there is not a lot of direct conflict in this game, like you’re not going to be messing with other people’s player boards. You can effectively do your own thing with the workers. There is competition for fish, but you’re always aware there is limited fish each season. The Ikizama track is probably the place for the most interaction, as only one person can move a certain amount of spaces, and the person with the most firefighting power gets to go first. That is a fun dynamic of the game, as it provides the opportunity to disrupt other people but you always have the option of making your strategy work (either by using the leftmost spot on the Ikizama track or by using some sandals).

Iki is not going to be for everyone, but if any of the key features appeals to you, like how beautiful it is or the interesting mix of mechanics, I’d highly recommend giving this game a try. Everything is so high quality that there’s guaranteed to be something to appreciate.