Rivages Review – Exploring the Tropics One Satisfying “X” at a Time

Disclaimer: Rivages was provided for free by Pandasaurus Games, although the writing and opinions of this article are my own.

As someone who hates The Great Outdoors (too many mosquitoes), Rivages is my perfect game. It lets me explore different terrains, hop from island to island, and embark on adventures. All from the comfort of my board game table.

How to play

Rivages is a hexploration game where you venture across islands made up of colourful hexagons, each representing a different terrain type. As you explore, you’ll uncover shrines, items, and scrolls—crucial for claiming victory. Along the way, you’ll tackle objectives and hop between islands like a seasoned adventurer.

This genre of board game is called a roll-and-write: traditionally, you roll a die, take an action based on the result, and jot something down on your personal player sheet. Rivages swaps dice for cards. Instead of rolling, you’ll pick one of two cards and carry out the actions it offers.

Each card displays three lines of terrain hexes. You’ll choose between the top unmarked lines on either card to determine where you can explore that round. Once you’ve made your pick, cross off the terrain hexes one by one, marking the corresponding spots on your island—as long as they’re adjacent to terrain you’ve already explored (no teleportation allowed!).

Every island comes with a main quest and some additional objectives. Completing the main quest—usually involving a trek to specific tiles—rewards you with scrolls and other goodies. The additional objectives? They challenge you to fill in clusters of terrain hexes for extra rewards.

While exploring, you might stumble upon white squares, which represent key features:

• Shrines: Climb up the Tree of Wisdom boards, earning scrolls and moving closer to enlightenment.
• Telescopes: Take a free hex movement, no matter the terrain type.
• Items: Dig into a cloth bag of item tokens for a random reward.
• Ships: Swap your current island for a new one, starting fresh from one of two ship hexes.

As the game progresses, when players cross out the third and final line on a card, they draw a new card from the exploration deck. When all exploration cards are gone, each player gets one final round to explore.

Before tallying scores, the player who hopped between the most islands earns a bonus scroll boost (scaled by player count). Then, everyone totals up their scrolls to see who reigns supreme as the island-exploration champion.

Ticking boxes and living the island dream

One of the great things about board games is their ability to suck you into a world where your day-to-day worries disappear, and Rivages nails this. It lets you zone in on your own little island, ticking off hexes as you go, all in pursuit of those ever-tempting scrolls.

Any game that revolves around ticking boxes gets an automatic thumbs up from me. It’s like a dopamine hit for your inner goal-setter: either you’re making tangible progress toward a goal (always satisfying), or you’re crossing off objectives on a quest list (even better). For completionists, Rivages is like a big high-five for that part of your brain that craves the feeling of accomplishment.

The game’s excellent artwork and island design amplify this satisfaction. The colourful hexes bring the terrain to life, making each island feel vibrant and rewarding to work through. Plus, with 25 unique island layouts each, there’s always a new puzzle to solve as you chart your path.

But it’s not just about trundling from island to island like you’re working through an adventurous to-do list. You’re also trying to maximise your collection of scrolls, primarily through the main quest and additional objectives on each island. The overarching challenge of Rivages is managing your time—do you stick around and aim for 100% completion, should you climb the Tree of Wisdom, or move on in the hopes of greener pastures (and better rewards) on the next island?

While you’re mulling that over, each turn presents a snap decision: which card to pick and how to use its terrain tiles most efficiently. These multi-layered choices keep things engaging without ever feeling stressful.

The result? A relaxing, thoughtful experience. Perfect for a quiet Sunday evening, ideally with a cup of tea and a partner equally invested in chasing scrolls.

Some turbulent waters

While I’ve reviewed several games from Pandasaurus Games, I have to admit that Rivages’ rulebook doesn’t meet their usual high standards. It could use a good edit for conciseness and clarity, but what stood out most were the spelling errors. Something that any spell-checker should have caught. It’s a minor thing, but it does take away from the polished experience you’d expect.

Beyond that, as enjoyable as Rivages is, it leans more toward being a contemplative game than an interactive one. Players focus on their own boards, and as a result, the group energy tends to settle into a quieter, more introspective rhythm. This was especially noticeable in larger groups; while everyone enjoyed the game, it felt less like a shared experience and more like we were playing in parallel.

Afterward, I found myself switching to a more interactive and energetic game to lift the mood.

For this reason, I think Rivages works best with two or three players (I didn’t try the solo mode). At this player count, you can get comfortable and immerse yourself without much downtime between turns. It’s easy to get so engrossed that when the game ends, it’s genuinely surprising—it draws you in that much.

Ultimately, Rivages is a fantastic roll-and-write for those afternoons when you want to lose yourself in a colourful, satisfying puzzle. Just don’t expect much table talk. It’s more about the quiet joy of ticking boxes than the camaraderie of a shared adventure.