Santorini Review – Sunny, Stacking Fun With a Competitive Edge

Every time someone opens a box of Santorini, Tyra Banks starts singing the intro to America’s Next Top Model. Okay, maybe not literally—but she should. Because Santorini is the board game equivalent of a WWE ladder match, where players frantically build towers to reach the top while trying to stop their opponent from doing the same.

Fortunately for me, who hasn’t stepped into a gym in the last decade, Santorini requires a lot less brute strength and a lot more brainpower.

How to play

You want to be on top? No, seriously—do you? Because that’s the goal of Santorini. Be the first to stand atop a three-story building, and victory is yours.

To get there, you’ll need to build structures and climb them, one level at a time. On your turn, you pick one of your two pawns and:

1. Move it one square in any direction.
2. Build with it, by adding a block to any neighbouring space.

Buildings can stack up to three levels high, with the fourth piece (the dreaded blue dome) capping a structure and making it unusable. Creating an impassable obstacle that you must manoeuvre around for the rest of the game.

As the game progresses, the board transforms into a landscape of rising towers and dead ends. You’ll try to carve out a path to the third level while simultaneously blocking your opponent from doing the same. They’ll look for ways to cap your towers or build in ways that cut off your movement.

It’s a tense back-and-forth battle of wits. One that only ends when a single player stands victorious.

Building battles: the mind games of Santorini

The best games are easy to learn but hard to master. Simple enough for newcomers to grasp yet deep enough to challenge veterans. Santorini embodies this perfectly.

At its core, it’s a battle of logic and positioning, much like Chess. With no hidden information, there’s no luck or deception to rely on, just pure strategy. Victory comes from out-thinking your opponent, anticipating their moves, and carefully planning your own.

Santorini is a game of both offence and defence. You’re constantly building towers to climb while simultaneously cutting off your opponent’s paths with well-placed domes. The mechanics are simple, but the strategy runs deep, as success comes from planning several turns ahead, forcing your opponent into positions that benefit you more than them.

Yet, despite this strategic intensity, Santorini unfolds in the most peaceful way possible. There’s no capturing pieces or eliminating players, just building. Each game ends with a miniature cityscape rising before you, a shared creation that mirrors the iconic white-and-blue architecture of the real Santorini.

Beyond the satisfaction of watching the structures take shape, there’s a distinct joy in the physical act of building. Placing, stacking, and capping pieces isn’t just a means to victory, it’s an inherently fun and tactile experience that adds to the game’s charm.

Different ways to play

The base version of Santorini is already outstanding. It took me back to playing round after round of checkers on the family room floor. Pure, abstract strategy at its best. But for those who prefer a bit more variety, there are additional modes shake things up:

• God Powers – With 30 unique abilities that bend the rules, this mode reinvents the game each time you play. It shifts Santorini from a pure battle of wits to something wilder and more light-hearted, but no less enjoyable.
• Three Player Mode – Now, you have to contend with two opponents racing to the top. While it introduces new dynamics, it can also lead to one player getting shut out, which isn’t always fun.
• Team Play – A four-player mode that adds new dynamics. I’ve played it a few times now, and while it’s certainly fine, it dilutes the strategic depth of the game. It’s not my preferred way to play, but it’s an option for those who enjoy a more social experience.

Playing with God Powers is a great way to level the playing field, especially for kids or family members who aren’t deep into strategy games. Without them, a more experienced player can steamroll their opponent round after round, which quickly drains the fun.

In fact, Santorini as a whole feels geared toward this more casual audience. With its charming art, intuitive rules, and quick playtime, it makes for a fantastic introduction to modern board gaming.

That said, whether you’re a casual player or a seasoned strategist, Santorini delivers a game that’s as engaging as it is elegant.