From Roxley Games comes Skyrise, a game that challenges players to create a beacon of society in the clouds. Designed by Adam Wyse, Gavan Brown, and Sebastien Pauchon with art and graphic design from Andrew Bosley and Gavan Brown, Skyrise is a little slow to start, but ultimately delivers if you’re looking for some healthy competition.
What’s In The Box?
- 1 Game Board
- 1 Central Island and 4 Outer Islands
- 4 Player Boards
- 4 Patron Value Tiles
- 2 Commissions Disks & 2 Wild Discs
- 1 Small Key to the City
- 1 Large Key to the City
- 16 Patron Discs
- 40 Neighborhood Discs
- 12 Tall Buildings
- 20 Medium Buildings
- 16 Short Buildings
- 4 Wonders 1 Draw Bag
- 1 Reference Card
- 4 Secret Objective Cards
- 5 Panorama Cards
- 20 Wonder Cards
- 1 Island Control Card
How to Play Skyrise
Skyrise is comprised of two eras of gameplay. Era 1 ends when a player has constructed all of their Era 1 buildings, and Era 2 ends when all players have constructed all of their buildings and monuments. The player who has the most Prestige at the end of Era 2 is the winner.
After setting up the game board (we did so for two players), players randomly choose who will be the starting bidder at the first auction of Era 1. The first bidder will place one of their numbered structures on a neighborhood on the Central Island, and the following bids will alternate between players, each building worth more than the last based on their number, until someone passes.
Each new bid must be placed on an adjacent neighborhood space until the auction is over, either because all but one player has passed on bidding further or one player has outbid everyone else. The winning player will then flip the structure so that the bid number is face down to symbolize its permanence in the neighborhood space, and they will acquire the Disc occupying the neighborhood space. Any failed bids will return to their player’s building pool.
The first player to build all of their structures ends Era 1, and Era 2 begins. This era goes through a similar round of bidding, except players are able to place their monuments alongside any buildings they didn’t have the chance or ability to place during Era 1. Placing a monument instantly ends the Auction round and begins a new one. Era 2 ends when every building has been placed on one of the islands, with the first player to place every building and monument gaining the key to the city and the Prestige that comes with it. Prestige is then calculated by adding together who has the largest number of tall buildings, as well as the advantages gained from collecting Discs, Patron Value Tiles, and Panorama Cards.
What Do We Think of Skyrise?
While the learning curve can be a bit much, especially with a larger group of players, Skyrise quickly becomes a fun competition that can breeze by. Thankfully, there is an extensive rule book that, while at times is overwhelming, is very helpful when you’re learning to play for the first time.
Something consistently important to me is the art of the game, and Skyrise is absolutely beautiful. The artistic renderings of its real life inspirations are very well done, and are a part of why I immediately chose to play as Tamara De Lempicka—she’s almost a dead ringer for ‘Young Girl in Green’, a personal favorite of mine—-and all of the other design choices blend in so well with the chosen aesthetic of the game.
Of course, any floating city reminds me of Bioshock Infinite, and the design of the bridges between the Center Island and the Outer Islands brings forward some nostalgia for anyone who played Infinite back in the day. Really, it’s the little details in the art and design that make this game—the uniqueness of each island, the way each island interlinks with the Center Island, the sneaky blimps that can throw a wrench in your bidding war—and Skyrise is all the better for it.
Overall, Skyrise might be a slow start—especially if you’re playing with a larger group of friends—but will ultimately become a game night favorite for anyone who loves world building with a healthy amount of competition.
Images and review copy courtesy of Roxley Games
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