Daybreak Review - Original or Carbon Copy?

Zee and Camilla take a look at this cooperative game about environmental change and pollution.

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[CoryLovec]

It is our favorite co-op tableau building game, which there are not an abundance of.
We have a couple hundred co-ops and this feels unique; it is not a “pandemic style” game, it is not a deck builder or LCG type game, and it is not Ameritrashy or campaign; these are some of the most common co-ops that come out year to year.
For us, the emphasis on smart tactical play makes it a more exciting and engaging game and less lucky game than Ares Expedition. The luck is there there though, but more in form of the dice than cards. However, reducing emissions cards reduces dice rolls and as such reduces the luck factor; I find that this subtle push towards reducing emissions and getting rewarded in that way nice but not oblique.
I think scaling for 2+ players is better and than Ares expedition and it certainly is shorter than the Crisis expansion for Ares. (Comparing as I think of recent cooperative tableau building games this is probably the most recent/well known).
I find all the combos of world powers fun and a different challenge.
I also think particularly with Challenge cards it is much more cooperative than it seems at the standard level, and find with the right group it can be exceptionally coop, or it can be more multiplayer solo if that is how the group plays it. With new groups I’ve found people playing more solo and with our game group that has played frequently there is much more discussion.
The simultaneous play is the final thing that sealed it for us as one of our top games currently.

[mirth]

At the base difficulty this can sometimes feel like multiplayer solitaire, but beyond that it is not. When you add in challenge cards, it becomes vital to coordinate on global projects and working with local projects that assist other players. At that point Daybreak becomes a great semi-solitaire tactical card play combined with the need to orchestrate multiplayer strategy which requires awareness of what everyone is doing (at least at the high level). I think that too many people have come to verdicts after only a handful of plays without really pushing the game.

[TiagoSousa]

Let me tell you that this game has one of the best rulebooks that I read. Beautiful, very well structured, easy to understand, detailed examples...

[pelikanii]

The fact, that you have to start reduce emissions and build up resillienceses right from the beginning for me is highly thematic and should get ppl thinking.

[traceyshenanigans]

My partner and I really enjoy this game. We find that the theme is so well integrated. The multi-player solo is such a part of the theme. In real life, each country has emission targets to reach and they work on those individually...as in the game. Sometimes there are moments (cards) that allow for cooperation but for the most part you need to really concentrate on managing your own populations. Alternatively, as we do, you can really stress the interaction between players (coutries) so they can build positive synergies to solve the crises. Absolutely love this game as it shows just how hard it is to get everyone on the same page to really combat climate change...temperature rising... just wow.

[stephenball]

It is worth noting that not all of the challenge cards make the game harder, there are also ones that specifically make the game easier, either for one person or for the group, the icons are on the cards.

I love this game, I really liked it the first time I played it and it keeps growing for me. I am surprised to hear that you two felt it was very multiplayer solitaire, I feel like this is one of the more collaborative cooperative games I’ve played in a long time. Constantly talking about what you can do to help, how you can help others, picking and activating the global project cards, either coming together to stop a crisis or figure out the best way to deal with it. Yeah, most of your card play has an effect mainly on your board, but I think if you’re just focused on yourself you’re going to lose the game, the whole point is trying to help each other out. I think it being simultaneous play really helps with game length as well, but yeah, I’ve always felt a strong feeling of cooperation in this game. Also it does an amazing job for a cooperative game of being very collaborative but avoiding the alpha gamer problem, even though the games mechanisms are simple they just don’t allow for someone to bark orders and tell you fully what to do, and that’s great.

I think it strikes a great balance of being collaborative and giving me the feeling that it’s always “my turn”, and that is just great for me. The card system is terrific, the game looks beautiful. I agree, just use a calculator to figure out your emissions, it makes it easy to count it up with the numbers on your player boards, make your own life easier haha.

This one honestly is at this point a 9/10 for me, I really love this one and hope it gets more hype.

[AlasdairMacKinnon]

I have a rather odd complaint - I feel that there are too many cards (certainly if you are playing solo - although some are removed for solo play due to their multiplayer-only effects). The number of cards increases replayability, but there are so many that you won't see in a solo game that it really increases the luck factor. I still enjoy the game though and the information provided through the QR codes (and the level of research that went into that) is amazing.

[samanrahemi]

No comments on the components or artwork? that's new!

[karldoughty]

Agree with the difficulty at the beginning of the game.
I've played it 3 times and every game was a speedy disaster.
I will stick with it for a while, but at the moment I'm finding it more frustrating than enjoyable.

[NakedSV]

Solid game, I agree with Zee and Camilla. However, they didn't seem to touch on the (heavier than I'd like) luck factor.

[JohnClem]

I haven't played this (so obviously take this with an appropriate grain of salt) but from what I've seen of the rules and how the game plays I think it would likely feel more cooperative at higher player counts. The US and Europe players could focus solely on their situation and get that under control but if they aren't spending time planning and helping the China and Rest of World players then it's likely that they will all lose. That's because China and Rest of World growth rates and therefore carbon rates get much higher throughout the game. In other words, each player just primarily focusing on optimizing their own situations isn't going to be good enough to win. That may not be as much of a factor at the 2 player count. Still likely has a fair amount of head down focus on your own board but seems like the early part of a round should be highly interactive in order to create a more optimal overall plan and increase the chances you can win the game. Playing it as multi-player solitaire may be part of the reason you find it difficult/hard to win...?

[anactualcloud]

I think it is really cool how the main round isn't done in turns.

[ralindel]

You guys often complain about themeless games, and for this one where the theme is kind of a big part of whether it's good or not you skip it? Cmon.

[hondito]

Great review! I felt exactly the same about most everything you said.
Which is why this was my #1 game of last year! A few flaws, but fantastic co-op gameplay that feels a step up from Pandemic et al.

[darinherrick]

I really love it when my two favorite reviewers review a game I am very interested in.

[jessicaw]

The game is good, but the component quality of the retail edition is horrendous

[darinherrick]

Multiplayer solitaire. Like real world politics and science research.

[darinherrick]

This will likely be the last game of this type I purchase. And I will purchase it when it’s cheap.

[svenbudde]

Excellent Game. Love it playing solo. 😊

[bcroswell]

That box so much like Discover: Lands Unknown its scary