Last modified May 13, 2025 by jarjar
Overview
Planta Nubo, by authors Uwe Rosenberg (Agricola), Ode (Cooper Island) and Michael Keller (La Granja), is an expert board game that combines several interconnected mechanics. Players grow energy flowers in gardens suspended in the Arbors, which they deliver to airships to be transformed into green energy. This energy powers modules and oxygen farms, contributing to oxygen production, the main objective of the game. The game combines tile placement, resource management, worker placement, and engine building, offering a rich and complex experience.
First impression
This is a game with a rather original theme and a very successful visual effect! It is demanding, because managing actions requires sustained attention. It is very fun (and you can allow yourself some creativity too) to see your board progress and fill with colors; there are several very satisfying chain reactions. The energy management track, which allows you to dose certain bonus actions while powering others, is a rather original and very pleasant mechanic to play! We are faced with a happy mix of several mechanics: variable power for certain actions, 3 actions per turn that we choose with 4 available tools; the last unused tool will bring us a bonus, laying polyominoes, the choice of types of cards available and their quantity in relation to the turn counter (borrowed from arnak) and many possible combos.
With a 7,2 rating on BGG, it deserves better!
A game that I really liked and for which its rating is likely to increase with the next games.
GAME FACTS
>>A book dedicated to the world of Planta Nubo has been published, collecting 20 short stories set in a world called Overgrown, where vegetation is reclaiming its place. Everywhere, old and modern structures are overgrown with plants, flowers, and trees. The book is currently only available in German (let's hope it will be translated!).
>> The young German publishing house The Game Builder is the originator of this game. Unfortunately, for this first edition, several errors crept in: Oxyfarm cards with incorrect point values on the player boards, an incorrect value for the straw hat robot, a messy rulebook, etc. Faced with these problems, the community requested an upgrade kit. Ode responded on BGG: "As a small publisher, we simply cannot afford to manufacture 500 units of an upgrade pack and distribute 25 to people who actually ask for it."
The Super Meeple and Devir editions, for their part, seem to have corrected these errors.
SOLO MODE
Single-player mode functions like a full-fledged automaton: turns are determined by flipping a tile, then quickly scanning lists to select a location on the matrix that tells you where to place your tool. Unlike the player, it always performs both available actions.
The card layout isn't as logical as it could be: the center column is actually the first to check, followed by the left one, then the right one. The automaton behaves like a simulated player—without trying to perfectly imitate a human player—by following fixed rules, which allows you, as the player, to plan your actions accordingly. There is excellent help for this mode available on BGG.
TECHNICAL SHEET
Number of games played: 2
Best player configuration: 2
Price paid: $90
Level: experienced player (BGG complexity: 3.92/5)
My best score: 79
MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I loved :
>> Immersive and original theme: The post-apocalyptic universe where humanity rebuilds itself in the treetops of giant trees is perfectly integrated.
>> Energy Management Mechanics: The idea of an energy track to activate and dose bonus actions is an innovation I've never seen in a game.
>> Quality aesthetics and material: Lukas Siegmon's illustrations and the game's careful production contribute to a very successful visual experience.
>> A solo with an AI that is not too complex to play.
I liked less :
>> Annoying micromanagement, especially regarding reforestation.
>> Very little interactivity.
>> A rulebook that is difficult to digest.
>> Although the errors in the first edition did not affect me, I do not understand how so many errors could have crept into this first edition, which was their first publication in the field of games intended for an informed audience.
Planta Nubo is a fairly complex board game that I enjoyed for its depth and originality, with a creative twist. It offers a rich, engaging, and immersive experience, accompanied by high-quality visuals.
FUN FACTOR 🙂🙂🙂🙂