Welcome to the world of Photosynthesis, the green strategy board game! Plant and shape the ever-changing forest as you cultivate your seeds and your strategy. Take your trees through their life-cycle, from seedling to full bloom to rebirth, and earn points as their leaves collect energy from the revolving sun’s rays. Carefully pick where you sow and when you grow, as trees in the shadows are blocked from light, and from points. This game features realistic gameplay and beautiful graphics.

Staff Recommendation
"This game is a beauty! The 3D saplings and trees are gorgeous and sure to draw people to the game.

At the beginning of each round, the sun provides light to the forest. Players earn light points depending on how many and which size of tree are getting sun. Be careful though, trees can cast shadows and if your tree is in a shadow it will not receive any light points that round. Once light points are collected, players can spend them to plant seeds, grow trees, or harvest trees. At the end of each round, the sun rotates around the board so that different trees are now earning light points or being shaded.

This game is easy to learn and teach. The player boards have handy reminders to help players remember the actions they can take and how many light points they cost. This is a game that I like to teach to gamers and non-gamers alike. It has enough strategy to keep my gamer friends entertained and is simple enough to teach to friends who have not delved deeply into modern board gaming.

There is a strong “take-that” element in this game as you plant trees to block your opponents' trees from the sun or plant trees on more advantageous spaces. If you don’t enjoy this kind of “mean” interaction this may not be the game for you. Similarly, if you are playing with children, this mechanic could be frustrating for them.

If you enjoy a game with lots of strategy, a little bit of “take-that,” and one that looks great on the table, Photosynthesis is a wonderful game to add to your collection."