Review: Pokémon Splendor

Trusted engine builder with a nod to Kanto.

I confess: Pokémon Splendor had been sitting on our shelf for a while. When I bought it, I was still out about €90 (mainly in shipping)—South Korea isn't around the corner, and the selection was unfortunately limited. It was also quite nerve-wracking whether the package would arrive, given the 10-week lead time (gotta love eBay). But good news: it's finally available in Belgium. And honestly, that whole story—plus my love of board games—helped fuel the idea to start this shop myself.

I've had the classic Splendor for years. The feeling of those gemstone poker chips in your hand is still wonderful. It's not a difficult game: build a great engine and then race to the finish line. The only downside for me personally is that it sometimes ends a bit too quickly once the engine is running, but on the other hand, it's a game that really doesn't take hours to learn (either to explain or to play).

Pokémon Splendor builds on that solid foundation, but with an even more fun, nostalgic theme: the first 151 Pokémon – a welcome return to Kanto. The chips have become Poké Balls, and the evolution mechanic is the biggest twist: it allows you to run your engine in additional ways. The secret bonus card in the box is a nice touch (a shiny Ditto in my case), which made the unboxing experience even more enjoyable.

Thematic sense? Fantastic. Everyone gets their own character, making it feel just that little bit more playful and thematic—you can even be Team Rocket! The game flows smoothly, rounds move quickly, and the pain of choosing remains perfectly balanced. And if you don't believe me: this edition also scores very highly on BoardGameGeek—clearly I'm not the only one praising it.

Final verdict: For Splendor fans and Pokémon enthusiasts alike, this is a no-brainer. It plays like coming home with a new turbo under the hood.

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