Garrett's Games Reviews Essen 2025 Release Viva Catrina

About Viva Catrina, from BoardGameGeek:

Immerse yourself in the festive and colorful atmosphere of Mexico's Día de los Muertos, where traditions, joyful spirits, and fantastical creatures come together to honor the departed under the watchful eye of La Catrina. Viva Catrina offers a strategic tile-laying experience in which each tile you place shapes the growth of your village. Each turn, you'll carefully choose from the available tiles, create paths to connect butterflies and visitors, build pedestals to attract chimeras, and launch balloon flights to maximize your points. Efficiently constructing a connected network is key: a poorly placed tile could block your paths or make your objectives unreachable. Racing for chimeras and balloon tiles adds a light, but constant tension. The game flows smoothly, and the real satisfaction comes from watching your village expand and come to life throughout the game. -description from the publisher