There’s a particular kind of joy that comes from discovering a game that feels both familiar and fresh — a game that invites you in with a warm smile and then quietly reveals its cleverness over time. Come Sail Away!, designed by Daryl Chow and Saashi and published by Saashi & Saashi, is exactly that kind of game. It’s a pastel-hued puzzle of passenger placement, a game that’s as much about planning ahead as it is about adapting on the fly. And, while it may look like a breezy family game — and it certainly can be — there’s a surprising amount of depth beneath its cheerful surface.
From the moment you open the box, Come Sail Away! makes a strong impression. The artwork, as is typical of Saashi & Saashi titles, is clean, inviting, and unmistakably stylish. The game’s components are thoughtfully designed, with modular ship boards, colourful meeples, and a deck of cards that drive the core gameplay. Each player receives their own cruise ship, which they’ll populate with passengers over the course of the game. The ship is made up of a central Grand Stairwell, five colour-coded cabins (one for each meeple colour), and five additional rooms that vary from game to game (with a total of ten to choose from) — dining halls, lounges, gyms, and more.
This modularity is one of the game’s greatest strengths. With a wide variety of room tiles to choose from, each game feels distinct. Some rooms reward diversity, others demand uniformity. Some are easy to fill, others require careful planning and a bit of luck. This variability ensures that Come Sail Away! remains fresh across multiple plays, and it also allows players to tailor the experience to their group’s preferences or skill level.
At its heart,Come Sail Away! is a game about simultaneous decision-making and constrained placement. Each round, players are presented with two cards, each showing a sequence of coloured meeples. These cards are the passengers boarding your ship, and you must choose one to play. Once selected, you must place the meeples shown on the card in strict order — either from left to right or right to left — into valid spaces on your ship.
This simple mechanism creates a fascinating tension. The cards with three or four meeples are efficient, allowing you to fill rooms quickly and score points. But they also come with a catch: the placement order is fixed, and if you can’t place a meeple legally, it becomes a disgruntled passenger — a source of negative points at the end of the game. On the other hand, the two-meeple cards offer flexibility, allowing you to place passengers anywhere without following a sequence. But they’re less efficient, and using too many of them can leave you lagging behind.
This push-and-pull between efficiency and flexibility is the beating heart of the game. Every turn is a small puzzle, a moment of tension where you weigh your options, consider your current board state, and try to anticipate what your opponents might be doing. It’s a game that rewards foresight, but also one that demands adaptability.
The rooms on your ship are where the real strategy lies. Each room has its own placement rules — some require pairs of matching colours, others demand a full set of five unique colours, and still others have more esoteric requirements. Once a room is filled, it flips over to score points, but it also becomes a dead zone. Any future passengers placed there are immediately disgruntled, which adds another layer of planning to the game. Do you rush to fill a room for quick points, or do you hold off, knowing that flipping it too early might block valuable placement options later?
This mechanic — the idea that scoring a room also creates a future obstacle — is one of the game’s most elegant touches. It forces players to think not just about the immediate benefits of a move, but about its long-term consequences. It also creates a natural arc to the game, as the ship gradually fills up and placement options become more limited.
Adding to the complexity is the baggage track, a clever little subsystem that rewards players for placing passengers in their matching cabins. Some meeples have a luggage icon beneath them, and when these are placed correctly, the player advances a token along the baggage track. This track offers a variety of bonuses — extra placements, the ability to remove disgruntled passengers, and straight-up points. It’s a small detail, but it adds another layer of decision-making and rewards players who can plan their placements carefully.
One of the most impressive things about Come Sail Away! is how well it balances accessibility with depth. I played the game with my children, aged eight and ten, and they picked it up in no time. The rules are straightforward, the iconography is clear, and the simultaneous play keeps everyone engaged. There’s very little downtime, and the game moves at a brisk pace — most sessions wrap up in under 30 minutes.
That said, don’t let the family-friendly appearance fool you. There’s real strategic depth here, especially when playing with adults or more experienced gamers. The modular setup, the variety of room types, and the constant tension between efficiency and flexibility all combine to create a game that’s easy to learn but hard to master. It’s the kind of game that reveals new layers with each play, and one that rewards thoughtful planning and clever adaptation.
While Come Sail Away! shines as a multiplayer experience, it also includes a robust solo mode that’s well worth exploring. Rather than simply chasing a high score, the solo mode presents a structured challenge that escalates over time. It’s a thoughtful addition that captures the core experience of the game while offering a satisfying puzzle for solo players.
It’s clear that Come Sail Away! was designed with care and attention. The game’s aesthetic is cohesive and inviting, with a soft colour palette and charming illustrations that evoke the relaxed atmosphere of a luxury cruise. The components are high quality, and the modular ship boards are both functional and visually appealing.
But beyond the visuals, what stands out most is the elegance of the design. Every mechanic serves a purpose, and there’s very little fat on the bones. The game doesn’t rely on gimmicks or overly complex systems — instead, it builds depth through interaction, tension, and clever constraints. It’s a masterclass in minimalist design, and a testament to the skill of its designers.
Come Sail Away! is a rare gem — a game that’s approachable enough for families, but deep enough to satisfy hobby gamers. It respects your time, offering meaningful decisions in a compact package. It’s endlessly replayable, thanks to its modular setup and variable room tiles, and it’s just plain fun, whether you’re playing solo, with kids, or with a group of seasoned gamers.
In a market crowded with overproduced, rules-heavy titles, Come Sail Away! is a breath of fresh sea air. It’s a game that knows exactly what it wants to be, and it executes on that vision with style and precision. Whether you’re a fan of spatial puzzles, simultaneous play, or just beautifully designed games, this is one voyage you won’t want to miss.
Come Sail Away is available now from Amazon
Comments are closed.