WINGSPAN

A beautifully illustrated digital version of a board game I fell in love with instantly. I'm a big fan of engine builders and this is the game that taught me how much I like that style of game. I've been playing online with my friends a lot!

This review is going to be a little different from my usual format, as instead of telling you that the avian-themed strategy is fun and the designs are aesthetically pleasing, I want to tell you why Wingspan is important to me. I’ll try to keep it short.
Awhile ago I was sent to the hospital by ambulance, for privacy reasons I won’t share why, but for the next three weeks I’d be in recovery. It wasn’t until my fifth day when I was actually able to leave my room that I began to socialize. The first person I talked to was a girl who I’ll call Ren, she was self-admitted on the day of blood-work and I got to meet her after breakfast.
She actually attended my Highschool and when I was a Freshman she was a Senior, we were even in the same Art Club at the same time, ended up attending some events together but I never actually noticed her, funny thing was when I first saw her in the hospital I thought she looked like an artist, no particular reason, just read her as one. The first thing I asked her was about was the book she was reading and she asked me about the hoodie I was wearing. Naturally I asked her if she wanted to sit down and well, the rest is history; we became fast friends. You could say our relationship “took flight” then.
The unit we stayed in had a recreation office and a small living area for the patients, there were activities and books, board games too which is also how we found the physical version of Wingspan. This is also how I found out how much she loved birds, she had a few back at home and told me how much she missed them. So of course, Wingspan became a normal part of our daily routine playing it for hours each day, we'd even skip some meals and parts of our rehabilitation. I actually learned a lot about birds through playing it and the various ramblings of Ren, I’m quite the enthusiast now and my favorite bird is the Kingfisher if you were wondering. As for her? Well she was really fond of her one Budgie, who was wonderfully white with sky blue accents, and a funereal black beak. I got to see a few pictures, she was lovely. Cuddly too, so I've heard. That was her favorite.
Though sadly, a week and a half before she was discharged, Suki passed away of natural causes. We both cried. We stopped playing Wingspan as it had suddenly become a bitter taste in our mouths, but without it I fear our friendship would not have happened, and perhaps worse, each of us would have been alone during one of the saddest times of our lives.
Ren discharged shortly thereafter and as did I a week after her. We stay in touch every now and then, but the busy life she lives prevents her from answering the phone some days. Thinking of her, I had remembered I had purchased wingspan on Steam long ago, but never got around to playing it. It's been two months since I was hospitalized, but now I play it happily and reminisce of the conversations, laughter and the strength we had in recovery.
As for the review part of this I'll let others cover it. But for what I have to say is although the virtual version offers you not only DLC but the ability to play online with others all over the world, I would personally recommend the physical version of wingspan, I acknowledge I’m quite biased, but the authentic connections you can make over a face-to-face card game are times that remain valuable forever.
This review is Dedicated to Suki, may angels lead you in. And Ren, wherever you are, take care of yourself. Thank you for being a friend who was not only compassionate and empathetic, but also incredibly sincere and encouraging.

This game really makes you feel like an old man who likes birds a bit too much, especially if you play with your boyfriend who is also being affected by the "makes you feel like an old man who likes birds a bit too much" bit. You will certainly yell at each other like old men in a retirement home. The art adds to this, as it's all water colors and color pencils, simulating the oddly cozy feeling of being in a retirement home adorned by such things.
Perfect game, 10/10.

The most of my live I fall in love with the strategies or the shooters or RPG's.
Wingspan I've just decided to try because of "something weird with beautifully drawn birds".
BUT
This game is definitely addictive for a long time, because it's very interesting and it's literally impossible to tear yourself away. The most important thing is that no game is ever similar to another. At the same time all of them are interesting, and you don't notice how you are seriously thinking over the choice of a bird or the next step as well as in strategy game.
AND
Very nice drawing, you look at it , then google about birds.
Very relaxing , just a peace of rest in any situation.
Thrillingly, earnestly, wisely.

Wingspan is an online version of an already established bird-themed board game. Due to the nature of the game, there isn't really a story or a narrative. Just "simple" bird collection and bird management with friends (and foes).
I won't go into the various intricacies and mechanics of the game, as that would make the review unbelievably dense, but the standard gameplay loop revolves around a simple set of actions. You can either select a new bird, play a bird, gain food, or lay eggs. However, you only have a limited number of turns to do all of these actions, and there are various goals and bonus cards you need to pay attention to at the same time. There are also different food costs for birds, active abilities, and a lot more mechanics that all combine into a quite the strategic game despite the deceptively cute game concept. The game is a joy to play and is one of the few board game concepts out there that reward a competitive spirit while also allowing you to not be outright mean to your friends. However, that doesn't mean this game is without its issues.
As a new player, this game suffers from information overload, as there are SO MANY things you need to grasp in order to play somewhat well. You're usually able to get a grasp on how the game functions after 2-3 full games and maybe some guides, but the online version of Wingspan makes this learning period even more ruthless with its cluttered UI and lackluster tutorial. The tutorial barely does a good job of teaching you the intricacies of the game, and you're much better off just playing matches with some friends or AI to learn the basics. As for the UI, there are so many icons and interfaces that, while useful, make learning the game even more difficult.
The online version of Wingspan also suffers heavily from people leaving mid-game. You can be having an excellent game and just have someone ragequit or forget that it's their turn.
The consequence for the leaver is that they lose 5 karma, which is a fair enough penalty, as you need to play 5 entire games to get that karma back, but it puts people that just have real-life circumstances in an unfortunate situation, as these penalties stack up and eventually put you in a sort of "second-class citizen" status where you are paired with other people who leave games, and you can have a difficult time gaining your karma back, as you don't gain karma from games where someone has left.
Even when disregarding the unfortunate situation for the leaver, the person who did nothing wrong and was playing the game actively is also punished, as they aren't able to gain karma, and they also lose the ability to continue playing with the other active player. They give you an option to keep playing the game with bots, but I feel like there should be an option to replace the inactive player with the bot rather than everyone.
All in all, I absolutely love Wingspan in general, but the online version leaves much to be desired in various areas. If the karma system, leaver situation, and UI clutter were adjusted, then I feel like this version of Wingspan would be in a much better spot. Despite these issues, I highly recommend giving this game a try, as once you understand the full mechanics of the game, there is a ton of fun to be had!
(P.S. You can play all expansions in online mode, so there is no requirement to buy any of the DLC if you can't be asked to pay for it)

Wingspan is a wonderful game! It has a lot of moving parts, so there is a bit of a steep learning curve, but it's completely worth it once you get used to the mechanics of the game. Each bird card is well-designed, with various details and a colored image of each bird. It's equally fun to play with the max players as it is with only one other person. I look forward to getting each of the other expansions and having new features and birds to play with.

Game itself is good, you can have a good time playing cute bird card with chilling music. But multiplayer experience is kinda sucks, each players have to wait for up to 10 mins until your next turn. It's so frustrating when you get a slow player in your game and it's literally unplayable. What's worst thing about it is you can't change the multiplayer waiting timer.