Porto is a title of Orlando Sá, published in 2019 by MEBO Games, from 1 to 4 players. We had spotted the game ad Essen Spiel 2019 (without being able to try it), and we quickly got a copy that stayed on our shelves for a few months. We finally tested it (and of course reviewed it).
Setting and materials
As the name suggests, Porto is set in the well-known Portuguese city, or rather in its most iconic neighborhood, Riverside. The area is characterized by intricate alleys and numerous colorful buildings which are represented on the game board. Porto players will have to erect buildings of different colors, trying to complete the projects and earn more points than the opponents.
The illustrations (with a naive style) represent the colors and the inhabitants of the neighborhood in a light-hearted way: we personally did not like them but they will probably be appreciated by the younger audience to whom the title is aimed.
The graphics of the cards (especially contracts) and score tiles are unfortunately very bare, in stark contrast to the amount of detail visible on the game board.
Porto mechanics
Taking turns, the players of Porto they will go to draw cards face up from the board or play those already in hand to build the buildings of the city, possibly building in convenient locations and trying to fulfill contracts. If you have a feeling of déjà vu, it is because the mechanics described so far are the same as the famous one Ticket to Ride: With a different setting and some differences in the rules, the dynamics of the two games mostly match.
Each card of Porto represents a color and a number: to build it is necessary to play a pair of cards, choosing the number of one (which will indicate how many floors will be erected) and the color of the other (the tiles of that color will be placed on the board). The mechanics are exactly the same as Gloomhaven, where in each turn two cards are played to choose the upper half of one and the lower half of the other.
The game ends when a certain number of buildings are completed (which depends on the number of players), at which point the private contracts are revealed, the score updated and the winner is determined.
Considerations
Given the similarity in dynamics, a comparison of Porto with the rail of Days of Wonder it seems inevitable to us. Both titles are aimed at an inexperienced audience: Ticket to Ride succeeds best in its intent thanks to the more captivating setting but also due to some mechanics of Porto, not immediately accessible to novices. Younger players, in fact, tend to easily get confused with the score of the buildings since the points are assigned both on the basis of the height (but of the entire building), and on the basis of the common walls (but only of the newly built floors. ).
The aspect in which Porto however it is significantly lower than Ticket to Ride it resides in the emotions it gives us: forget the tension in the competition on the sections of the map, the satisfaction in receiving a mountain of points for a combined completion of several contracts or the fear of not being able to fulfill the contracts still in hand. In Porto you get few points but with so many things, the danger of being cut off from a goal is low and you always find a plan B.
Also worth mentioning is the ability to play single player using the official rules for the automation, included in the box.
