WBG Score: 8.5
Player Count: 2-5
You’ll like this if you like: Century Spice Road, Raiders of the North Sea, Viticulture
Published by: Genius Games
Designed by: John Coveyou
This is a review copy. See our review policy here
Cytosis is a game set within the cell of a human. It has been developed by countless doctors and scientists, and offers a unique educational experience within a board game setting. From my limited understanding of the science behind this, everything is accurate, if a little simplified. But there is a learning opportunity there for sure. Although I would argue, the benefit is more to inspire and intrigue a younger audience than fully educate. But then this is just a board game after all. But is the game any good? Let's get it to the table and find out.
How To Set Up Cytosis
There are two sides to the board. One for a two-player game, and the other for three, four, or five players. Pick the side you need and place this onto the center of the table. Then take all the macromolecule cubes, separate them into their four different types, and place them into separate piles, along with a separate pile for the ATP tokens. Next, separate the deck of cards into the three types; Event cards, Goal cards, and Cell Component cards. Shuffle each deck separately, then deal 10 events cards into a face-down deck for a two or three-player game, 11 for a four-player game, and five for a 12-player game. This will act as the game clock, when the final one is drawn, that will be the last round. Then choose three, four, or five random goal cards for a two, three, or four or higher game. And place these face up next to the main board. Then deal four face-up cards from the Cell component deck onto the spaces for them at the bottom of the main board. If you are playing with two players note you need to remove three Alcohol Detoxification cards before you do this, placing them back into the box. Then deal each player three of the Cell component cards. All players will choose to keep two from these three, discarding the third card, creating a discard pile next to the rest of the deck in the process.
All players will then take the four flasks (three in a four-player game and just two in a five-player) two Transport Vesicle disks, and three markers in their player colour, placing one of the markers on the zero space on the Health score tracker. Give one player the first player token and two ATP tokens, The next player takes three tokens, the next four, and so on. All players can now choose to take two additional resources from the ATP token, black mRNA cubes, or the yellow Lipids cubes. Finally, place the two grey flasks onto the space for them on the main board. These can be used at any time by any player during any round for an additional action, just pay the shown cost. You are now ready to play.
How To Play Cytosis
This is a classic-style worker placement game, where players will take turns placing one of their Flasks onto one of the many worker placement spots on the main board to carry out that action. The game flows over multiple rounds, tracked by the Event deck, with players placing all their flasks each round.
As players place their flasks, one at a time, in turn order, they will carry out the action shown at the space where they position their flask. This is mainly to get resources, new cards, process and then complete the cell components cards, or take the first player marker for the next round.
Taking resources or cards is easy. Simply place your flask in the appropriate space and take the card, for the shown cost (the far left card is always free), or for a resource; take as many as are shown, or pay the appropriate cost for the available exchange.
For example, at the Mitochondria, you can take three or two ATP for free, or pay one green Carbohydrate cube to take six ATP tokens. In classic worker placement style, the spaces are at a premium, and the first person to go to each area typically gets the best deal. Going first and planning your turn order is crucial.
Resources are taken to complete Enzyme, Hormone, or Alcohol Detoxification cards. This is done by paying the shown resources on the card in exchange for the benefit at the bottom, namely, health points. The Enzyme and Alcohol Detoxification cards are fairly self-explanatory, but the Hormone cards take a little more explanation.
You first need to place your flask into the appropriate space, based on which card you are looking to complete. This is clearly shown on the board itself. Then place one of your Transport Vesicle disks onto the open space in this area and then exchange the necessary amount of black mRNA cubes for the required amount of red Protein cubes. Place these onto the Transport Vesicle disk you just placed here. On a subsequent turn, place a second Flask into the lower area where you can now add in the other Macromolecules. Either adding green Carbohydrates or yellow Lipid cubes. Finally, on a third turn, place a third Flask into the Plasma Membrane area, place the card you are completing face up on the table for all to see, pay the required ATP costs, remove the Macromolecules on the Transport Vesicle disk, and gain the shown points.
When you complete the Steroid or Hormone cards, you and other players will also score one or two points for each previously completed card of the same type. Enzymes simply score you a set number of points, but will then score additional bonus points based on how many you completed in the entire game at the end, shown on the bottom of the card. And the Alcohol Detoxification cards score one point at the time of completion, but then extra points at the end of the game based on how many you did in comparison to the other players, again as shown on the card. In a two-player game, note the bonus scores for these cards are just five and two. Ignore the eight-point max.
The only other thing you will be doing during the game is placing your colour cubes onto the goal cards. There are a few choices here, and the first person to place their cube on each one will score an immediate Health point bonus, so it pays to move fast here. Although you will then commit early to that goal. Typically these are about completing different types of cards and will reward you with additional points at the end of the game based on how many of those cards you completed. Focusing you on those cards for the remainder of the game.
Once all players have used all of their flasks, you will move into the refresh phase. Here, all players will retrieve their Flasks, ready to be used again in the next round. Then remove the leftmost Cell component card, slide any remaining cards to the left and add in more from the deck so it is full again. Then reveal the top card from the Event deck and read it aloud to all players. This will typically affect the next round by adding in a bonus resource into one area of the board or reduce the ATP cost of the Cell Component cards for the upcoming round. A new round begins, unless there were no new event cards, in which case final scoring now occurs.
All players will score one point for any group of four black mRNA cubes or yellow Lipid cubes, one point for any three red Protein cubes, and one point for any two green Carbohydrate cubes. Players then total the amount of Alcohol Detoxification cards they completed and score the shown points based on the player count. Then total the completed Enzyme cards and score based on your personal completed amount. Two points for two cards. Up to 14 points for five completed Enzyme cards. Finally, check the Goal cards and total any points scored here by all players who put cubes there during the game. The most health points wins.
Is It Fun? Cytosis Board Game Review
This game was first published in 2017, which is important for the context of this review. The game itself is fantastic - a tight, perfectly executed worker placement game with interesting scoring options, satisfying turns, and a novel and well-executed theme. However, it really does offer nothing new in the grand scheme of things. This game came out five years after Lords of Waterdeep, a game that really set the tone for modern Worker Placement games. You can read more about this game and its mechanisms here. So, some may expect more.
Modern-day games need to stand out for one of three reasons:
They offer something new mechanically.
They do something old, but better.
They offer a unique, interesting, or well-executed theme.
I would say Cytosis only really ticks the final box here. But I still rate it an 8.5. This is because I review games in isolation. This game is an 8.5. It doesn't offer that much new. Many other games have done similar things before. And it doesn't necessarily develop these old tricks in any meaningful way. But it does execute them well, and the game as a standalone entity is good. I offer the context for your benefit, depending on if you have many other worker placement games on your shelves already. In that case, I would suggest the theme is the main criteria here. And if you are into this theme, then get this game. If not, and you already own other worker placement games, this may not be for you. Personally, I like it in my collection as a natural progression from Century Spice Road, to teach new gamers about modern games, mechanics, and get them into our hobby.
I own many other Worker Placement games, but I will keep this in my collection for two others reasons. I like the theme, but I the thing I enjoy most about this, is the way they have executed the progress of the Cell Component cards which is incredibly satisfying. AS I mention above, it feels like Century Spice Road in that you are collecting a certain resource and exchanging it for another. But instead of this being in a simple set-collection, hand-management game; it is done in a worker placement style game. Hence is being a perfect follow on to this game for new gamers. But that also means that it scratches multiple itches as I play, because completing these cards, much like in Century Spice Road, is not easy, which brings me to my second reason. The game is incredibly tight. There is only one space to complete the cards on the two-player side of the board, and just two on the three-player or more side. I like my worker placement games to bring an element of a race to it, which this game does so well!
Let's look at a typical turn in any given round. A new Event card has just made the Carbohydrate production in the Plasma Membrane double as efficient, but only for the first player. The first free card is incredibly juicy, the only one of its type currently face up available, and you really want it. But all three spaces in the Rough ER and Smooth ER are full, and there are only two spots in the Golgi Apparatus which you know people in the Rough ER and Smooth ER are going to want to progress down to. If you don't take one of those, you may miss out on your chance this round to complete your current Cell Component card. And don't forget, the first space at the Nucleus, Mitochondria, and Smooth ER all reward higher than the second, getting their first matters. And of course, only one person per round can add a goal marker to the goal cards and claim the first player token. There is a lot of choice. It is all good. And you can only pick one. Beautifully tight!
I really enjoy my time with this game and would recommend it to anyone who finds the theme interesting. It executes it very well, comes with a separate manual explaining all the terms, (so can be used as a teaching aid with your children), and plays incredibly smoothly. As mentioned, it doesn't necessarily offer anything new in this field, but if you want a pure player worker placement game, with satisfying scoring, and an incredibly tight and rewarding feeling as you play, you can't go wrong with this game. Lords of Waterdeep, is still the granddaddy here for me in this mechanic, but Cytosis will be my new go-to when it comes to teaching people this mechanic if they are looking for something simple, easy to teach, fun to play, and they find this theme interesting. Lords of Waterdeep is potentially a little alienating in this way, as the theme is so typically 'fantasy'. Which obviously isn't everyone's cup of tea. Whereas science is real, and perhaps a little more accessible and appealing to some newer gamers.