Published on: August 1, 2025
written by Kiomye Thompson
This month’s highlight is Harmonies from Libellud Studio! Known for dreamy, imaginative games like Dixit and Mysterium, Libellud continues its tradition of visual storytelling and tactile design in this serene tile-laying puzzle. If your ideal game night involves satisfying spatial strategy, gorgeous art, and a sense of quiet accomplishment, Harmonies deserves a place at your table.
Whether you’re a casual gamer or a hobbyist, this one’s easy to learn, hard to put down—and an absolute stunner on the table.
Harmonies is a 1–4 player game for ages 8 and up, with sessions averaging around 30–40 minutes. At its core, it’s a tile-laying and pattern-building game with light drafting and open-ended goals. Each player builds a unique landscape by selecting sets of three colored terrain tokens—mountains, rivers, forests, fields, and more—and placing them on a personal board to form habitats for animals.
On your turn, you’ll pick a trio of terrain tokens from a shared display and place them anywhere on your board. You may also take an animal card, which has a specific habitat requirement you’ll try to fulfill with your token layout. When your terrain meets an animal’s pattern, you place a cube on the board to mark its fulfillment. Once all of an animal’s cubes are placed, the card scores and makes room for a new one.
Each landscape type scores in a unique way. For example, mountains are worth more points when stacked vertically—but only if they’re connected to other mountain tiles. Rivers and forests reward winding paths or expansive clusters, encouraging clever placement and foresight.
While the rules are straightforward, the scoring puzzle quickly deepens. Balancing short-term gains with long-term patterns, managing your limited space, and optimizing token placement to satisfy both terrain and animal goals is a deeply satisfying challenge.
You can also add optional Nature’s Spirit cards during setup. These act like animal cards with a twist: once completed, they grant passive bonuses for the rest of the game, further enriching your decision-making without adding complexity.
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The first thing that drew me to Harmonies—unsurprisingly—was the art. Libellud is famous for its dreamlike aesthetic, and Harmonies continues that legacy beautifully. The animal cards are bursting with color and personality, each one like a page from a lush storybook. But beyond the illustration, the components themselves are just as compelling: wooden tokens stack neatly with a satisfying click, and building up your board into a textured, miniature landscape feels almost meditative.
I brought Harmonies along on a recent camping trip, and it turned out to be the perfect companion. The game doesn’t take up much space, so it was easy to set up on a small picnic table—and playing a game about building landscapes and ecosystems while actually surrounded by nature felt incredibly fitting. There was something magical about constructing a little forest habitat while listening to birds and the wind rustling through real trees. It made for a peaceful, memorable afternoon and cemented Harmonies as my go-to summer pick for light, beautiful gameplay with a strong thematic connection to the outdoors.
This game has that rare combination of tactile joy and strategic elegance. There’s no direct player conflict, which keeps the game calm and focused, but you’re always engaged thanks to the shared token display and limited animal selection. It strikes a great balance between planning and adapting—especially when the tiles you need just aren’t available.
Despite the game’s simplicity, the strategic possibilities are rich. It’s easy to teach in under ten minutes, but the puzzle stays engaging session after session. There’s also a lovely solo mode that challenges you to beat your own high score. I found it surprisingly relaxing—perfect for unwinding while still scratching that strategic itch.
While some may prefer heavier games with deeper interaction or long-term engines, Harmonies never tries to be that. Its charm lies in its clarity, pacing, and how effortlessly it invites players of all levels into its world.
There were no major issues I encountered. Everything—from setup to cleanup—feels intuitive and polished. It’s the kind of game you can bring to any group, teach quickly, and still enjoy watching players find creative ways to sculpt their own little world.
Whether you’re building winding rivers for otters or layering rocky peaks for mountain goats, Harmonies delivers a peaceful, thoughtful experience with outstanding table presence. It’s ideal for casual players, nature lovers, fans of Cascadia-style puzzles, or anyone looking for something beautiful, brainy, and deeply satisfying to play.
If you’re looking to build something beautiful—literally—Harmonies is a game worth exploring
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