Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
I’ll be honest with you. Panorama had built up a bit of a negative reputation around the metaphorical halls of Meeple Mountain prior to its release. When Justin Bell and I played the prototype with publisher Scorpion Masqué at Spiel 2025, I thought it was fine, not something I’d play, and Justin…well, I would say Justin didn’t have much to say about it, but he did, and all of it negative. Phrases like “entirely arbitrary” were thrown around. I’m sure his opinion had nothing to do with the fact that he got walloped.
After Scorpion Masqué provided Justin with a review copy of Panorama during GenCon this year, the game quickly found its way to me. He handed it over wrapped in a bag, like an illicit parcel. His raised eyebrow and sidelong glance said, “Better you than me.” I wasn’t thrilled.
Turns out the joke’s on Justin, and I have to eat crow, because Panorama has proven to be a delight. I have yet to play it with anyone—Justin aside—who didn’t enjoy themselves. People have been so fond of it, in fact, that “Can we roll that back?” has been a frequent response to finishing a first game. Even I, despite my initial indifference, have had a great time.
All you’re doing is building a little tableau, one wavy tile at a time. These tiles, filled as they are with mountains and fields and rivers, create a landscape. Come the end of the game, you score points for the flowers and wildlife that populate each of your contiguous areas. In theory, this is exactly the kind of heads-down game that I don’t have much of a response to, but the people at Scorpion Masqué know better than that.
Panorama excels in its category—light to the point of buoyancy—because of a few small but impactful choices that encourage more player interaction. First, the tile selection borrows a page from Patchwork. You pick tiles by moving your player marker around a circle, taking the top tile from whichever stack you choose to stop on. Whoever is closest to the Active Player marker at that point gets to take the next turn, which means you could end up taking several turns in a row if everybody else is playing aggressively. This provides just enough friction to make choosing tiles interesting. Giving another player an extra turn or two can give them a significant advantage. It’s up to you to decide whether or not the perfect tile a few spots ahead is worth sacrificing that most holy of board gaming advantages, tempo.
Then there are the Achievements, which change from game to game. Biggest contiguous area of sky, fewest separate areas of terrain, most waterfalls, fewest animals, etc. These work so well here because the player tableaux are easily read from across the table. You can see how other people are doing and make decisions accordingly. That then loops back into the tile selection. There’s second-guessing and pushing your advantage as you bet the house on the other player really wanting something different from you. It’s satisfying when you’re right and it’s vexing when you aren’t.
Play continues until two piles are empty. Even this, especially in games with lower player counts, adds some pleasant tension. The first player to empty a stack is out of the game, leaving it up to the others to decide how long they want to extend the dance, assuming they can. It’s all very simple, I’ve played something like it a thousand times before, and yet, Panorama is a cut above. Designer Jules Messaud and first-time designer/artist Melody Leblond have done a tremendous job. It’s rare for something this pleasant and familiar to also feel, in its own quiet way, singular.
Panorama details
- Designer: Jules Messaud, Melody Leblond
- Artists: Melody Leblond
- Publishers: Hachette Boardgames USA, KOSMOS, Scorpion Masqué
- Release Date: 2026
- Player count : 2 - 4
- Age range : 8+
- Time range : 15 - 20 minutes
- Mechanism(s): End Game Bonuses, Open Drafting, Pattern Building, Tile Placement, Turn Order: Time Track, Variable Set-up
- BGG Geek Rating: 7.2514 - converted to Meeple Mountain scale: 3.5.
- More articles about Panorama.
