photosynthesis board game

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Photosynthesis Review

We review Photosynthesis, a new arboreal game published by Blue Orange Games. In Photosynthesis, players are trying to earn the most points by completing the life cycles of their trees.

Photosynthesis is an abstract strategy game for 2-4 players that takes about 60 minutes to play. Photosynthesis plays well at all player counts.

Gameplay Overview:

In Photosynthesis, the goal is to earn the most points by completing the life cycles of your trees. The game is played over a series of rounds, each of which has two phases :

1. The Photosynthesis Phase The sun is moved to the next segment on the board clockwise and players total up their light points from the trees they have on the board. The light “shines” from where the sun marker is at, and tress will earn light points based on their size. Trees will also cast shadows based on their height, and will block other trees in their shadow from earning light points.

2. The Life Cycle Phase In player order, each player can spend their light points to buy, plant, grow and collect trees. Each seed and tree has a cost in light points to add it to your ready area. Once in your available area, light points can then be used to move a seed to the board. Players can also grow a seed into a small tree, a small tree into a medium one, and a medium to a large. Finally, a player can spend 4 light points to harvest a large tree, earning victory points based on where it was on the game board. The closer a player is to the center, the more points.

The only other thing to be aware of is that players can only interact with a space on the board once per round. So you can’t grow the same tree twice, or plant and grow it in the same turn.

Once the sun makes three full revolutions around the game board, the game ends and the player with the most points wins.

Game Experience:

First of all, in case you can’t tell from the photos, Photosynthesis looks amazing. The artwork is beautiful and when the trees are laid out across the board in varying heights, it looks like a real forest. As it’s essentially an abstract strategy game, the publisher could have gone a lot of routes with the components. They could have even used wooden blocks and the game would work just as well. But they didn’t, and the fantastic package they put together defiantly makes the game more enjoyable to play.

However components would mean nothing if the game play didn’t hold up, and thankfully it does. The mechanics are very easy to learn as the player boards do a great job of handholding the players through their turn. Everything has a labeled cost, and it even shows upgrade costs and other relevant information. That makes Photosynthesis an easy choice to pull out with your non-gamer friends as questions should be minimal.

When it comes to player scaling, I’ve found that Photosynthesis plays somewhat different at each of its player counts. A 2 player game is going to have a lot of spaces for expansion, so it can turn into a very strategic affair. Chances are the spots you want for your trees will be open. Simply form a plan and execute.

However at the four player count, competition is going to be fierce for prime real estate and the game can actually get a little mean (if that’s your group’s style). Because trees can block other trees from earning light points, there will be plenty of times when you can block an entire row of your opponent’s trees with a well-placed tall tree. The game also migrates from strategic to tactical here because the board state can change a bunch in between your turns, so you will definitely need to be flexible and ready to react.

And as accessible as Photosynthesis is, it can also be a very thinky game. You have to place your tress carefully to make sure no one is blocking their light. Then, you have to decide when you harvest your trees. Those level 3 trees earn you a lot of light points, but they don’t do you any good until you cut them down (earning you the bulk of your victory points). So there is a risk vs reward nature to the game where you have to try and determine the best opportunity to cut your trees down against future earnings. Plus, the victory points decrease as players collect tokens, so that’s another factor to consider.

As much as I’m enjoying Photosynthesis, and I definitely am, I have found that the end game can be sometimes lack luster. The first round is going to be a quick ramp up, with the second round containing the most actions and longest turns. However the final round will be all about trying to maximize your points. Yet since you can only interact with a space on the board once per turn, the last couple of rounds can be a bit slow (or even boring) if you didn’t play exceedingly well. In one game, players didn’t even take any actions in the final round, because you can’t grow and harvest a tree in the same turn. So usually it was just better to do nothing and collect some light points (which earn VPs).

Final Thoughts:

I was really hoping that I’d like Photosynthesis and I’m glad I did. The components looked so good and the theme was a fresh one. The game ended up being easy to learn, yet still provided more than enough depth to keep just about anyone entertained. And for an abstract strategy game, it actually uses its theme quite well. The sunlight mechanic in Photosynthesis is very clever and growing trees made perfect sense.

Whether you are looking for a new gateway game, a game to play with your family, or even a light game to play with your gaming group, Photosynthesis can easily slide into any of those roles. This one will be staying in my collection and I can easily see it making its way to my gaming table quite often.

Final Score: 4 Stars – A unique, accessible, and excellent looking game that plays well at all player counts.

Misses: • End game can be a bit boring unless you planned really well

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Easy to learn but hard to master, Photosynthesis is a great strategic game, and a lovely way to pass 45 mins or so.

Simple but has deep strategy

Easy to learn and teach

Looks great

Really captures the 'circle of life' theme

Can be dry and deterministic

Takes a few minutes to set up

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Photosynthesis is a rare blend you find in only the best board games: a very simple game with deep strategy that also perfectly evokes its theme. As the title implies, that theme is trees growing in the sunlight. 

The more trees you have, the more light they capture and the more you can grow new seedlings. But you can’t keep growing more trees forever: to score you must sacrifice a full-grown tree, in a neat simulacrum of the circle of life.

Photosynthesis has been a big hit with modern board game fans, and is starting to find a home with more casual players. And that's well deserved, because this kind of easy-to-learn, great-looking game should have wide appeal. 

And there's more here than just looks – experienced players will find there's a layer of strategy to the game that's very rewarding for those who grow with it.

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Photosynthesis board game: Price and who it's for

The game comes with a lot of cardboard trees that you have to punch out and slot together. They look fantastic in play; a bonsai forest growing on your tables. So the asking price of around £35/$40 seems very reasonable. And the whole family can enjoy the spectacle as the suggested age of 10+ seems right on the money, and each game takes about fifteen minutes per player to play.

It also scales well from the two to four players it accepts, although three is probably the sweet spot. The rules are logical and straightforward with a clear cause and effect path, so they’re not difficult to learn. Like Chess, though, the game has no random elements, so success depending entirely on planning ahead. Players who prefer lighter, more chaotic fare like party games may find this a turn-off, but it's not too much of a brain-twister, and isn't intimidating in any way.

Photosynthesis board game: How it plays

Each player starts the game with a solitary small tree of their type on the board, and a supply of trees and seeds they'll be able to add to the board over time. On your first turn, that tree will collect one light point from the sun, which you'll probably then use to plant a new seed. 

On later turns, you can spend larger amounts of light to grow seeds into small trees or increase the size of existing trees. Bigger trees can then collect more light, increasing your options.

The board has highlighted zones which score higher points for trees the closer they are to the centre. So the initial turns are a race for the best scoring spots. But at the same time, trying to gobble up all the space as fast as possible is a risk. You’ll soon run out of trees, meaning you have to use some of your light to buy more. And you won’t be growing your trees taller if you're spending all your points to make new ones, which leaves you at the mercy of the game’s very novel method of interaction.

Each turn, the sun (represented by a large token) moves to a new spot on the board, rotating around the board one side at a time. You then draw a line from the position of the sun across the board to see which trees are in a position to soak it up and get light points. 

Trees hidden behind other trees will only get the light if they’re taller than the one in front, otherwise they're stuck in the shade, and don't earn any light point for you. Taller trees, in turn, cast a shadow further back, blocking precious light from more competitors behind them. As a result, racing to cover ground with lots of small trees isn’t always the best option.

This is how the game unfolds: the sun and the turn order follow a fixed path. It’s up to you to identify what spots will be in sun and which in shadow, second guess other player’s moves and plan accordingly. You’ll need to balance getting light for yourself against blocking it from others, as well as access to the best scoring spaces. It’s a game that rewards logical thought and organization, but even when you’ve got that down, there’s another catch.

Growing trees is all very well, but at some point, you have to sacrifice them to get them to score – in this case, that means removing a tree from the board, leaving its spot empty. Before you can sacrifice a tree, it has to be full-grown (ie, the tallest of the three stages), and you only ever have two full-grown tree pieces to play with. Timing it so you can get both on the board, and have a mid-size tree ready to grow when one gets sacrificed and you get the piece back is a tricky art.

All the more so because as soon as that big tree gets recycled into points, two things happen. First, it’s no longer casting its long shadow on the board, giving lots of other trees a chance to catch the light and grow. Second, you’ve just lost a major source of light yourself. So it’s a double whammy, reducing your ability to grow while increasing that of other players. But if you want to win, you’ve got to do it. And in a further twist, earlier trees get more points, creating another awkward tension between scoring now and scoring later.

As you’ve likely noticed, the game does an outstanding job of capturing its title. The way more trees capture more light allowing your species to thrive creates a beautiful, circular mimic of a real ecosystem on the board, and this also makes it easier to teach – everything just makes sense to people because it fits with real life. 

The strategy is also pleasingly circular, forever catching the players in a bind of competing priorities. It’s fitting, then, that the board itself is also a circle and the trees create a vibrant tabletop woodland to enjoy.

But for all its autumnal color, Photosynthesis can be dry and deterministic. It’s often possible to see who’s going to win a turn or two in advance. Only some secret scoring discs put it in doubt, and even they follow a fixed order so veteran players will still know the score. Said discs are also a bit of a pain to put in order when you want to set up each new game. 

This is not a thrill a minute game, but is more about the satisfaction of building your woodland over time, and pulling off the occasional tactical coup. And younger or newer players will be at a significant disadvantage compared to old hands, though that won't stop them enjoying playing – again, there's pleasure in the building, not just the winning.

Photosynthesis board game: Verdict

Simple to learn, quick to play and attractive to look at, Photosynthesis deserves to be a big hit. It's worth remembering that it's a game that can be tough on the players if approached with merciless competitiveness by more experienced players – without any randomness there’s nowhere for weaker players to hide, and the only way to do better is to think harder – but some will also prefer that luck can never turn against you in it. 

But if you're up for the challenge, or are happy to build develop something attractive regardless of winning or losing, it will prove very rewarding while also being very accessible. 

Photosynthesis board game: Also consider

A game with a similar feel but which offers more variety is Santorini. This is another logical game where players race to build and climb towers while blocking their opponent from doing the same. There’s a raft of easy special powers for the players that make each game different. It’s best with two, though, as there’s lots of head to head competition: playing with more means playing as a team.

For families or younger players, check out Kingdomino and its more complex cousin Queendomino. In both games, players build a kingdom by connecting colorful domino pieces, trying to get big areas of the same type of land together. You can see which pieces are up for grabs a turn in advance, but the better the piece you choose, the later in the order you’ll be for choosing next turn, giving it an additional element of skill.

Matt has been writing about and reviewing tabletop games professionally for over a decade and playing them since he could talk. He's also the author and co-author of three books on the subject. He writes about video games, too, and his other hobbies include hiking and cooking.

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Photosynthesis Review

By: Author Bryan Truong

Categories Board Games , Board Game Reviews , Euro

Stats at a glance

Players : 2-4

Duration : 30-60

Difficulty : Medium

Published : 2017

Publisher : Blue Orange Games

Just like Sauron who forgot the awesome power of the forest , so too have board gamers neglected an astounding force of nature… trees. Check out the full Photosynthesis Review below.

“I thought all the trees were whispering to each other, passing news and plots along in an unintelligible language; and the branches swayed and groped without any wind. They do say the trees do actually move, and can surround strangers and hem them.” ―J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

The Photosynthesis board game is all about growing trees. No, not like the ones at r/trees , or the ents that tore down Isengard. Your average run-of-the-mill pine coney variety that grows straight, tall, and strong, as long as they have light.

The game is based on the chemical process that all plants use to gain food. If you need a refresher, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water are transformed into glucose (sugar) for the plants’ cells and oxygen which we need to breathe.

It’s an integral part of our everyday lives that we rarely think about, but does it need to be a part of our board gaming shelf?

Let’s find out.

Table of Contents

A Brief Overview of Photosynthesis

In Photosynthesis, players become trees, and not in a weird druid or metaphysical sense. Players plant trees around the board to grow and capture those sweet, sweet rays of sunshine needed to grow and become big strong happy trees. Bob Ross would be proud.

The game is played over three rounds, tracked by the sun rotating around the board. Photosynthesis uses a unique game mechanic in which the sun tracker casts shadows depending upon its position, making the game a constant struggle for the best position for optimum sunlight.

For a very well-made and cute game about trees, it turns out that there is a lot of struggle and conflict on the board.

Versions & Expansions

Under the moonlight.

Under the Moonlight adds a whole new cycle to the game. In addition to the rotating sun, the moon enters the game rotating in the opposite direction.

Now players have the option of collecting moon points in addition to sun points to grow their trees. The moon points activate variable player powers that come in the form of different animals, adding a new level of strategy into the mix.

Unboxing Photosynthesis

First of all, there are a lot of trees in this box. That really shouldn’t surprise anyone, though. The tree cutouts for Photosynthesis are really cute and very well-made. It’s just a simple matter of punching out some trees and sliding them together.

I haven’t had too many issues with keeping them together during actual gameplay. Once together, they never have to be taken apart, and if you’re really nutty like I am, you may even consider throwing on a dab of glue. The box comes with 4 square holders that work the same way the little plastic table does in a pizza box. It keeps the box from pressing down and smashing all of your pretty trees, which I thought was really handy.

For a game about photosynthesis, you’ll notice that a lot of components are made of cardboard. Actually, there’s really not a whole lot of plastic to be found anywhere. The green-conscious designers over at Blue Orange Games use recycled cardboard or natural fibers for their games. Plastic trees would definitely be easier to mass-produce (and cheaper), but it’s rather refreshing seeing a company practice what they preach.

Blue Orange Games is actually pretty green

In fact, Blue Orange Games has been working since 2006 on a program to plant trees in China. For every tree used in one of their cardboard board games, they plant two in China. To date, they have planted over 125,000 trees! As residents of environmentally conscious San Francisco, Blue Orange has partnered with several other eco-organizations, like Save the Bay and PUR Projet . Save the Bay works towards cleaning up and restoring the San Francisco Bay, while PUR Projet is a company in France that works with companies to help offset their carbon footprint by reforesting the Amazon.

It’s refreshing to see a company working hard to protect the environment, while at the same time producing games that spread awareness of its mission. If you’d like to learn more about Blue Orange Games and their green efforts, check out their article on Playing to Preserve our Planet here .

How to Play Photosynthesis

The entire rulebook is about 4 pages. You’re not going to have any difficulties learning how to play Photosynthesis. The rules are extremely lightweight but there is a bit of strategy involved, so it’s not going to get stale after only a game or two.

Each player gets a player board that has all of the costs of actions on it. This makes everything super easy and doesn’t require any heavy memorization to play. Fill up all of the tree slots on the board with the corresponding size of trees.

There should be 4 seed tokens, 4 small trees, and 1 medium tree that are left over after you fill-up the player board. These are your starting supply of trees.

Light and Shadow

Next, find the crescent-shaped sun piece and place it on the edge of the board. After each player takes a turn, they’ll score sun points depending on their tree placement. Each tree casts a “shadow” depending upon the position of the sun.

A small tree casts a shadow 1 space away, a medium tree casts a shadow 2 spaces away, and a large tree casts a shadow 3 spaces away. If a tree that is equal to or smaller than the tree casting the shadow, it will not gain any sun points. If the tree is larger than the tree casting the shadow, it will still gain sun points.

There are 4 markers in the box that represent the movement of the sun (even though we all know that the Earth rotates, causing night and day, not the sun). They simply provide an easy way to keep track of the round being played.

After each full revolution of the sun, you can change the marker to indicate what round you are playing. Normally, there are only 3 rounds to the game, but if you are playing the advanced variation of the game, there are 4 rounds.

Sun points are used to grow and plant new trees. Each action will have a cost valued in sun points. All of the information is printed on the board for quick reference. To move closer to the center of the board, players need to plant new trees from seeds. The larger the initial tree, the farther the seed can be placed.

The starting trees and seeds (1 medium tree, 4 small trees, and 4 seeds) are the plants you have available. To plant a large tree or anything else that’s sitting on your player board, you’ll need to purchase the tree with sun points. You can’t plant a tree directly from the player board. They need to be purchased from the board first.

Another limitation is that any one particular plant can only be grown or activated once. For example, if you plant a brand new seed onto a new space, you can’t immediately grow it into a small tree on that turn. The same rule applies to all trees. This prevents players from stocking up points and hogging the center square.

Scoring and Ending the Game

When a tree is fully grown, players can choose to score it. Scoring the tree means removing it from the board and gaining points based on the tile on which it was planted. The center of the board is much more difficult to get trees planted and into maturity, but it has the most victory points.

When scoring, look at the color of the tile that the tree is on. You’ll notice there are three different colored tiles. The outer rings are browner in color and as players get closer to the center, you’ll see the tiles become a darker green.

As I mentioned earlier, the center (greener) tiles are going to be worth more points. Once a tree is scored, players will pick up a scoring tile that matches the color where the tree was planted. Each scoring tile will have a number of points on it. The darker green tiles in the center of the board will have a higher number of points on them, but players can still win the game if they strategically block from the outer board.

If you decide to score a fully grown tree, remove it from the board and place it back on your player board. If you ever have to place a tree or seed back on the player board and there are no open spots on the board, the tree or seed is removed from the game instead.

Once the sun has gone around the board 3 times, the game ends.

Your First Game of Photosynthesis

For your first game, start by setting up the player boards and supply of trees. Once that’s done, players will choose a spot for their happy little saplings around the edge of the board.

Most strategies in the game revolve around rushing to the center and keeping hold of the middle spot for points. You could also try blocking out the center by growing taller trees on the edge and using them as sun blockers, instead of scoring them.

Getting to the center of the board doesn’t necessarily guarantee victory. If you can’t make it to the center, try swarming around the edges with strategic blocking. If you can keep up the blocks by controlling the edges while simultaneously scoring trees, the center square won’t matter if you overwhelm them with smaller points and if you don’t allow your opponent to grow anything.

It’s a very simple game and you won’t have any issues learning it. The tricky part comes when players begin to grow trees willy nilly all over the place and start blocking out the sun. It’s very common for this happy tree game to swiftly devolve into death threats (at least at my table anyway) over tree placement.

Advanced Rules

After your first game of Photosynthesis, there are additional rules in the book that Blue Orange Games calls the advanced rules. Instead of 3 rounds, you get to play for 4 rounds (4 complete revolutions of the sun). In addition to this, you can’t activate trees that are in the shade.

This means if a tree is blocked, players can’t simply spend sun points to grow out of the shadow. They’ll have to wait until the sun rotates to a free spot, or on the low chance the poor tree is blocked on all 4 sides, it gets to sit there doing nothing for the whole game.

Personally, I like the additional rules. I’m a glutton for games and always want to play another round. This sometimes gets me into trouble, but the advanced rules, in my opinion, make more sense and feel like the proper way to play the game.

The Pros & Cons of Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is probably one of the prettiest and aesthetically pleasing games I’ve seen in a long while. During a full game full of trees and all 4 players , the board does look very pretty. Most players appreciate solid components that work together, and Photosynthesis did an excellent job with them.

The recycled products used to make a board game about photosynthesis does make me really respect Blue Orange Games. I’ve been to a lot of places in Southeast Asia where plastic covers the ground as far as you can see, so it always makes me happy seeing a company try to reduce plastic.

The game is very easy to learn. If you like playing with your kids, it brings a fun teachable moment to the table. You could impress your younger family members with your vast knowledge of chlorophyll and cell walls if they’re really interested. I still remember when I was younger, I got interested in the weirdest topics because of board games, so I think it’s an excellent game for the younger crowd.

For a happy tree game, it’s kinda brutal. The majority of the game is about positioning trees in order to gain optimal sunlight and victory points, but that also includes blocking other players and denying them that sweet, sweet sunlight.

There has to be a philosophical lesson in there somewhere about how something so pretty can cause so much anguish and despair. The game is designed with blocking and denying other players in mind. If you aren’t into confrontational games, then this is not going to be for you.

There are no variable-sized boards for 2 players and it makes the game seem a lot less refined. There’s a lot more space and it’s much easier to stay out of everyone’s way with only 2 players, and it just seems unbalanced.

With 3 players , it seems to be the perfect balance between players and available space. There’s enough room for everyone to block and be blocked without causing a rage-induced fistfight and with 4 players, chances are good of someone walking away from the table with a bloody nose.

Photosynthesis Review (TL;DR)

• Lightweight & easy to learn
• Very pretty when it’s all set up
• Zero Violence – Photosynthesis is a pretty tame theme, but there is still plenty of conflict in the game.
• Has a good amount of strategy to keep each game interesting
• All the components are sturdy cardboard and made from recycled materials

Conclusion: Verdict?

I really enjoyed Photosynthesis. It’s a cute little game with a completely unique theme. I thought the use of a rotating sun was a nice touch as well. As far as gameplay is concerned it’s very lightweight and great for kids to learn. That being said it is a conflict-heavy game. It all depends on knowing your audience as well. If you do play with younger kids and they don’t do well with conflict, this either becomes a very teachable moment in their lives or the point in which they learn to hate board games.

Super easy rules

The rules themselves are so simple and easy to learn. I always enjoy it when I can have fun with a game without spending hours in a rulebook beforehand. Most of the upgrades follow a 1-2-3 progression.

• Seedling to small tree = 1 sun point.
• Small tree to medium tree = 2 sun points.
• Medium tree to large tree = 3 sun points.
• To score a large tree = 4 sun points.

Everything is in a nice neat progressive order that also extends to a lot of other rules like how much shadow each tree covers or how many light points each tree gets in a round. They again follow that simple 1-2-3 pattern making the rules very easy to learn.

It is a fun game. There’s strategy involved, it looks great on the table, and it has a completely unique theme. I, however, can only see myself playing this a couple more times before I’m really done with it, though. The worst part is I can’t really pin down why. I enjoy abstract strategy games , and I play chess quite a bit with Kendra, so it’s not that. The theme is neat and unique and as a teacher, it’s always cool to see games that can be brought into a classroom .

Meh…?

There are a lot of good reviews and a lot of great feedback for the game. I had a lot of fun the first few times I played it, but I just can’t see myself playing it a whole lot. I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn’t get into it. The theme which most likely attracted you to the game in the first place is interesting, but there just wasn’t enough there for me to want to keep it around on my shelf.

It’s won a handful of awards since it was released, so it has been well received by critics, which always makes me question myself when I don’t like a game, but I just can’t find enough gameplay that I like in the box. I’d be interested to see if they make an expansion for the game. I think it could fix a lot of the problems that Photosynthesis faces, especially scaling issues with the game.

What did you think of Photosynthesis?

We hope you enjoyed our Photosynthesis review! If you have any comments, find anything we missed, or just want to talk about some board games leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.

Find even more Strategy Board Games in our video below:

Before starting GameCows with his wife Kendra, he used to teach English Language Arts in the US. He combined his love of gaming with education to create fun game-based learning lessons until he eventually decided to run GameCows with Kendra full-time. He’s known for pouring over rulebooks in his spare time, being the rule master during game night, and as the perma DM in his DnD group. Bryan loves board games, writing, traveling, and above all his wife and partner in crime, Kendra.

Tuesday 31st of January 2023

Maybe we are game challenged, but I found Photosynthesis confusing. Not sure how many actions can be completed at each sun position and we kept getting massive amounts of points.

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Photosynthesis Under The Moonlight - Expansion to Photosynthesis Original Game- Family or Adult Strategy Board Game for 2 to 4 Players. Recommended for Ages 10 and Up.

Photosynthesis Board Game

Photosynthesis Under The Moonlight

Purchase options and add-ons

About this item.

• STRATEGY TABLETOP BOARD GAME: Photosynthesis is one of the best environmental tactical board games referring to the life cycle of trees, for science and biology enthusiasts. This best-selling board game has an amazing table presence with an ever-changing forest made of high-quality cardboard pieces.
• EXPANSION- Under the Moonlight is the first expansion of the original Photosynthesis game. You need the original game to play with the expansion.
• Enhance the world of Photosynthesis with the Under the Moonlight expansion! The moon turns in the opposite direction of the sun and casts its moonlight into the woods. Strategically position your animal by the moonstones, activate their capabilities at the right time, and be careful to not stay too long in the shadow of the Great Elder Tree! Players collect lunar points for their new forest animal to activate special powers.
• Which one of the 8 animals will be yours? The boar collects trees, the hedgehog plants seeds, the fox steals and moves seed around, the owl turns lunar points into sun points…
• ECO FRIENDLY: Blue Orange is sensitive to the protection of planet earth and to climate change challenges and only uses recycled materials to manufacture Photosynthesis.

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Enhance the world of Photosynthesis with the Under the Moonlight expansion! The moon turns in the opposite direction of the sun and casts its moonlight into the woods. Players collect lunar points for their new forest animal to activate special powers. Which one of the 8 animals will be yours? The boar collects trees, the hedgehog plants seeds, the fox steals and moves seed around, the owl turns lunar points into sun points… Strategically position your animal by the moonstones, activate their capabilities at the right time, and be careful to not stay too long in the shadow of the Great Elder Tree! This expansion requires the base game Photosynthesis to play.

Important information

Safety information.

Small Parts- Not for Children under 3 years old

From the manufacturer

Enhance the world of Photosynthesis with the Under the Moonlight expansion!

The moon turns in the opposite direction of the sun and casts its moonlight into the woods.

The Under The Moonlight expansion includes:

1 Great Elder Tree, 1 Full Moon/ Half-Moon token, 1 Moon Phase tracker, 8 Animal meeples (wooden/both sides printed), 4 Lunar Point trackers,1 Dam tile (for the beaver), 8 Baby Turtle tokens, 3 Moonstones and Illustrated Rules.

What's in the box

• 1 Great Elder Tree1 Full Moon/ Half-Moon token1 Moon Phase tracker8 Animal meeples4 Lunar Point trackers1 Dam tile (for the beaver)8 Baby Turtle tokens3 MoonstonesIllustrated Rules

Videos for this product

Click to play video

Favorite game for years!

Jennifer Young

Photosynthesis Board Game Review After 3 Years

Dungeon Loot Armory

Photosynthesis Game Revew *Must Watch!

Schafer Fam

Great Game For The Entire Family And Friends!

Top Tier Reviews

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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers say the board game is easy to assemble and understandable. They also appreciate the high quality construction and durable components. Customers describe the game as fast paced and exciting. They mention that watching the tree change is stressful and enchanting. Customers also like the gift, and entertainment value. However, some customers have issues with damage and disagree on strategy.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the game intriguing, awesome, and fun. They also appreciate the interesting game mechanic and the well designed game. Overall, customers recommend the game for yourself or as a gift.

"...The game is so intriguing , in fact, that my wife (who normally does not get involved in our gaming sessions) wanted to play the game over and..." Read more

"...Let me tell you, the strategy to this game is NOT simple . This is area control at its finest...." Read more

"...Non-gamer friendly - this game is clear , well laid out, has one major resource system, 4 major action systems, and 2 environmental mechanics - it is..." Read more

"...understandable and enjoyed by most eight year olds, but the strategy is in depth enough that your going to want to play it even without the kids!..." Read more

Customers find the board game fairly easy to learn and understandable. They also say the rules are simple and easy to pick up. Customers also say that the game is not super difficult for hard core gamers, but challenging enough. They say the trees are separated by color, making future set up easy.

"...Because it's based on nature, I found the rules very easy to pick up ; just do what a tree would do, and you'll be fine...." Read more

"...4 major action systems, and 2 environmental mechanics - it is easy to understand , quick to learn, and fun to jump into.The Bad..." Read more

"...can easily store all the assembled trees separated by color so future set up is easy ...." Read more

"...This game is simple enough to be understandable and enjoyed by most eight year olds, but the strategy is in depth enough that your going to want to..." Read more

Customers like the quality of the board game. They mention that it's family friendly, has beautiful art, and high quality construction. They also say that the components are great, and the game is durable. Customers also appreciate the original mechanics and solid rules. They say that it looks good and plays pretty well.

"...All the components are high quality and very well done . All four sets of trees are different and colored beautifully!..." Read more

"...readable board and tiles to the obvious stand out, the trees, each unique and aesthetically thrilling as the forest begins to populate the board...." Read more

"...Completely different than most games. Strategic and a joy to play. Great components ...." Read more

"...High rate for friendly game playBeautiful art High quality construction Very family friendly !..." Read more

Customers like the pace of the board game. They say it's fast paced, easy to learn, and moves quickly. Some customers also mention that the game is low impact and has a high rate for friendly game play. However, some customers say that the timing of game play is deceptively hard to master.

"...Game time runs at around 45 - 70 minutes, but it seems to go very fast ...." Read more

"...captivating, easy to learn and play, accessible to new gamers and fairly quick ...." Read more

"...on YouTube to get you started that's what we did and it made it really fast and easy ." Read more

"...Low mental impact High rate for friendly game play Beautiful artHigh quality constructionVery family friendly !..." Read more

Customers find the board game exciting. They say the gameplay is engaging, captivating, and interesting. They also say the game makes them think ahead, making it a brain-burner. Customers also say that the game has a unique feeling game mechanic that allows for overall enjoyable.

"...Story - the theme, art, and gameplay all feed into a rich storytelling experience ...." Read more

"... Low mental impact High rate for friendly game playBeautiful artHigh quality constructionVery family friendly !..." Read more

"...What's nice is the playing field is always shifting ...." Read more

"...it says on the box, but you will have an amazing time and a very unique experience ." Read more

Customers find the board game a great gift for board game lovers, family fun, and plant lovers. They also say it's a new addition to their board game collection and an excellent addition to all gaming collections.

"This is the perfect gift for board game lovers . The box is beautiful and it’s fun to play!" Read more

"...Also it’s really cute and a perfect gift for any plant lover you know!Update: I bought this game again...." Read more

"...I would say it is an excellent addition to all gaming collection in the like of chess, checkers, and other classic games that are less story driven." Read more

"Beautiful game board fairly easy to learn and play. Makes a great gift ." Read more

Customers are mixed about the strategy. Some find it fun and simple, while others say it's a bit limited. They also say the game forces them to think radially and has swiftly shifting tactical resource management.

"...game is clear, well laid out, has one major resource system, 4 major action systems , and 2 environmental mechanics - it is easy to understand, quick..." Read more

"I love this game. Completely different than most games. Strategic and a joy to play. Great components...." Read more

"...The only thing is the strategy is more complex , so she had a hard time understanding where to place trees and why she would place them in those..." Read more

"...the game goes differently every time because there are so many different strategies to use ...." Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the damage of the board game. They mention that the box was damaged, some of the trees were damaged, and the bottom of the box had been ripped. The top of the game box also had a dent.

"...The game box came a bit tattered . Almost as if it was damaged during shipment. This is not a big deal to me though...." Read more

"Simple and fun board game. It's a pity that the outer box was slightly dented when received!" Read more

"Just to start off, I wanna say that I received my box damaged on the side ...." Read more

"...its a fault of the manufacturer or Amazon, is that the inside box was damaged on three sides ...." Read more

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