Abstract strategy games seem to be on the rise in our hobby. Where they were once ignored due to their themeless nature and usually bland components, games like Azul, Santorini, and Onitama have reinvigorated the genre. Today, we are going to slap on our SCUBA gear as we head under the sea with Reef. This abstract strategy game published by Next Move Games will have players earning victory points as they build their underwater reef. Gameplay Overview: Reef is simple to learn and get to the table. On a players turn, they have two choices for an action. They can either draw a card from the center display or play a card from their hand. All cards are divided into two halves and are resolved from top to bottom when played. The top half shows what two reef pieces you’ll add to your reef board when you play it, while the bottom half shows how you can score this turn. You score by having your reef match the pattern on the card. For example, if the card shows 3 purple reef pieces in a row, you need 3 purple reef pieces in a row on your reef board. You can also score multiple times if you have different reef pieces matching the pattern. The game ends when one of the four reef colors runs out. In this case, the players total up their victory points and the player with the most is the winner. Game Experience: Reef makes an absolutely fantastic gateway game. The rules are simple enough to explain in a minute or two, and the 3D pieces are fun to play with. It also brings a lot of joy to watch your reef build up in 3D over the course of the game. This is something I’m always a fan of in building games. Now I will say that I wish that the plastic pieces were somewhat more “reeflike”, they so