Pyramido is an abstract tile placement game for 2 to 4 players, divided into four stages. In each stage, players build one level of their pyramids using tiles available in a display of three. These tiles consist of two squares, each featuring one of the 6 colors in the game, and sometimes a jewel icon for that color. Players have a set of 6 jewel markers for each color, and if a newly placed tile has a jewel icon and the corresponding marker is available, they must place the marker. The goal is to add as many jewel icons to a marked area as possible, as marked areas score one point for each jewel icon.

At the end of each stage, intermittent scoring occurs, and players get their jewel markers back to use again in the next stage. A twist in the game is that each new level of the pyramid will be smaller than the previous one, exposing the outer borders of the previous stages. This allows players to connect more tiles to the exposed borders and score for the jewel icons present there.

After the fourth stage, when players have placed their 20th tile, the game concludes, and the player with the most points becomes the winner.

Review

Pyramido is a delightful, light abstract game with simple rules and a quick playtime of around 40 minutes, making it a great filler game. With just three tile options to choose from in each turn, there’s little downtime, and the game flows smoothly.

During setup, three tiles are displayed, and four piles of face-up tiles are placed nearby. When a player chooses a tile from the display, it gets replaced by a tile from two adjacent face-up piles. This allows for strategic planning of future turns. Making careful tile choices can set up more favorable options for subsequent turns, which is particularly important in two-player games.

Luck may play a role in the game, which might not be preferable for some. In the early stages, while having the option to focus on areas of any color, the available tiles have less impact. As the game progresses and fewer tiles are placed in each stage, the tiles in the display become crucial, particularly in the last stage, where players place only one tile. This can potentially influence the endgame significantly.

That being said, Pyramido includes a clever mechanic with three double-sided squares for each player. These squares fit onto one side of a domino tile, displaying a color with a jewel icon. Players can use these squares to mark areas when desired tiles are unavailable. Making thoughtful decisions about when and how to use these tiles is critical, as using one of these special tiles means losing access to the color on the other side. This mechanic partially mitigates the impact of bad luck, especially toward the end of the game.

The component quality in Pyramido is great. The tiles are sturdy with thicker than usual cardboard, and the wooden jewel tokens look and feel nice.

Overall, Pyramido is a keeper for us, and we’ve had great fun playing it. If you’re looking for a relatively quick and straightforward abstract game, Pyramido can be an excellent addition to your collection.

Disclosure: We received a review copy of this game. Also, there may be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.