Patchwork is one of the best two-player games ever made. Its elegant and quick gameplay makes it an excellent lightweight game for both casual and experienced players.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Patchwork’s release. To celebrate the occasion, Lookout Games has released an anniversary edition. Let’s see what it brings to the table.

Solo Mode

The main change in this edition is including the Automa deck for solo play. This deck was originally released years ago but has been hard to find until now. The solo rules are simple and easy to follow. Before starting the game, you must select a difficulty level. You always take the first turn, and when it’s Automa’s turn, you reveal a card from its deck. Each card indicates how many buttons Automa can spend to purchase a tile. If it can afford multiple tiles, tie-breaker rules apply in the order depicted on the card and prioritize tiles with the most buttons, those that advance the Automa token the least on the time track, and tiles farthest from the neutral token. Whenever Automa’s token crosses an income space, it scores a number of buttons as shown on the card. At the end of the game, Automa’s final score depends on the chosen difficulty level.

There are two decks included in the game: in one the number of buttons Automa will spend on its next turn is printed on the back of the card so you can prepare, and in the other one this number is hidden.

The solo mode is fantastic! With games lasting just 20 to 30 minutes, Patchwork becomes a great option for quick solo sessions. The rules are straightforward and easy to learn, and managing the AI is effortless. Most of your time will be spent thinking and strategizing your moves, with minimal effort needed to handle the AI.

New Art and Components

This edition features new art. All tiles, player boards, and the main board all look different from the original. Similar to the original, the main board is two-sided but the art looks better than the original on both sides. Player tokens have a new form and the neutral is a screen-printed sewing machine instead of a simple pawn. The only downside to the new changes is that the player tokens are slightly too tall to sit on top of each other comfortably, the disks in the original version worked better for this purpose. The Automa rulebook is also a separate sheet, it would have been nice to merge it with the game rules and have one single rulebook.

Final Thoughts

If you’re expecting a deluxe or premium edition of Patchwork, you might be disappointed. Beyond the updated artwork, minor component changes, and the addition of the solo mode, the core game remains unchanged. That said, the solo mode is an excellent addition for players who don’t always have a partner to play with. If you already own Patchwork and have no interest in solo play, there’s little reason to purchase this edition. However, if you’re new to the game or are looking for a version with solo capabilities, this is the edition to get.

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.