Hive- A Game Crawling With Possibilities

what our customer say this product:

Powered by

1. JD Verified Buyer – 29 November 2024

   I’m 25 and an avid video gamer. I haven’t played a board game since I was a kid. While I always liked the idea and strategy behind chess, the usual long and drawn out nature of chess caused me to quickly lose interest every time I played. Hive is essentially a modern chess-lite. Most games last 15-20 minutes which is perfect. I remember seeing this game recommended on Reddit several years ago. I think I took a quick look and my initial reaction was that it looked silly/childish based on the theme. I regret not looking into it more. I was actually going to “pirate” the game and 3D print all of the pieces for about $3 worth of materials and a few hours of my time, but I didn’t feel good about doing that to a small game company like Gen42. It also wouldn’t have looked nearly as nice, so I’m glad that I bought it. These are made of Bakelite or a similar material (think dominoes) so they have a nice heft to them. The hexagons are about 2″ across the flats. The paint is applied well, especially in thin parts of the designs like the legs and antennae. The bug designs are recessed into the face of the pieces which helps protect the paint during normal use. I don’t really like the included zipper pouch since I feel like having the pieces in a loose jumble would cause the paint to wear faster. So I decided to design and 3D print my own hard case out of PLA plastic with some foam added for cushioning. I spent a while deciding between this version, Hive Pocket, and Hive Carbon. The only real downside to this version is that the game and all expansions will run you $50, compared to low $30’s for Hive Pocket or Hive Carbon and all the expansions. I ruled out Carbon fairly quickly since losing the colors means it isn’t as easy to take a quick glance at the board and know what’s going on. Pocket has the benefits of being cheaper and obviously being more portable. However having played with both now (a friend bought Pocket), the size and heft of the original pieces feels really nice. I think the smaller Hive Pocket pieces feel too fiddly and it’s too easy to “bump” the board and mess the tiles up. I also feel like this version is already portable enough for my uses. Unless you’re a backpacker where every pound counts or you’ll be playing the game on airline tray tables I wouldn’t recommend Pocket. I would recommend playing a few dozen matches with the base game before adding any of the expansions.

   

2. Guillermo Camacho Verified Buyer – 4 January 2025

   Sencillo de aprender, lleno de estrategia. Es un juego de mesa que se presta para grandes enfrentamientos contra otra persona, por lo que las partidas son emocionantes y no duran mucho.
   Es quizá el mejor abstracto para dos jugadores.
   La edición presenta unas piezas de baquelita con grabado y un tamaño y peso únicos en el mundillo, además incluye una práctica bolsa de viaje para llevar el juego a todas partes.
   

3. Cliff Verified Buyer – 7 January 2025

   

4. Autumn Verified Buyer – 21 January 2025

   Absolutely love this game! Purchased it right before quarantine started and we’ve played it countless times. The game is simple, but strategic – similar to chess. It also comes with a travel case (about the side of those old travel CD cases), which makes it great to take camping, to the airport etc. The game is pretty mobile and could be played just about anywhere. Play time: 20-30 minutes Good for age: 10+

   

5. Darren Grey Verified Buyer – 12 February 2025

   By girlfriend normally gets sick of board games because I keep beating her at them. Not so with Hive! It’s completely deterministic, all down to skill, and she is far better than me at it. Though obviously my pride is in tatters I do still admire the game greatly for being very accessible to anyone – especially with its big clunky pieces – and for really surprising with its depth of play. Lots of emergent tactics can come about, and a game that seems a foregone conclusion can quickly turn around with a clever move. Games are quick, over in about 10 minutes, and really satisfying with their density of decision making. Every action feels like it matters, and a move made at the start of the game can become a significant factor later on.

   I highly recommend this game. One of the best 2-player games I’ve ever played, and easy to pick up no matter how experienced you are.
   

6. hannah Verified Buyer – 24 March 2025

   A perfect game for the whole family. Simple but so much potential for strategy. Great for a travel game.
   

7. Andrea Verified Buyer – 28 March 2025

   Estaba indecisa entre este formato o el Pocket. La verdad que estoy muy contenta con el juego, llegó todo en perfecto estado. Lo que más me ha gustado es que te viene con un estuche que entiendo que o bien es para guardarlo y poder tirar la caja, o bien para llevarlo de viaje.
   Hay que tener en cuenta que las instrucciones no vienen es español, pero en internet se pueden encontrar fácilmente.