Game Info
Year
2025
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Description
Retell the incredible origin myth of the Inca in this dramatic mid-weight eurogame.
In the beginning, Viracocha the creator brought forth Inti, the sun god, and Mama Quilla, the moon god. From the union of these two gods sprang four sons and four daughters: the Ayar. These siblings were tasked with guiding the first clans and teaching them the skills needed to build a civilization. As they traveled the land in search of fertile ground, the Ayar one by one met their fates until only two remained to found Tawantinsuyu – the Inca Empire.
In Ayar: Children of the Sun, players take control of one of the first clans, journeying with the Ayar across the Andes. Follow their teaching and improve your skills at farming, pottery, weaving, and reed bundling. As well as advancing your own clan, you must influence the progress of the Ayar, ensuring the survival of those who reward your most developed skills. Seek the approval of Mama Quilla through long-term strategy, and please Inti with tactical play. Be careful not to earn the ire of one of these jealous gods because at the end of the game, whichever one favors you least will determine your final score.
The future of your clan – and the Inca civilization – is in your hands.
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video 8SdVNfv8EQ0
Review at 0:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 68003 · mention_pk 164324
Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Elegant and simple design
- Culturally evocative theme and art
- Interesting blend of mechanics
- Beautiful tension between sun and moon scoring
- Unique concept
- Potential for strategic depth
Cons
- Predictable and chesslike at two players
- Can feel less exciting at lower player counts
Thematic elements
- Origin story of the Incan Empire, where four brothers travel the land teaching people how to live, with only one surviving to lead the civilization.
- Incan Empire
Comparison games
- MV
- Sanori
- Power Grid
- Concordia
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — Players decide how many steps an 'AR' figure will move, which determines the level of the action they can perform.
- area majority — The farming activity is described as an area majority game where players compete for the most planted crops.
- dice drafting — Players choose which 'AR' to move and how far, influencing available actions and scoring opportunities.
- Press Your Luck — Players must balance immediate point scoring (moon devotion) with long-term investments (sun devotion).
- Race — The game has a 'horse race' feel, where the movement of 'AR' figures opens up opportunities and triggers scoring.
- set collection — The pottery activity is described as a set collection game where players aim to gather sets of the same color.
- tile laying — The weaving activity is described as a tile-laying game.
- worker placement — Players place markers to activate actions, and the available action spots are created by the movement of the 'AR' figures.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Please please publishers put pronunciation guides in your rule book.
- This is the most unusual of the games.
- It's such a beautiful tension between these two different things that pull you towards you know this is one of the ultimate bird in the hand two in the bush situations I have ever seen.
- It's not necessarily a great thing. For you, it might be because with only one other player, and you can see exactly what they've got, exactly who they can move, how far they can move them, you can make much more informed decisions that are designed to, all right, you really want that to cross the line. I need to make sure that one dies because it benefits you and it doesn't benefit me.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NSkz3OygGcA
Review at 0:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 67214 · mention_pk 163187
Click to watch at 0:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Interesting and unique mechanisms not seen in many other games.
- Thematic integration with historical notes and lore.
- Clean and efficient gameplay flow.
- Visually appealing art and graphic design.
- Good jumping-off point for Eurogame players.
- Straightforward yet interesting action selection system.
- The way 'IR' move on the track and the retiring of workers.
- The Veroka tokens provide cool bonuses.
- Player boards are cool as taking cubes off unlocks new things.
Cons
- The farming action can feel forced in a two-player game, requiring players to follow suit to compete for Veroka tokens.
- Lack of recessed boards for tokens and cubes can lead to them scattering if the table is bumped.
- The game might feel too simple for some experienced Eurogamers, not offering enough challenge or forcing difficult decisions.
- Pottery action felt less touched upon by some players and is reliant on luck with the stack.
- The placement of the step markers could be an issue if players forget where they were after moving them.
Thematic elements
- Incan civilization
- Incan civilization
Comparison games
- MV
- Sor
- Shackleton Bay
- Three Ring Circus
- To Want Sue
- Ark Nova
- Rogers of the Ganges
- Two Cities
- Beer and Bread
- Teotihuacan
- Tend
- Unconscious Mind
- Brass
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — A core mechanic is the action selection, which is described as "great" and "interesting," tied to the movement of 'IR' figures on a track.
- area majority — The farming action involves an area majority mechanism where players compete for 'Veroka' tokens based on who farms the most.
- Bonus/Wild Action — A gold 'IR' token acts as a wild, providing flexibility when players are 'hosed on something' or need to use a specific color again.
- dual scoring tracks — The game features managing two scoring tracks, Sun and Moon, where the lower of the two is the final score.
- Resource management — Players manage resources, like cubes for farming, to gain benefits and potentially score 'Veroka' tokens.
- set collection — Players collect 'textiles' and 'pottery' which can lead to combos and score points based on different strategies.
- Variable player powers — As cubes are taken off player boards for actions like farming, players unlock points or reveal new abilities, encouraging a bit of everything.
- worker placement — The game uses a worker placement system where placing workers moves 'IR' up a track, influences action strength, and one worker retires each round.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Just to add a little bit more flavor into a relatively dry Euro.
- The action selection is great.
- It's a very interesting system, but I also found it to be straightforward.
- I really, really like this game.
- This one was definitely the easiest to pick up.
- It's just a lot of different mechanisms that flow really well together.
- It this is clean and I didn't think the game lasted that long.
- It's like, okay, this is like terraforming Mars all over again.
- This is pretty unique from what I've seen, but it's still kind of hits that Euro feel.
- But I'd much rather play this, which is a seven, over brass, which is also a seven, because funny enough, brass just that's that's the kind of cutthro nature that pisses me off.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video LQ3HYsv2lUE
Totally Tabled Discussion at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38301 · mention_pk 149301
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Streamlined rules with strong depth for a medium-weight Euro
- Tight action-selection and blocking mechanics that fit thematically
- High player interaction for a Euro game
- Solid production and art direction (illustration and production noted in video)
Cons
- Two-player early game may push sun-point strategy and reduce variety
- Solo mode viability may need longer-term validation
- Potential dynamic shift in four-player games
Thematic elements
- Mythic journey and founding a new home for the IR siblings
- Origin myth of the Inca Empire
- mythic, legend-inspired
Comparison games
- Conbon
- Conbon EV
- Sori
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action selection with step markers and blocking — Players place step markers on their boards and stand them up to block locations until moved, adding a personal puzzle layer.
- Competitive space for actions and resource gathering — Block competition and shared resource gathering creates meaningful player interaction.
- Dual-point scoring (sun and moon) with minimum scoring rule — Players aim to maximize sun and moon points, but final score is the lesser of the two.
- Persistent blocking of locations — Blockers stay active across rounds, shaping player options and forcing planning.
- Solo mode with a simple AI opponent — A solo opponent is available and designed to be easy to run.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love the entire action selection mechanism on your playerboard. The way you place the step markers and stand them up to block locations until you move them off.
- This is a game where the other players really matter and affect your decision at every turn.
- I'm very impressed with the design.
- This is a mediumweight game with a strong depth to the complexity ratio.
- The rules were streamlined, especially compared to Sori before it.
- The solo opponent is also extremely easy to run.
- I’d like to try IR at three and four players.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wVg_MkvRLDI
Totally Tabled Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38084 · mention_pk 114510
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging sun/moon scoring with early Sun-point emphasis
- Solid solo-mode with predictable AI behavior based on rhyme tiles
- Temples and llamas add end-game strategic depth
- Clear visual feedback from the board and tokens
Cons
- Occasional setup inconsistencies and host mistakes in the video
- Rules can be dense; solo rules require careful reading
- AI behavior occasionally punishes players for suboptimal moves
Thematic elements
- Resource management and ritual scoring via sun and moon cycles
- Origin myth of the Inca Empire; pre-Columbian Andes
- Myth-informed historical fantasy with procedural storytelling
Comparison games
- Conbon EV
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- end game bonuses — Llamas awarded for achieving certain conditions and converted to points.
- llama tokens as end-game bonuses — Llamas awarded for achieving certain conditions and converted to points.
- Set collection and scoring — Sun and moon point scoring via rhymed tiles and pottery/weaving sets.
- Solo vs AI opposition — Automated opponent uses rhyme-based decision making and hard-coded priorities.
- temple/board advancement — Completing temples grants bonuses and advances scoring track.
- tile/action row selection — Players choose actions using Tambos and IR lines, with power/action costs determined by available tiles.
- Track advancement — Completing temples grants bonuses and advances scoring track.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Getting sun points early is key to winning, and llamas amplify end-game scoring.
- Watching the AI chase pottery or weaving and react to rhyme tiles is entertaining.
- Sun points as early as possible—that's the strategy that seemed to work here.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4