Salton Sea is a unique place located in California, very close to the border with Mexico. The characteristics of this salty lake make it a unique location to generate geothermal energy, which takes advantage of the heat from the planet. In this area of intense geothermal activity, you will drill the ground and extract brine which, once processed, allows us to obtain the valuable lithium and sell it as part of a modern industry, far from fossil fuels, that will allow you to lead the energy transition towards a completely renewable future.
Designed by David Bernal and illustrated by Amelia Sales, Salton Sea can be enjoyed alone or in groups of up to four players in sessions lasting about 120 minutes. During the game, players must manage their geothermal lithium extraction companies to obtain the greatest number of points. The extraction of this material and its subsequent processing will be the driving force of your companies.
On your turn, place one of your four engineers on one of the available spaces to take an action. There are three different groups of actions: industrial actions (which allow you to obtain an exploration license, drill, extract, process or repair machinery), commercial actions (sell, acquire contract and execute contract), and management actions (research, buy shares, develop the business project or finance itself). It is up to you to manage the engineers at each point of the game to get the most out of your company.
However, there is no single path to success. The game will reward you for exhausted land, executed contracts, short-term objectives, company development, or research advances. Will you master the power of the Salton Sea to create the most efficient geothermal company?
—description from the publisher
- deep euro with a compact box
- tight decision space and meaningful trade-offs
- strong two-player introspection
- longer playtime and potential fatigue with more players
- stock market element can be dense if not focused
- industrial resource management and stock market-style bonuses
- Energy production theme, lithium batteries and geothermal energy
- dense, highly strategic euro
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-based payments with no change — Money cards are also action cards; paying consumes cards and change is not returned.
- multi-action resource engine — Two corporations execute many actions to generate energy and points.
- Multi-use cards — Money cards are also action cards; paying consumes cards and change is not returned.
- stock track and market decisions — Players move up tracks and buy/sell to gain bonuses and points.
- Track advancement — Players move up tracks and buy/sell to gain bonuses and points.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a nice little puzzle
- two players, it's head-to-head and dualistic
- escape room in a box, except it's puzzles
- it's a euro and in that kind of element there's not so much interaction
- excellent at two players
- the stock market element is tricky if others take the cards you want
References (from this video)
- artwork is intriguing
- clear economic puzzle
- complex for newcomers
- Resource and route optimization with a sea-faring motif
- Economic and maritime-themed engine-building
- economic puzzle with industrial mood
- K2
- Other economic-engine games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- economic engine — Player management of resources and routes for economic gain.
- Resource management — Player management of resources and routes for economic gain.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the minis are outstanding
- it's a fun fighting game
- it's kind of like a tableau building game and set collection game
- the box feels quality
- Ticket to Ride now they've got trains and then they have other Ticket to Ride with boats and all that stuff
- Lost Cities will make you mad all day long
- Salt and Sea is interesting
- the expedition system
- you kind of do cards and things
- circle the wagons... two-player game
- two-player game good
- Push... push your luck
- we're going to roll straight into the heart of this episode
- Terraforming Mars is the best game
- the art and packaging of Let's go to Japan is beautiful