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Game Info
Year
2024
Players
5
Age
8+
Collection
Your Tier
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Expansions & Family
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Description
Survive The Island is a cutthroat game in which players seek to evacuate their adventurers — especially those of a high value — from a sinking island to maximize their score.
An island made up of forty hex-tiles is slowly sinking into the ocean as tiles are removed from the board. Each player controls ten people (valued 1-5) that they try to move towards the safety of the surrounding islands before the main island's volcanoes finally erupt. Players can either swim or use rafts to travel, but must avoid sea serpents, kaiju, and sharks on their way to safety.
—description from the publisher
Survive! Family
(3 games)
This page includes videos and mentions from the whole Survive! family. Drill into a specific game below.
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Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 13
This page: 13
Sentiment:
pos 9 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–13 of 13
Video xZMs2BIny38
Brains On Games Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 86167 · mention_pk 222242
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible, family-friendly game with appealing components
- Strong theme and engaging interaction around rafts and monsters
- Fast-paced with satisfying decisions and bluffing opportunities
- High-quality, screen-printed meeples and thematic visuals
Cons
- Not highly strategic or deeply tactical due to randomness
- Rule clarification around creature die movement can be confusing for some players
- Random tile draws and die rolls introduce luck that may not appeal to heavy gamers
Thematic elements
- Rescue and survival on a sinking island threatened by monsters
- Tropical island with sea creatures (sharks, sea monsters) and Kaiju; adventurers must be rescued from shrinking tiles
- Light, adventurous, family-friendly
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- creature movement and interaction — A creature die determines which monster (shark/sea monster/Kaiju) moves; monsters destroy rafts or threaten adventurers.
- End-game trigger — The game ends when no adventurers remain to be rescued or when a third volcano is revealed.
- Memory — Players plan spatial paths and must remember where high-value adventurers are located to maximize rescues.
- memory + spatial reasoning — Players plan spatial paths and must remember where high-value adventurers are located to maximize rescues.
- memory constraint — Players cannot look at the bottom values of tiles once placed, requiring memory and planning.
- Point Salad — Each adventurer tile has a treasure value; players prioritize high-value tiles to maximize points.
- raft control and majority influence — Rafts are controlled by the majority of players on them, providing strategic interaction where opponents can influence rescue attempts.
- set-collection / point values on tiles — Each adventurer tile has a treasure value; players prioritize high-value tiles to maximize points.
- special tiles and effects — Some tiles show immediate effects (red outline) or hold effects (green outline); shark repellent tiles can remove sharks from the board.
- terrain progression and tile availability — Tiles are Beach (thin), Forest (medium), Mountain (thick); players must clear Beach before Forest, and Forest before Mountain tiles can be claimed.
- three-move turns and raft movement — On a turn, players perform three moves, move adventurers toward rafts, or away from threats, and can move a raft as part of their action.
- tile drafting — Players draft positions for adventure tiles around the board, planning value distribution before placement is revealed.
- Tile/Map Shifting — Tiles are Beach (thin), Forest (medium), Mountain (thick); players must clear Beach before Forest, and Forest before Mountain tiles can be claimed.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Survive the Island is a pretty great looking game.
- It's a perfect family game.
- It's a light family weight game but there's still enough strategy to keep you interested.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video sHUiSCKOcM4
Hungry Gamer Review at 0:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 84788 · mention_pk 216067
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fun and easy to teach
- Clever strategy despite simple mechanics
- Thematic and enjoyable theme
- Well-produced components and art
- Interesting monster mechanics
- Expansion adds significant depth and fun
Cons
- Initial meeple placement can be time-consuming and hard to remember
- Very mean 'take that' gameplay
- Can involve ganging up on players
- High degree of chance and chaos
Thematic elements
- escaping a sinking island with treasure without getting eaten
- a sinking island
Comparison games
- Red Dragon
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — the person who has the most meeples in there of their color gets to do that [move the raft].
- Dice Rolling — roll the dice. And whatever color you roll on the die, that is the type of monster you'll have the choice to activate.
- meeple placement — strategically placing all of your meuples on the board.
- Modular Board — pick one of the lowest regions that are out there and you will flip it over and that part of the island has sunk.
- Push Your Luck — You might be the one that just keeps pulling monsters and killing yourself for all you know.
- Set Collection — score points based on however many whatever the numbers are on the bottom. And that represents how much gold you escape the island with.
- Variable player powers — each meeple has a different value that you're going to get for them if you get it to one of the islands along the side.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's just fun. It's really light. It's really easy to teach somebody.
- It's a really mean game. It is right up there. Take that level like Red Dragon and take that style game. It's mean. No room for being buttth hurt in this game.
- There's just a lot of chance and a lot of chaos in this game, which is part of why I like the game.
- expansion is a must buy. Absolute must buy.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video cgk9jITn5ZM
Bower's Game Corner Top List at 17:46:56 sentiment: positive
video_pk 83627 · mention_pk 211145
Click to watch at 17:46:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fantastic old school feeling game
- Works for game night or family game night
- Heck of a fun game
- One of my favorite family weight games of all time
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Escape from dangerous creatures
- Island
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Player Elimination — your people just keep getting eaten
- Resource Management — try and escape the island
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Ohoy there, YouTube. I'm back again for some more board game content.
- It is December 9th, 2025, and I'm going to go over 60 games under $30 right now on Amazon that I can recommend to you because I already know they're good to great.
- This game is incredibly difficult, that's why it's down here. It feels borderline impossible.
- People are gonna be yelling at each other and you're gonna be really stumped, but in a good way.
- This is Forbidden Island. This is a fantastic familyweight cooperative game. It's a great gateway cooperative game.
- It comes in this big metal tin which most most of the time a lot of people aren't a fan of
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MxrXmoZ4Jkk
The Dice Tower Analysis at 11:32 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 81255 · mention_pk 200762
Click to watch at 11:32 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Escape from Atlantis
- Mythological
Comparison games
- Survive: Escape from Atlantis
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Rolling — it looks like you're rolling dice
- Set Collection — You're trying to score these different cards here.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Carcassonne: Over Hill and Dale, this is one of those expansions that I just missed.
- This is a big, grandiose game with a lot going on, and it's too slow and too boring for me to enjoy it.
- This is my least favorite Carcassonne game. I hate this game.
- This is one of the biggest, longest games I've ever played.
- It's the bad quality's bad.
- This one is fine. Um this one is not as bad as the other one I played was that you go around and you find stuff. It doesn't look very good though, does it?
- Leaders on the other hand are a great two-player game where you have a bunch of leaders and you're trying to capture your opponent's leader.
- Of all the games I talked about today, I think my favorite is actually Leaders.
- Leaders is a very, very excellent two-player game.
- This is a re-implementation of Survive: Escape from Atlantis.
- A little auction game. There was just some really neat like there wasn't many games like this. Now, there are many, many, many games like it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video LVMY3j5idNo
Board Game Hangover Discussion at 15:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 81262 · mention_pk 200799
Click to watch at 15:29 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Has survived (bought the third time)
- Play with my family constantly
- Can't wait to kill some of the treasure hunters again
Cons
- Very mean game
Thematic elements
- Trying to get out alive with treasure
- An island that is sinking
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Movement — Swim to safety on small islands or use a raft.
- Player Elimination — Throw other players treasure hunters into the water, try to eat them with sharks, sea monsters, or kick them with a kaiju.
- Set Collection — Treasure hunters have pockets full of treasure that you only get if they survive.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Has this year changed our minds? Have we played this less or more? Do we love it more or less?
- Unstable that is a one to two player medium weight deck builder that takes around an hour to play.
- It is a cooperative game and this is how it plays. So, this is a deck builder board game with one of the coolest board game mechanisms ever created. Might I say the coolest?
- You also are upgrading the bad guys.
- It's an amazing and unique deck builder, but is it uh still worthy of my collection or maybe it has fallen?
- One of the best solo games I've ever played.
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian Adventures. Longest title in this video.
- It's a super heavy game for one to four players and takes at least two hours to play, right, Mr. Yiannis?
- It is very heavy. I mean, not just in the physical sense. It has tons of rules, tons of armies, tons of things happening.
- Welcome to a game where you can plan everything carefully, then roll some dice and get screwed over all the time. But you will enjoy it.
- Time for the top three coolest things about this board game with Mr. Yiannis.
- Harrow County is an asymmetric game for one to three players that takes up to an hour and is medium. Wait.
- This piece of lint is not an action.
- I still find it a fascinating two-player asymmetric game.
- It's a candy-like board game that looks good and plays super quickly.
- Just like a sumo fighter, you will have to push your way to victory.
- And as you probably understand, it's just a silly little board game that's, well, fun. That's it. That's the game.
- Le Havre is quite a heavy Euro game from one to five players. I would recommend the smaller amounts, yet it is quite a game.
- But watch out because you actually will need to feed the bustling city, which means that you will lose a lot of these resources.
- Despite it being a really crunchy Euro game, it has actually quite a bit of interaction.
- Yes, they looks might have aged already, and it's pretty hard to get to the table. Yet, well, I will place it in my collection. I really enjoy crunchy Euro games. It's an oldie, but a goodie.
- Rewild is a medium-weight strategy game for one to four players that takes 1 hour to play, maybe less. It's, by the way, great solo.
- Are you ready to rewild this region so the animals have a great habitat where to live?
- I like it because my wife likes it, and we know how that goes.
- Welcome to Blood on the Clock Tower. Unfortunately, I just died, and one of you killed me.
- This is rather an experience than it is a board game and I love this experience.
- Survive the Island, which is a light family game for two to five players and takes less than an hour to play.
- This is a very mean game because you will throw other players treasure hunters into the water, try to eat them with sharks, with sea monsters, or kick them around with a kaiju.
- A lot of games stays at our collection. Some don't, but that's okay.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video RgaF2xOGLXQ
Board Game Hangover Top List at 1:31 sentiment: positive
video_pk 80517 · mention_pk 196079
Click to watch at 1:31 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- super aggressive
- ton of interaction
- has stood the test of time
- best edition so far
Cons
- super aggressive
- ton of interaction
- has stood the test of time
- best edition so far
Thematic elements
- treasure hunting and survival
- an island
Comparison games
- Moon Colony Bloodbath
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Rolling — by far, the best thing is to roll the dice and move the monsters.
- Modular Board — To keep the game fresh, the board is set up differently each time you play.
- Player Elimination — No other game has so many dead people in it.
- Tile Removal — sink the island. Of course, you're going to pick the tiles with other treasure hunters there.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- There are a lot of board games out there, but there are 10 that are essential for my collection.
- All of the games on my list are exciting for a newcomer or a gamer alike.
- The lighter games are easier to get the table, play more often. Hence, they are my essential games.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MOc8d9VaZ4s
Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Analysis at 2:15
video_pk 65580 · mention_pk 159298
Click to watch at 2:15 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think a games name needs to be something that catches the attention and accurately describes the game and is easy to type in the search engines
- well-designed components can not only enhance the players immersion into a game but can even assist in the gameplay itself providing visual cue or rules reminders in the game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tcLbxnlsMK8
Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Discussion at 11:06
video_pk 65546 · mention_pk 159259
Click to watch at 11:06 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- backstabbing — The host's mother-in-law is not above backstabbing in this game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- there's a few things more satisfying than telling someone your hobby is tabletop gaming and getting raised eyebrows that look to say that's a hobby then introducing them to modern board gaming and waiting for that moment when they say oh that was fun let's play again
- my gateway introductory go-to game has been camel up
- that was actually such a proud moment as a gamer having a game that I introduced to someone that they in turn then wanted to introduce to someone else and that other person enjoyed it so much that they asked to keep the copy of it
- the mechanism where the camels stack on top of each other or underneath and whoever camels on top is actually in the lead it can lead to some moments of oh interesting when you're playing
- Catan Carcassonne tickets ride and Dominion they teach virtually all the mechanisms you play those and you can play anything
- it really depends on the person that you're trying to get to play board games do they play any kind of games you know video games RPGs card games if yes try to build on that and find the right game for them
- pushing a game on to someone who's not interested in it is not going to do as much to help introduce them to the Hobby in a good way as kind of finding out where they're coming from
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CfUjiUl6yHA
Board Games for One Discussion at 6:55 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 29033 · mention_pk 85384
Click to watch at 6:55 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Survival theme
- Varied play modes
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Disaster and rescue
- island survival
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative Game
- cooperative play
- multi-phase gameplay
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm intimidated to get started with it.
- You're building outposts and in order to increase your trade routes.
- the artwork here is quite lovely
- I'm not super into Political themes.
- it's a dexterity game where you are building up power towers on the island of nikima
- Arctic scavengers I picked this up because I know nothing about it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0hxb55EWQa8
Our Family Plays Games Discussion at 5:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11263 · mention_pk 33115
Click to watch at 5:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- adds a new exciting mechanic with Kaiju element
- varied character interactions
Cons
- unclear balance/unproven expansion
Thematic elements
- Survival with a Kaiju/monster element
- Isolated island with a looming threat
- thematic, adventure-centered
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- character/role variety — new character added in expansion
- combat/encounter — encounter monsters or hazards threatening players
- exploration — navigate an island map to gather resources
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- stop the fomo stop it stop it
- you do you boo
- the fear of missing out
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video RsMAXeMN3d4
Board Game Hangover Top List at 5:22 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10545 · mention_pk 30988
Click to watch at 5:22 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong family interaction
- beautiful components in latest edition
- accessible and quick to play
Cons
- monster encounters can feel random
Thematic elements
- treasure hunters, monsters, and survival
- island survival
Comparison games
- Vantage
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- move/board interaction — move treasure hunters, sail boats, swim, and roll monsters to affect turns and scoring
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The perfect filler game
- This is the best version yet and gorgeous
- it's a simple party game where we all play together as a team
- it's the perfect intro to deck-building
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video f_gXaf5IosM
Foster the Meeple Discussion at 19:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4745 · mention_pk 13850
Click to watch at 19:54 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Mean-spirited but very engaging and thematic
- Approachable for a wide audience; great for group play
- Appealing components and design; expansions promise new monsters
Cons
- Older title with a newer re-implementation; differences may confuse purists
- Expansions can further complicate balance if not managed
Thematic elements
- Survival under constant threat from monsters and environmental dangers
- Islands with dynamic hazards; survivors trying to escape by sea
- Competitive, mean-spirited gameplay with a charming aesthetic
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Endgame victory conditions via survivors off-board — players aim to extract survivors for points while hindering others
- Modular tile island — island tiles vary by session; hazard levels change the strategy each game
- Movement and interaction — move survivors, interact with monsters, and manipulate the island to influence outcomes
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Chaos. It is so simple.
- This best game has ever created.
- I freaking loved it.
- The eye is always watching.
- It's so pretty.
- In Bohemians, you're a bohemian.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MDsUo5UP44Q
Actualol Discussion at 25:36 sentiment: positive
video_pk 357 · mention_pk 1076
Click to watch at 25:36 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- thematic and chaotic family fun
- great for groups who enjoy light but collaborative chaos
Cons
- may be too chaotic or light for some players
- not a heavy strategic experience
Thematic elements
- survival, competitive melee
- island survival with sharks and kaiju threats
- family-friendly with a mean-spirited edge
Comparison games
- Cockroach Poker
- Survive the Island
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- direct interaction / combat — Players attempt to eliminate each other to survive.
- hidden goals / social tension — Players navigate alliances and betrayals during play.
- Hidden Roles — Players navigate alliances and betrayals during play.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This collection's bloated and ugly and I heard it struggling to perform on game night. There's no sh there's only some shame in it.
- If you want me to answer your collection concerns, then become a patron of the channel. I would love to soothe your shelves and caress your callax until all your pain is gone.
- It's about trying to play to the situation, finding games that you like that these people would play.
- Sleeping Gods is like a epic kind of narrative driven thing, and that's not something that really exists in a compact format that you can teach in 15 minutes.
- Like Sleeping Gods... you got to set that aside possibly selling them because it's unlikely you're going to get that experience that you want right now and investing in games that you can play.
- This video is sponsored by Hule and I'm going to make myself a meal right now.
- Top tip for anyone, just buy one of these crime games, finish it, then move on to the next one because you've also got like five boxes of Chronicles of Crime and then there's the expansions down the bottom.
- If you're new to the hobby, don't just be buying the new stuff that they're pitching to you at GenCon because that is not the best games.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–13 of 13