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Game Info
Year
2022
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
Offshore rig, DeepWell•4, has blown out and the rupture is spilling crude oil into the ocean at an alarming rate! Your response team must work together, using your individual talents to avert an ecological disaster, one which threatens to contaminate marine life and devastate the ecosystem. The situation is dire and escalating by the minute, so there is no time to waste.
Contain the oil flowing from the rig
Remove what oil you can from the waters
Rescue the marine animals
The world is watching. The fate of the coast is in your hands!
This fully cooperative game, for 1-4 players, features a 4-way dice tower as the oil rig, which randomly drops oil dice onto the four quadrants of the game board. In this respect, the game is a reverse tower defense game, as players sail the perimeter trying to push back and contain the oil, remove dice from the water and save the sea life.
Communal resource cards are chosen by the team before the game begins and are then powered for use by either removing 3 oil dice from the game or saving a full set of 6 marine creatures.
Weather dice complicate matters adding new challenges for the round that restrict movement, drop more dice or increase the cost of operations.
It takes coordination and teamwork to win, as new oil dice are dropped at the beginning of every turn and the number of oil dice dropped increases over the course of the game.
If the team can accomplish all three objectives on their WIN Condition card and remedy any potential losing conditions on the board by the end of a given turn - they win. Otherwise the game will end when the 60 dice from the bag are exhausted or they are unable to correct one of the three losing conditions.
Contain the Oil. Save the Sea Life.
—description from the publisher
Featured Videos
Review
The Spill: Discussion
Playthrough
The Spill Runthrough
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 11
This page: 11
Sentiment:
pos 10 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–11 of 11
Video ss8tPQHOVMg
Board Games UnLocked Review at 0:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 114648 · mention_pk 326865
Click to watch at 0:14 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Solid cooperative game
- Nice environmental theme
- Decent job of being somewhat challenging but also giving enough actions
- Drop at the beginning of your turn allows for strategizing
- Multiple win condition cards offer customization
- Resource cards are clutch and can be used at any time
- Dice don't make the game feel unfair
- Lots of space to spread out good or bad rolls
- Easy to take dice off the board
- Thematically aligns with saving marine life
- Doesn't feel unfair despite dice reliance
Cons
- Box requires assembly
- Quadrant requires assembly each time
- Relies heavily on dice rolls which can feel random
- Setup is not as variable as Pandemic
- The "requisitions officer" role seems less useful than others
- Weather dice are rare and their impact can be unpredictable
- Spillouts are a bit weird and their impact is less significant at lower difficulties
- The dice tower may not spread dice evenly
Thematic elements
- Oil spills and rescuing marine life affected by them.
Comparison games
- Pandemic
- Forbidden Desert
- Forbidden Sky
- The Loop
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — Players work together to manage the crisis and achieve the win condition.
- Dice tower — A central component where dice are dropped to determine oil spill locations and severity.
- Objective-based win condition — Players win by completing specific objectives, with multiple difficulty levels and randomized win condition cards.
- Set Collection — Resource cards are collected, which can be used for various actions or to help meet win conditions.
- Variable player powers — Each player has a unique role with special abilities that aid in managing the crisis.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This game's not bad
- It feels like pandemic light
- The only thing I don't like about this is uh well the box that this comes in is so you have to assemble this and the quadrant thing uh each time you play
- One of this game's biggest flaws is it just relies on dice
- Surprisingly and I'm curious of what your guys's thoughts are I'm surprised that even though they use dice it doesn't feel unfair
- It's a pretty solid co-op game
- Seven that's kind of where I'm at
- No one wants to [__] assemble [__] anymore
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1yE_HqJFkjc
Board Games UnLocked Playthrough at 0:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 114649 · mention_pk 326866
Click to watch at 0:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Felt "insanely easy" after winning on ultimate difficulty, suggesting a satisfying challenge.
- The cooperative nature is highlighted as a positive aspect.
- Winning is described as "amazing."
Cons
- The host mentions they "hate the ocean."
- The host jokes about getting divorced, implying potential marital strain from the game.
Thematic elements
- Cleaning up oil spills and rescuing marine life
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — Players use action points (AP) to perform various tasks like rescuing animals or removing dice.
- Bag Building — Oil dice are drawn from a bag, and some abilities involve returning dice to the bag.
- cooperative play — The players work together as a team to achieve the win conditions.
- Dice Rolling — Dice are rolled and assigned to sectors, with some dice representing oil spills.
- Set Collection — Players need to save specific sets of marine life to win.
- Variable player powers — Each player has a unique role (Marine Vet, Risk Engineer, Environmental Tech, Hazmat Specialist) with special abilities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "we're going to need you to work this saturday i'm gonna kill myself"
- "i believe you if you can tell me what bp stands for best boston petroleum british petroleum bigger"
- "i hate animals"
- "the moral of the story is don't panic you're bullies"
- "yeah so we won yay on ultimate spillout difficulty how amazing"
- "it's the fact that we got incredibly lucky on our spillouts pretty much"
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ZEiHDu4GqoU
Board Game Dad Top List at 20:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89175 · mention_pk 288179
Click to watch at 20:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Cooperative gameplay
- Unique dice tower mechanic for spill spread
- Environmental theme
Cons
- Similar gameplay to Pandemic
Thematic elements
- Cleaning up an oil spill and saving wildlife
- Ocean cleanup
Comparison games
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — everybody has special unique abilities which you try to optimize in order to save the environment.
- cooperative play — it's a Cooperative game where you're trying to save wildlife and clean up the ocean.
- Dice Rolling — instead of flipping over cards what you're doing is you're dropping dice in a dice tower so those dice they scatter down and they spread out and the quadrant that the dice land in determines where the oil goes next and then the number that rolls up determines exactly where in that quadrant the oil goes.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- If you're looking to get somebody a family board game for the holidays then first of all you are an excellent Gift Giver.
- All of the games on this list are brand new there's nothing on this list that was published earlier than 2021.
- While the age group goes as young as children of age four these are not children games these are family games meaning that they are picked to be just as enjoyable for the adults in the room as they are for the children.
- This channel is called Board Game Dad and many of my viewers and subscribers are board game dads and if there are any games that I am not aware of they are sure to leave excellent recommendations in the comments.
- I really like asking my kids to step up to a new challenge and give them something that is going to have them solving problems in a creative new ways that's why we play so many board games in my house.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video EmDdEPE-7HU
Board Game Coffee Discussion at 16:35 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 89133 · mention_pk 285508
Click to watch at 16:35 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
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'm Mark Maya and this is boarding coffee
- we're going to be doing some micro reviews throughout the episode of any games that I've played
- so the purpose of this I'm gonna show you my collection I'm gonna help you build yours
- we're going to be giving away it's kind of we're going to be doing some micro reviews throughout the episode of any games that I've played granted in this pile I think there's a lot of games I haven't played so we might just switch through those but the micro reviews are there to help you make informed decisions when building up your collection if you don't win
- now we're gonna have 24 videos over the next 12 days and we're giving out 55 5-0 we're giving out 50 games over 50 games
- The winners will be announced live after these 12 videos are released
- the idea since this is the season of giving we give to you and we want you to pay it forward and give to the kids
- ah an unexpected party this was an unexpected game to be released because it's about The Hobbit like the dinner they do in the beginning the movie or something
- it's dense it's like a I think it's like a work replacement I don't know because we've never played it I opened it I started reading the rules got distracted probably by another project and never got back to it so I have no idea
- so the spill is sponsored by smirk and Dagger who who is giving it away
- this episode we are giving away Ganesha and deep state for two winners and that's from crowd games
- so that's three lucky winners I'm gonna win one two three
- you gotta subscribe to board game coffee on YouTube you gotta like this video and tell us and this is this is for Logistics when picking winners make sure we do get a winner that is in the eligible in an eligible country
- out of the old games you used to play from back in the day because we had a few oldies here Monopoly risk uh clue Etc are there any of those games that you're still playing today
- but even if you weren't which one do you have the most fond memories of
- it is possible to win multiple prizes because it's all randomly selected if your name gets pulled out two three times you're gonna win two three gifts
- I apologize for the companies who are sponsoring the sponsoring this giveaway
- we will be announcing all the winners after all the 12 videos are are released and we will be announcing though that we will be announcing those live
- you can enter every video because you can win multiple times
- thank you again to our sponsors uh crowd games and smirk and Dagger they made this possible
- remember have fun keep gaming be social see you next week
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 2EwauOPvJJ4
Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Top List at 10:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85944 · mention_pk 221304
Click to watch at 10:29 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Really good game
- Solid
- Highly recommend for cooperative games
Cons
- Nobody really talks about it
Thematic elements
- Cleaning up an oil spill
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Barricading and cleaning up the spill in specific areas.
- cooperative play — Players work together to achieve a common goal.
- Cube Tower — A component used to randomize and represent the oil spill's spread.
- Set Collection — Implied through rescuing animals.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is so streamlined it's so easy
- it is a really cool game each time you play it is different because of the way the cubes drop out
- this is a much lighter Feld it's a very cute game
- this is just such a classic Cooperative game
- there's never a time where I've played this game and there hasn't been some event that's come out of it that gets brought up years and years and years to come
- we're not going for a high scoore anymore we are simply going for having the most amount of fun talking through these cases in a funny British accent
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 2EwauOPvJJ4
Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Top List at 10:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85944 · mention_pk 318250
Click to watch at 10:29 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Really good game
- Solid
- Highly recommend for cooperative games
Cons
- Nobody really talks about it
Thematic elements
- Cleaning up an oil spill
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Barricading and cleaning up the spill in specific areas.
- cooperative play — Players work together to achieve a common goal.
- Cube Tower — A component used to randomize and represent the oil spill's spread.
- Set Collection — Implied through rescuing animals.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is so streamlined it's so easy
- it is a really cool game each time you play it is different because of the way the cubes drop out
- this is a much lighter Feld it's a very cute game
- this is just such a classic Cooperative game
- there's never a time where I've played this game and there hasn't been some event that's come out of it that gets brought up years and years and years to come
- we're not going for a high scoore anymore we are simply going for having the most amount of fun talking through these cases in a funny British accent
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video hmvRbJLygbc
Board Game Dad Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 40905 · mention_pk 124076
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Very easy to learn and teach, enabling broad play groups
- Strong family-friendly appeal without sacrificing depth for hobbyists
- Theme is integrated with mechanics in a way that enhances educational value
- Good replayability due to multiple difficulty settings and varied win conditions
- Distinct player powers and resource cards introduce variety each session
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- environmental disaster response, cooperative mitigation of damage, wildlife conservation
- ocean/oil spill crisis scenario, with an oil rig element
- educational, procedural disaster-response simulation presented in approachable, family-friendly terms
Comparison games
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Points — players allocate a limited pool of actions each turn to clean sectors, rescue wildlife, deploy resources, and manage spread
- Cooperative Game — all players collaborate toward shared objectives (prevent overflow, minimize wildlife harm) rather than competing against each other
- cooperative play — all players collaborate toward shared objectives (prevent overflow, minimize wildlife harm) rather than competing against each other
- Dice Tower oil-flow simulation — a dice-based mechanism that models the random spread of oil across sectors, creating dynamic pressure on players to respond to shifting threats
- Four action points per turn — players allocate a limited pool of actions each turn to clean sectors, rescue wildlife, deploy resources, and manage spread
- Resource cards with one-time abilities — cards grant players single-use special actions that can accelerate cleanup or mitigate damage, adding strategic timing choices
- Three difficulty settings and multiple win conditions — configurable rules and victory targets that affect how challenging the scenario feels and how long a game lasts
- Wildlife and environmental impact tracking — thematic tracking of wildlife status and ecosystem health provides a tangible measure of progress and risk
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The Spill is a Cooperative game that simulates an oil spill and the collective efforts of Specialists racing to clean it up before too much environmental damage is done
- I loved how easy this game was to learn
- we had no problem getting my six-year-old to join us making this a great game for families or board game hobbyists
- the theme of this game is phenomenally well implemented making it not just fun but also educational
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 4tKSxY996V8
Board Game Dad Analysis at 8:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 39677 · mention_pk 119799
Click to watch at 8:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Intuitive and elegant representation of spread through a kinetic dice tower
- Quick to teach and accessible to various ages
Cons
- Reliance on dice randomness may affect replay balance
Thematic elements
- Disaster response and containment
- Cooperative theme around containing an oil spill
- Cooperative puzzle-like progression with thematic flavor
Comparison games
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice tower as a mechanism — A dice-based tower that visualizes oil spread and splits into quadrants
- Oil spread via dice results — Dice outcomes determine where and how the spill propagates
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- no board game can be beautiful it does not have rationally designed components
- form follows function
- holistically a game with the best components that you can find anywhere
- you can actually rate the components of these games yourself when you go to the perfectboard game.com
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video SmV27eSrUq4
Board Game Dad Top 10 List at 5:15 sentiment: positive
video_pk 37575 · mention_pk 298422
Click to watch at 5:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- cooperative, great for discussing environmental action
- engaging for younger players with guidance
Cons
- may be challenging for some families due to complexity of decisions
Thematic elements
- environmental disaster and wildlife rescue
- A marine/ocean environment with an oil spill scenario
- educational with cooperative play
Comparison games
- Rain Forest City
- Memoir 44
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative Game — players work together to contain an oil spill and rescue wildlife
- cooperative play — players work together to contain an oil spill and rescue wildlife
- Dice Placement — dice outcomes simulate spill spread and responses
- dice placement / randomness — dice outcomes simulate spill spread and responses
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the objective of the game is to collect animal cards by making an attractive planet for them
- it's cooperative which is why I think this game can play well with younger players
- the Spill says it's for ages 10 and up I do think you could play it with younger players
- this is an excellent game if you want your children to memorize the dates of specific events
- Risk if Risk was designed to be educational basically what's happening
- it's called Memoir 44 and in Memoir 44 it is a two-player game
- I cannot recommend Twilight Struggle because it is just too complex
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video P5toKKYz6CQ
Board Game Dad Top List at 19:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 36626 · mention_pk 109931
Click to watch at 19:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- shorter than Pandemic while maintaining depth
- clear environmental messaging and accessible rules
Cons
- cooperative play may be less appealing to competitive players
- availability and component quality may vary by region
Thematic elements
- environmental stewardship and cooperative action
- oil spill response and wildlife protection
- educational, engaging, and urgent
Comparison games
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-driven power-ups — achieving objectives yields powerful cards to accelerate cleanup.
- Cooperative Actions — players coordinate to clean up oil, save wildlife, and manage objectives.
- Cube Tower — oil spill spread is driven by a dice tower mechanic that distributes spill effects.
- dice tower propagation — oil spill spread is driven by a dice tower mechanic that distributes spill effects.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this game is more about defense than offense
- it's a very tranquil peaceful game
- the joy of this game is finding cool moves
- I have so much fun with this game
- the colors and harmonies this game has
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ATpRblozPmo
Board Game Animal Interview at 18:57 sentiment: positive
video_pk 34456 · mention_pk 296733
Click to watch at 18:57 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- emotional tension and teamwork
- strong production quality
Cons
- depends on player cooperation and synergy
Thematic elements
- tension, teamwork, and mission success
- cooperative scenario around a hazardous situation
- cooperative, mission-driven
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card-driven actions — cards guide actions with potential hazards and benefits
- Cooperative Game — players work together against the game to achieve goals
- cooperative play — players work together against the game to achieve goals
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I want you to feel something at the table and that to me is what creates the memories of gaming
- the system works as a pull business you have to get enough people excited that they're asking for the game
- if you have not pressure tested everything about that game to make sure it is ready to sell, don't release it
- I'm an omni gamer I like all different genres all different types of games
- Boom Patrol is a arcade game on the tabletop... it's a Tari Tank Battle meets Mario Kart
- Hi-Fi is gorgeous looking... the record player has a purpose in the game
- Adventure Party ... delivers a role play experience
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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