Published: April 10, 2026
| Daniel Solis (Designer) | Action Phase Games and Indie Boards & Cards (Publishers) Where to buy: Indie Boards & Cards, Amazon |
A Unique & Cozy Take on Tile Laying Games
In Japanese folklore, Kodama are spirits that inhabit trees, often seen as protectors of the forest and bringers of good fortune. In the cozy indie tabletop game, Kodama: The Tree Spirits, these little forest guardians help you score points as you grow a tree that satisfies their specific needs.
Throughout the game, players continuously lay down branch cards that extend from the trunk of their respective trees. These branch cards earn points depending on the visual features they include, how they’re placed on your tree, and the benefits of your Kodama cards.
There is no way to directly sabotage other players, aside from taking a branch card they might have wanted. Because of this, Kodama: The Tree Spirits is very inwardly focused and doesn’t feel as competitive as games where players directly clash. You just kind of settle into building your own tree, and it feels very peaceful to play.
It’s hard to describe Kodama: The Tree Spirits as strictly a board game or strictly a card game. Players use cards to physically build out their trees rather than managing a traditional hand of cards, and scoring is tracked on a board where players move their tokens.
Gameplay & Scoring
The rules are simple: players take turns drawing branch cards from a pool and placing them on their tree to score points. You can score points by connecting branch cards with matching visual features and using Kodama cards or seasonal conditions to your advantage. The game ends once all players have taken 21 turns, and the player with the most points wins.
By the end of the game, everyone will have created a one-of-a-kind, sprawling tree to look at. Part of the fun of Kodama: The Tree Spirits is seeing your tree grow and take a unique form! But since each player’s tree takes up quite a bit of space as it grows, a large table is definitely recommended to comfortably play. If you have enough space for everyone’s trees to branch out fully, Kodama: The Tree Spirits can be played with 2-5 people
Final Thoughts
With its simple rules and short 30-minute time commitment, Kodama: The Tree Spirits is great to have on hand if you’re new to tabletop gaming, want something in your collection that’s easy to teach new players, or if you simply enjoy wholesome and cozy boardgames. I’ve personally gifted a handful of copies of Kodama: The Tree Spirits to friends and family, because its so beautiful to look at, its accessible in terms of gameplay, and its compact, so it doesn’t take up too much space on the shelf.
