Ah, the city.  The asphalt jungle….. the concrete canyon….  thousands or millions of people just trying to shut up that damn cat or maybe get the neighbor to stop cooking that smelly food for a bit so they can get some peace!   The big city can be a stressful place to live, but it can be even more stressful for the people who are trying to develop it!  Recently, we had the opportunity to play High Rise, a game designed by Gil Hova and published by the dapperly dressed Formal Ferret Games. (seriously folks, if you haven’t seen a Formal Ferret game before, go seek one out, they are great games and the mascot could not be cuter!) In High Rise, you step into the shoes of a development mogul, looking to bring big buildings to an otherwise drab city. So what if a few laws get broken and corruption spreads throughout the city?  That’s the cost of doing business.

In High Rise, players take turns going around a large ‘one way’ track that is full of different effects. Similar to the games Tokaido and Glen More, the player who is last along the track will take the next turn. This can make for some interesting strategies where players might not want to go as far down the track so that they can have the possibility of multiple turns.  Players still need to be wary though, as you can’t share spaces with other moguls, and you have to select a space that is not in the same zone that you are currently in. 

Some spaces you land on will allow you to pull different floors from the draw bag.  Others will give you special one-time effects that you can use to expand your ever-growing real estate portfolio.  And other spaces will allow you to start construction on one of the dozens of cardboard buildings that come with this game.  The most interesting spaces on the board however are the tenant tiles. These spaces give players opportunities to gain more floors, more building opportunities, or even get power cards that have effects that you can use multiple times in a game.  These powers are limited though, so players will need to effectively plan when to land on a spot so they don’t miss out!

All of this entrepreneurship does come at a cost however; corruption.  Corruption is a central idea of the game.  It is nearly impossible to play a game where you don’t gain corruption, and as is stated in the rulebook, “unlike real life, corruption in High Rise is meticulously tracked public information and you will be held accountable for each little bit of it”.  The corruption track works as a sort of catch-up mechanic too for the players who are behind a bit.  At the end of each round, when players are refreshing their power cards and seeing who has the tallest building in each city sector, the corruption track is evaluated too.  The player or players with the most corruption will have to lose corruption until they are equal with the next person behind them on the track.  Then, they lose points based on how far they went back!  Corruption will get you every time!

One of High Rise’s best features are the buildings you will get to build.  Spaces on the board will allow you to construct beautifully massive skyscrapers, all rendered in wonderful cardboard cutouts that really add a great three-dimensional feel to the game.  Towers can be built from two floors all the way up to fifteen, and players can even add spires on top of that to stretch their buildings to the heavens! These buildings are the heart of High Rise, and it really feels like you are constructing something as you build bigger and bigger buildings, destroying other peoples smaller less impressive buildings to make way for your gleaming tower to your brilliance and financial savvy!

High Rise is an interesting game in the city building game space.The use of the one-way track, and the mechanic of corruption really drive the game forward in a different way.The rule book is well written, and it’s written in the trademark Formal Ferret way that adds humor and also theme to the game you are about to play.If you look closely, you can find little tidbits about the implications of being a mogul means in this world, and how it applies to our own world as well.If you’re interested in High Rise, go seek it out from your FLGS, and also keep an eye out for other Formal Ferret games like The Networks, which is a great title as well.