Tabletop Game Review: Tanto Cuore: Romantic Vacation

Tanto Cuore: Romantic Vacation

Japanime Games

Players: 1-4

Play Time: 45-60 Minutes

Summer might be ending soon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go on one last vacation! Japanime Games is celebrating Tanto Cuore‘s 10 year anniversary, so let’s take a look at Tanto Cuore: Romantic Vacation, the second expansion in the franchise.

Tanto Cuore is a competitive deck-building game for 2-4 players. Players will take turns filling their house with their favorite maids as they race to earn the most victory points at the end. I won’t spend much time talking about the rules of the base game since I covered them in my review of the original Tanto Cuore, but I will go over the new mechanics that Romantic Vacation brings to the table.

Tanto Cuore Romantic Vacation removes events and private maids in exchange for the new Reminiscence Cards. These new cards aren’t obtained through conventional means, and require certain achievements to be reached in order to obtain. Most of them are obtained through discarding specific maids, which usually results in player burning a turn in order to gain the Reminiscence’s effect. This new layer of added strategy gives the players more strategies to consider as they build their homes. Suddenly maids aren’t the most important factor in the game.

In a way, the Reminiscence cards feel like fancy event cards. They all have unique effects that can prove to be an immediate boon or just a boost to a player’s victory points. Two reminiscence cards are available to the players at all times, and the ability to choose what to priority makes the game feel better. Play moves more naturally and reminiscences that are tough to grab don’t halt the value of the rest of the deck. Reminiscences are one of my favorite Tanto Cuore mechanics due to how much variety there is. They also thematically fit the game well, with cards like “Campfire” “Picnic,” and “Fireworks”.

As usual, there are quite a few new general maids and chambermaids added to the pool. Most of these maids are similar to previous ones with slight tweaks to their effects. As a result, the maids don’t feel quite as new as the previous ones did. Still, despite the lack of “new” maids, the cards themselves are designed incredibly well. Romantic Vacation feels balanced and fun to play, with most maids being perfectly viable for various playstyles. Between the balanced maids and the unique Reminiscences, this is the most fun I’ve had playing Tanto Cuore.

Unlike Tanto Cuore: Expanding the House, I think Romantic Vacation plays wonderfully as a standalone title. The Reminiscence system doesn’t at all rely on previous sets to be enjoyable. The lack of events is actually welcomed because it encourages players to take advantage of Romantic Vacation’s signature mechanics.

As an expansion, Romantic Vacation is still a fun time. Events and Reminiscence cards add more variety than ever before. Throw in the buildings from Expanding the House and suddenly there are an incredible amount of options for players. Choosing general maids can be difficult due to the limited amount of slots. Players will want to select maids that favor all expansions involved, which can be a lot when all three sets are in play. I personally enjoyed Romantic Vacation more as a standalone, but it definitely has a place with the other sets too.

The presentation for Romantic Vacation is great, with art that fully embraces the theme. The artists involved do a fine job, giving the game bright and sunny colors. Unsurprisingly, Romantic Vacation has the most fanservice yet, which might turn away some players.

Romantic Vacation is my favorite set yet. The maids don’t offer too much new, but their effects are balanced and the game flows well. This is a must-buy for Tanto Cuore fans.

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