Alright, gather round train nerds and tile-layers! This is my review of Metro, the game that turns everyone into a sneaky subway engineer with a mean streak. I’ve played this one enough times that I sometimes dream about tracks twisting through my kitchen. If you want to know if Metro is right for your table—whether you like a bit of strategy, a dash of luck, or just the chance to mess with your friends—keep reading. I’ve tested it with my group so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into before that first tile hits the board.
How It Plays
Setting up
First, lay out the Metro board in the middle of the table. Each player grabs train markers in their color and places them on their starting spots on the board edges. Shuffle all the track tiles and put them in a face-down pile. That’s it, you’re ready to roll. No need for a degree in board gaming, I promise!
Gameplay
On your turn, you draw a track tile and add it to the board. You can place it anywhere, but here’s the twist: you want your own trains to go far, but there’s nothing stopping you from sending your buddy’s train the long way round Paris. Cue evil laughter. After you place your tile, you can move any connected trains along their new tracks, which leads to wild routes, accidental alliances, and sometimes the old ‘Oops, did I do that to your purple train?’
Winning the game
Once every spot on the board is filled with tiles, everyone counts the distance their trains traveled. You only count the spaces, not the sighs when your train took a ’round-the-block detour. The player with the most points wins and earns the right to gloat, at least until the next round.
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Metro.
How Metro Gets Players Tangled: The Flow and Interaction on the Tracks
Let me tell you, the first time I played Metro, there were eight of us, and by the end, we sounded like a bunch of derailed trains (mostly from laughter, not disaster). The game play flow is smooth, but that doesn’t mean you can just snooze through your turn. Every player gets to lay a tile on the board, clipping and curving train tracks through Paris like a bunch of urban planners who lost the original blueprints. But don’t be fooled by the simple actions—you’re always scanning the board, plotting your next sneaky move and sabotaging your neighbors.
In my group, table talk gets heated. “If you mess with my blue line, I’ll reroute your whole green network to nowhere!” These are the real Metro threats. The core of player interaction is deliciously passive-aggressive. You can’t directly attack (no flipping the table allowed), but you sure can make someone’s train take the scenic route—which usually means circles, not scenic sights. There’s a lot of pointing, sighing, and wild accusations. And let’s not forget: it can get personal fast when your supposed friend derails your plans for that sweet long track.
Turn order keeps things zippy. No one is left twiddling thumbs for long. Sometimes, I finish a round and think, “Whoa, already my move again?” It’s got that quick rhythm that keeps everyone engaged, so even my easily-distracted buddy, Dave, stays focused (mostly). Metro nails interactive fun without giving anyone too much power—unless you’re Dave, who keeps ‘accidentally’ helping himself.
Speaking of power, next up I’ll vent about whether Metro delivers a strategy puzzle or just lets luck run the trains off the rails.
Luck vs Strategy: Who’s Driving the Train in Metro?
Metro is that sneaky little board game that makes you feel smart one round and like you dropped your tickets into the canal the next. When it comes to luck and strategy, Metro is more like a subway at rush hour: it runs on both, whether you like it or not. Let me tell you, my last game was a real rollercoaster. I thought I was planning two steps ahead, but Gary (who never plans anything) landed the perfect tile three times in a row. Was he lucky or a secret genius? (Honestly, probably just lucky.)
The core of Metro is tile placement. You draw a tile and fit it onto the growing web of railway lines. Here’s the kicker – what tile you draw is pure luck, but how you use it is where the brain-burning starts. If you’re good at spatial thinking and a bit sneaky, you can set up long routes for points or send your friends’ trains straight to nowhere. But no matter how clever you are, you can’t escape the random tile draw. That gives Metro a bit of a chaotic, anything-can-happen vibe. I love the drama that comes with that unpredictability, but if you hate luck-based swings, you might grumble more than a commuter finding out the train’s delayed again.
Strategy does matter. Knowing when to extend your line, when to block someone else, or when to take a risky route can make the difference between winning and getting hopelessly lost. But don’t expect pure skill to win every time. Sometimes, the tile gods simply refuse your prayers and hand you a dud.
Next up, we’ll check if Metro’s board and pieces are built to survive family feuds and epic tile-flinging disasters. Buckle up!
Metro’s Board and Bits: Shiny Rails or Train Wreck?
Let’s talk pieces, because if my game isn’t pretty, I’m probably just rearranging the furniture mid-game instead of paying attention. Metro comes with a board that looks straight out of a Paris subway map. It’s bright, it’s bold, and apparently it’s louder than my neighbor’s dog at 3 a.m. The colors pop, but not so much that you get a headache after two turns.
The tiles themselves feel like little train tickets—sturdy and satisfying to hold. They don’t bend easily, which is great since my friend Steve has the hand strength of a gorilla and almost tore a tile in half during a heated move. The artwork on each tile matches the board, so you’re not stuck playing train detective trying to figure out what goes where.
One thing—they could have used a bigger font for station numbers. I spent half the game squinting harder than when I read my mom’s text messages in all caps. The player tokens are decent, but a little small if you have big sausage fingers. I’m not saying I dropped three on the floor and had to rescue them with a broom. But, you know, IF someone did, it wouldn’t be too shocking.
Box insert? Well, Metro’s box insert is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Tiles rattle around like loose change in your pocket. So if you want those pretty pieces to keep looking sharp, consider grabbing some baggies.
Overall, Metro’s component quality is high, but a few tweaks would make the experience smoother for the fumble-fingered among us. Next up: we’ll slide into Metro’s replayability—will it keep you coming back for just “one more ride” or leave you stranded in the sidings?
Replay Value and Session Variety in Metro
I’ve played Metro many times, and let me tell you, it never feels the same twice. You know those games where you can guess who’ll win by turn three? Metro laughs in their faces. Every session, the city of Paris morphs into a wild tangle of rails. Since each player lays track tiles based on their own quirky (and sometimes questionable) logic, you never know if your route will end up a scenic detour or straight into rush hour doom.
One of the best things about Metro is how much variety comes from the tile-placement. With each tile you draw, you have a tiny crisis: do you help yourself, block a rival, or just close your eyes and hope for the best? The ever-changing board means no two games ever look the same—even my friend Dave tries new tactics every time, and he’s known for sticking with whatever worked once. The shifting player count also leads to different vibes. Two players? It’s chess with trains. Six players? It’s a beautiful (and loud) mess.
Want a quick rematch? Metro delivers. Games are not too long, so it’s easy to squeeze in another round. The mix of tactics and chaos brings endless stories: “Remember when Mia accidentally connected her route to mine and gave me all the points?” Well…Mia remembers. If you like experimenting and pulling off sneaky moves, Metro has more replay value than the leftovers in my fridge.
So, do I recommend Metro? You bet I do. It might not suit folks who hate a bit of unpredictability, but if you like clever play and plenty of laughs, this one should catch your train.
Conclusion
And there you have it—my Metro journey has come to an end, and thankfully, I didn’t get lost at the station (though my friend Al did try building a loop that never ended). Metro is easy to learn, quick to set up, and comes with bright, sturdy pieces. The replay value is great, and it’s perfect for anyone who loves a bit of sneaky strategy. Sure, luck sometimes thumbs a ride on your train, but there’s enough room for skillful moves to shine. If you’re after a board game that makes you laugh and think at the same time, I say give Metro a spin. Thanks for sticking around for this review, and may your routes always be longer than your opponents’!
