Parks is an unbelievably beautiful board game Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Parks is an unbelievably beautiful board game I almost can't bear it. Feature by Johnny Chiodini Contributor Updated on 16 Sep 2019 12 comments Some video games are so beautiful you can't help stopping to spin the camera every once in a while. The sun-baked vistas of Firewatch, the gorgeous sunsets of Sea of Thieves, the weather-responsive horse balls of Red Dead Redemption 2. You get these arrestingly beautiful games in tabletop, too, only rather than stopping to spin the camera you find yourself gawping at bits of cardboard. Opening a good-looking board game for the first time, you find yourself suddenly slowing down - handling each piece gently, as though it might break. It's a strange, fetishistic way to show appreciation for something, but it's every bit as potent as a breathtaking tableau in a video game. Opening Parks for the first time was a surprisingly poignant experience. Every bit of this game is a delight to look at, from the genuinely exquisite card art to the enamelled First Hiker token. The design is lavish almost to the point of obscenity and it's no exaggeration to say my colleague Wheels and I cooed over it for about five minutes. To return to our video game analogy for a second, though, beautiful games can also be absolute turkeys. The Order 1886 has a beautiful aesthetic, but it's also a load of toot. The same goes for Flower, and some people think Sea of Thieves is rubbish (and they are wrong). So it goes with board games - occasionally a game can look brilliant and play absolutely appallingly. Other times, a mostly fine game can be elevated by its assets to a level of prominence it otherwise wouldn't attain. Splendor is actually a pretty great game, but I wouldn't like it nearly as much if it weren't for the quality of the assets (clay poker chips hit the deck with a clunk that really can't be bested). Thankfully, Parks is a good game in its own right, as well as being absolutely stunning. I've done a full video review if you fancy giving that a watch, but for now let's just take a moment to appreciate how pretty this thing is. As former Eurogamer staffer Chris Bratt would say, phwoooooooar. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. 14 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 34 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store