Melodies of the Wings: Wingspan | PAX East 2025

I stepped out of my comfort zone a little bit by checking out a strategy card game at PAX East. I’m learning everyday that even though I’ve been consistently gaming for almost 10 years now, I am still very new to gaming and many genres in general. Strategy card games, both physical and digital, is one of those categories I have not jumped into quite yet. I was initially drawn into Wingspan, due to the beautiful artwork and cozy aesthetic. I soon found out that Wingspan was created into a digital version after it took the world by storm back in 2019. 

I admitted to Monster Couch right away that I am so new to this genre and they were happy to help and play along with me. This made the experience much better because she was able to explain the game and cool features and we played together. Starting out, I got to select my profile photo, the background of the map and if I wanted to play against a bot. I then had to select up to 5 bird cards that I thought would be helpful. Throughout the game, I could either play a bird from my hand, gain food, lay eggs, or draw more cards. Depending on what card I laid down, they would have to claim a nest in their respective habitat: Forest, Grassland, or Wetland. Each one also had a bird power attached to it that could give me more eggs, food options, and many more. 

I enjoyed the variety the game had and the replayability because each match has a different outcome and goal. When playing against another player or bot, each round has goals that I could work towards to win. It could be most eggs laid or amount of birds in a nest, but I liked the idea of being strategic each round. 

Not only is this a relaxing strategy card game, but it also is an educational game as you’ll hear and learn about the birds that you’ll interact with. Each bird will sing their real life sound, which was specifically composed for Wingspan. I couldn’t hear much of the bird sounds while on the show floor, but I did play on the way home and it was enjoyable and relaxing to listen to both the music and calming birds. It truly is a special experience when playing a card and seeing facts about them as well as hearing their song. 

Birds are such fascinating animals and a source of peace for a lot of people. I can tell this is a game I will want to pick up when I want to feel that sense of tranquility. I highly recommend picking up Wingspan, which has several expansions, if you are into strategy card games or new to the genre. Once I learned how to play, I was intrigued to keep playing more and listen to all the new birds I discovered. Wingspan is available both on PC, Xbox, and mobile with the Asia Expansion coming Summer 2025.