Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
At the Abstract Academy, competition is fierce. You and your fellow art students vie for top marks with professors while trying to put your own spin on each assignment.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Pattern Building
Place elements to create arrangements that satisfy scoring or action patterns.
Set Collection
Gather related items that become more valuable when scored together.
Grid Coverage
Place pieces to cover required cells or patterns on a grid.
End Game Bonuses
Earn additional points for meeting conditions evaluated when the game ends.
Score-and-Reset Game
Score repeated rounds or hands, then reset the play state and continue.
Read the full game description
At the Abstract Academy, competition is fierce. You and your fellow art students vie for top marks with professors while trying to put your own spin on each assignment. The twist? Art school really broke the bank, so you must share a canvas with your rival classmates! Abstract Academy is played over three rounds by either two or four players, with the players completing a new canvas each round. At the start of the game, you lay out 2-3 scoring cards for each round, so you all know what you're trying to achieve to score. Additionally, at the start of each round, each player receives an inspiration card that shows a pattern they're trying to create on the canvas. In the two-player game, players take turns playing canvas cards into a shared 4x4 play area, and in the four-player game, they play in a shared 5x5 area. Canvas cards are divided into quadrants, and each quadrant is colored yellow, red, or blue. The canvas grows organically as you all play cards, and the edges aren't fixed until you have four (or five) cards in a row or column. The edge of the canvas closest to you is your home row, and once the canvas is locked in size, no one else can play in your home row (unless all other spaces are filled). Once the canvas is filled, the two rows closest to you form your scoring zone. If the color patterns in your zone complete a scoring card better than the patterns in anyone else's zone, then you claim the scoring card. Additionally, if you've created the right pattern in your scoring zone, you can score your inspiration card. Whoever has the most points after three rounds is the star pupil of Abstract Academy and wins! Admin note: The logo of Flatout Games is shown on the English-language edition of Abstract Academy, but Flatout Games is not involved with the publication of this game.