You Must Build A Boat

You Must Build A Boat

EightyEightGames · 2015 · Casual, Match 3, Strategy, Indie, Action

PC
Very Positive81% · 83771Metacritic1playing now
Best price
$4.99
lowest tracked $0.49
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Standard Edition · Steam
$4.99
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About You Must Build A Boat

✦ AI summary

Slide tiles on a 6x8 grid to match three or more while juggling multiple simultaneous quests, gathering resources, and upgrading your magic staff to build a boat and escape. This retro-styled puzzle adventure blends match-three mechanics with roguelike progression, quirky NPCs, and the perpetual goal of constructing a vessel despite already having one.

You must build a boat.
You must spring out of bed.
You must bargain with the lizardman.
You must heed your undead navigators.
You must slide rows or columns of tiles on a 6x8 grid.
You must match at least 3.
You must run to the right.
You must focus intently on 2 areas of the screen simultaneously.
You must match keys to unlock chests and swords to attack.
You must literally collect your thoughts and trade them for dragons.
You must not dally.
You must not be too hasty.
You must voluntarily ramp up the difficulty by taking on multiple quests at once.
You must incrementally reach your goals. You must build a boat.
You must try again.
You must try again x5.
You must win every time, even when you don’t.
You must remain optimistic.
You must upgrade your magic staff.
You must occasionally stop playing to allow for your hand to uncramp.
You must take credit for random chain combos you made no effort to arrange.
You must trust a blue bean man to make dangerous investments with your money.
You must forget about the blue bean man.
You must mind the asp.
You must reconcile that despite the game’s title, you begin your journey in possession of what is, in no uncertain terms, already a boat.
You must build a boat.
You must go all-in on the retro aesthetic.
You must trade junk for gold with the voidorb.
You must pray for salt.
You must consume fish and tomatoes for time.
You must venture through hell.
You must disarm traps like your life depends on it.
You must make an offering at the chapel.
You must rally the Fantasy Union and the Undead Buddies to your cause.
You must weigh anchor and methodically yet joyously hop in sync with your entire crew.
You must feign interest in critiquing the gardener’s work.
You must look up at the clock and wonder how it’s so late already.
You must build a boat.
You must build a boat!
YOU MUST BUILD A BOAT!!!

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Not recommended Feb 15, 2026
Some of the blocks kind of blend together a bit, idk, I think the ones with the muscles and brains and crates aren't quite distinctive or colorful enough or something, idk. For this kind of game I think each block should be colorful and distinctive so they really jump out.
1 found this helpful
Recommended Jan 29, 2026
This is a fun little distraction. Ideal for short breaks and the like.
1 found this helpful
Recommended May 24, 2026
i built it
Recommended May 18, 2026
gg
Recommended May 17, 2026
i come back to this game every so often. i finally beat it! it's wonderful. very challenging for what it is, and i love the roguelite elements. don't listen to these negative reviews, the only thing i do agree with is the one that says some of the tiles should be a little more distinctive visually.
Recommended Apr 14, 2026
time killer

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