We got Lumberhill to add to our 4 player switch games. We play 4 player games practically every Saturday or Sunday. Lumberhill isn’t the worst, but it’s fun as long as you’re fine with not getting every star or achievement.

Many of the achievements are easier to unlock as a solo player in my experience. When we played with 4 people, it’s fun but unlocking every achievements is hard.

As we played through the entire game we found some tactics that worked and others that didn’t. Here’s what we found.

At the beginning, every player should focus on building the bridges. Unless there was an order with only 2 or 3 units. Then 1 player should start on that order.

Once the bridges are built, our main strategy involved each player focusing on a specific task. So one player would work on the animal orders, while another worked on the tree orders. Other players bounced between whatever task was urgent. Such as putting out fires, distracting the monkeys, or help filling an order close to timing out.

This worked for us since some players focused on just completing the orders. While other players kept the fires and nuisances at bay. Put fires out ASAP!

On the final levels where you move to new locations, have everyone grab a piece of lumber before boarding the platform. This makes building bridges quicker at the new location. Unless of course you can fill an order with that lumber before leaving.

We initially tried having everyone work on the same order. But found many of the tree orders required 5 to 7 units to fill. While this strat worked on the large orders, the easy orders that only required 1 or 2 units to fill often timed out.

We quickly abandoned that strategy because it was hit or miss. Sure we got the 7 item order filled quickly, but then 4 players working on a 1 or 2 item order got confusing.

Every order, no matter how many units are required, is worth the same amount. So the best strategy we found is to focus on orders of 5 units or less. The only exception is an animal order you can herd.

It’s best to ignore all tree orders requiring 6 or 7 item. Even if it’s the only order, another order will show up in a few seconds. Never let a 1 or 2 item order time out if you can.

You have to hold the run button pretty much the entire game. It’s a pain literally and figuratively, but keep that button mashed down. It’s the only way to consistently make jumps or have any hope of getting 3 stars.

The only time you should let up on the run button is for herding. Always herd animals if possible. It takes patience, but herding is always preferable to moving them one by one.

Fires spread quickly. As soon as you hear the lightning, meteor, or see a pirate ship get on it. Get rid of the powder charge before it blows if you can. Hit the meteor with a bucket as soon as it lands.

Throwing the bucket works better than pouring it and refilling the same bucket over and over.

Rams and boars don’t bother you if you don’t bother them. Move to a different tree instead of swinging an axe near them. They sometimes attack if anyone is near them when they spawn. So tossing them off the map creates more problems than it solves.

Monkeys are constant annoyance. Keep at them as much as they keep at you. Having a player dedicated to knocking the monkeys off the map with an axe helps everyone.

Have 1 player dedicated to distracting the man eating dinosaurs while the others focus on cutting trees or getting animals. If the player gets eaten then the other players should just keep out of range of the T-rex until the bait player gets back. It’s more important the workers don’t lose time respawning and getting back to the area.

You can get the monkeys to work for you by leaving axes near them. They will chop trees as they chase you but throw the axe if you’re far away. This helps for solo. However, they are such a nuisance we usually knock them off the map.

Monkey hack: If you hit the monkey with the axe just right they get stuck on a cliff. It’s best to practice this yourself to find the spots where you won’t fall off the map completely. Instead of falling, you can jump back on the main level.

Since the monkeys can’t jump, they get stuck in this area for the duration and can’t bother anyone. This is not easy to do, but if your aim is good they get stuck between the ground and falling completely off the map.

Knocking them completely off the map just makes them respawn. However, they are such a nuisance it’s worth knocking them off the map every chance you get. When we have 4 players, we dedicate one player to this task.

Boars and triceratops can also be tricked into smashing trees down for you. Hit the boar or take a baby dino to them to get them to charge at you then stand in front of a tree. Jump out of the way at the last moment.

Running in circles puts out small fires. You should have the run button mashed the entire game anyway, but this trick works to keep fires from starting or spreading.

Once, we restarted a game but it kept our score! Player 1 was respawning as we restarted. We tried a few times to duplicate this however we were not successful.

Lumberhill tips and tricks brought to you by David M.

I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space, and Overcooked All You Can Eat.

We got Lumberhill to add to our collection of 4 player switch games. Lumberhill is a game where you’re chopping down trees and collecting animals to fill orders.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because Lumberhill shares a lot of elements with other multiplayer couch games such as Overcooked. We worked together as lumberjacks to fill orders for lumber and animals in Lumberhill. All the while overcoming obstacles such as fire, being eaten, building bridges, or falling off the map.

You’ll find yourself in different forest settings around the world and throughout the past. Chopping down trees of all kinds. While dealing with animals such as hostile rams, nuisance monkeys, panda bears, and man eating dinosaurs.

The world is fairly hostile toward your efforts as you have to grapple with fires, being eaten, and falling off the map. In my experience falling off the map is the biggest nuisance.

If you want an easy game to play with friends Lumberhill is a good choice. There is a player vs player mode if you prefer competition. But for the most part this is a family friendly game where you work together. Unless you decide to go off script and run around knocking each other off the map with axes.

When you have 4 players, the list of possible games is short. This game is on that list. If you want to play solo Lumberhill can accommodate you as well.

We found Lumberhill provides more laughs than intense gameplay. If you’re looking to rack up achievements or set records this isn’t the game for you.

While there are achievements to unlock extra skins, the difficulty varies greatly among levels. Some levels are impossible to earn 3 stars or the achievements in my experience.

Playing solo allowed me to complete many of the missing stars and achievements. However, on many of the final levels this isn’t the case.

If you can accept this and just play for fun then Lumberhill can provide that. The way they get eaten, flee from fire, fly off the map, or just keep saying “you” over and over is hilarious.

We tested this game with 1 player, 2 players, 3 players, and 4 players. We found 4 players was the hardest to get 3 stars and the achievements. 2 players seemed the most balanced. While solo games were the easiest, with a few exceptions. The T-Rex levels were a lot harder with only 1 player.

In my experience this game is similar to other coop couch games. Such as: Overcooked, Moving Out, Tools Up, Out of Space, and Very Very Valet.

All coop games need an assist mode so less experienced players can also have fun. Lumberhill doesn’t have one yet so it can be more frustrating than the others.

Overcooked, Moving Out, Tools Up, and Lumberhill all have timed rounds where you’re performing routine tasks. Lumberhill, like Moving Out, keeps those tasks simple. You primarily chop down trees or collect animals in Lumberhill.

Lumber hill also has you building a bridge, putting out fires, and operating platforms. These tasks are kept simple. For example, bridges are built by simply tossing a tree at it.

Overcooked and Tools Up also use routine tasks but then adds to their complexity for a finished product. While Lumberhill keeps everything simple, the environment you carry them out it isn’t. You’ll find many hazards and obstacles preventing you from getting the lumber or animals from point A to B.

The graphics of Lumberhill are striking compared to other games. The players have no eyes but the buildings, trees, cliffs, and platforms have terrific 3D modeling. It’s as if Tools Up got an upgrade.

Out of Space, Very Very Valet, and Moving Out are flat looking compared to the depth of Lumberhill.

Overcooked has the best background music by far but Lumberhill is on par with the rest for catchy, non intrusive background music and sounds.

Of the games I listed, I hate to say it but Lumberhill is my least favorite. Not to say it isn’t fun or worth getting, because it is! Just that Lumberhill doesn’t quite measure up to those games. Still, there are many, many games I like less than Lumberhill.

The good things we found about Lumberhill are the funny things that happen to the characters. Getting set on fire or eaten by a dinosaur shouldn’t be funny, but in Lumberhill it is cartoonishly funny.

Hitting each other with axes is also just good natured fun in Lumberhill. Really, I know all this sounds bad but nothing that happens is graphic or violent. Players just bounce around or disappear.

While I appreciate the lengths the developers went to modeling everything. It does gets in the way of playing the game. The game looks beautiful, like artwork. But I’m trying to play a game, not admire 3D art.

The proportions inhibit play on some levels. What I mean is the trees, buildings, and cliffs have a great 3D look to them. However, they’re too imposing. It’s hard to find the water well, an egg nest, or an axe because everything else stands out so much.

It’s also hard to gauge jumps due to the 3D design. You practically have to hold the run button the entire game in order to make any jump or have any hope of getting more than 1 star. The game would be so much better if running was the default speed.

The other frustrating thing about Lumberhill is the constant barrage of fire and things falling off the map. We spent a lot of time putting out fires and lost way too much time falling off the map.

We restarted so many games because it was just 30 seconds of everyone constantly falling off the map. It’s hilarious, but nothing could get accomplished because everyone kept falling off the map. Building bridges helps but the platforms are small compared to the characters so falling off is inevitable.

Every time you cut a tree there’s a good chance it’s going to fall off the map. If it doesn’t immediately roll off, then lightning, a meteor, a cannon blast, a new tree, or some monkey throwing crap at you flings it off the map.

This Lumberhill review gives it 7 out of 10 stars. In spite of it’s shortcoming, we had fun playing Lumberhill. I hope there’s an update in the future to include an assist mode to help win more. But any game that makes us laugh is a winner.

Lumberhill is a good coop couch game that keeps it simple. It provides a goofy world to play in. It has a few flaws that prevent it from being my favorite, but overall it’s a fut game with friends as long as you don’t take it too seriously.

Lumberhill review brought to you by David M.

I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.

Playing Lumberhill is fun whether it’s solo or multiplayer. It scales as well as any game based on timed rounds. Which is to say, not so great. However, the fun play and uncomplicated tasks make up for it.

In Lumberhill, you play as a Lumberjack filling orders for trees and animals. Obstacles in the environment, and a timer, supply challenges for you to overcome. Instead of a boss, the final level involves moving to several locations to complete orders to fill an ark.

Like all our multiplayer coop couch games, we played it through with 4 players. Then went back with less players to get all the achievements and stars we missed.

There are 5 worlds. The worlds have different trees and animals but the tasks remained the same. Collect trees and animals while avoiding the obstacles. And of course falling off the map.

The 5th and final world has one level. It’s a collection of all the animals and trees from the other worlds. You move to different locations in an effort to fill the ark.

This is the first world you play in. It’s easy because there aren’t many gaps to jump or obstacles such as fires or attacking animals. Orders are for trees or animals.

There are two types of animals. Rams and sheep. Sheep automatically move away from you. So you can chase and catch them individually or herd them. Herding them always works better.

Rams attack you if they get hit with an axe. They can’t be herded so you have to pick them up one at a time to throw them in the barn.

Trees require 3 hits with an axe to fall. Always chop so they fall away from the edge. Chopping down several trees at a time is fine for the forest level but it’s a bad habit to get in. Trees have a mind of their own and their will is bent to fall off the map.

Seriously, if they don’t immediately roll off the map sooner or later they will fall off the map. Chopping down several trees at a time is counterproductive in later levels because they almost always fall off the map before you can collect all of them.

We found jumping and trowing animals or trees at the barn or lumber mill saved a few steps. Plus get in the habit of running. You don’t need to run or jump much in this world but constantly running is crucial to getting all the stars and achievements.

The last level is this world is November. It’s also the hardest to get 3 stars. You have to use the platform to pass sheep and trees back and forth.

One player should stay on the left side to herd sheep onto the platform and fill the birch tree orders which only require 3 units.

While the other player(s) stay on the right and fling sheep into the barn since they can’t be herded there. Rams also have to be collected and thrown into the barn too.

The player(s) on the right should chop down the trees while waiting for more sheep. Then toss all those trees on the empty platform before sending it back.

Putting out fires is nearly a constant task on this level. Drop what you’re doing and put the fire out as soon as you hear the meteor land! You can run around on the meteor to put it out if you get there quick enough. Otherwise throw a bucket of water on it.

As a rule we usually build bridges, this level is the exception. We found not building the bridge allowed us to get the achievement.

In this world the tasks are the same however the animals are pandas and baby pandas. Pandas need lured with food instead of herded like sheep. They don’t attack like rams but we found they eat the food used to lure them if you stand still too long.

The trees look different but work the same as before. We chopped them down to fill orders.

In my experience tree orders that require 6 or 7 units are a waste of time. Don’t bother with them even if they are the only order. Instead get animals near the barn or chop down other trees. Another order will show up soon in my experience.

Asia introduces monkeys. These are the most annoying animals in the game in my opinion. In 4 player games we dedicated 1 player just for knocking them off the map, they’re that bad. Use the monkey hack to glitch them if you can.

Asia also introduces traveling on the final level: Lubu. You start in one area then move to another area after 3 minutes. While this isn’t hard you should get to the ship before it evacuates.

Getting animals and trees across the moving platforms isn’t difficult, it just takes patience. Take your time here.

We found one of the early levels is harder than the final level. Uminaoshi has a moving platform is similar to the final forest level. You have to utilize this platform to get 3 stars. We found tossing trees to the lower level worked as good as the platform for trees. Yet, moving animals the long way took too much time.

This world introduces sharks, pigs, boars, and pirates. The sharks don’t immediately eat you however get out of the water as quickly as you can. Boars are like rams, they don’t bother you unless you hit them with an axe.

This world isn’t much harder than the other two worlds in my experience. Focus on small orders, building bridges, and getting rid of powder charges from pirates.

Getting three stars wasn’t nearly as hard as the achievements. Such as don’t get killed or don’t let a boar die. Between all the canon fire and sharks the achievements were the hardest.

Obviously avoid falling in the water. But As soon as you see a pirate ship and hear that cannon fire. Get rid of the powder keg. It does a lot of damage and has a large blast area.

Hawaii also adds fishing. All you do is pull a lever when you see fish under the net. It works better if you do other tasks and occasionally pull the lever instead of committing too much time to fishing. Not in real life though, fish all you want.

Kurapika is the final level. As you move to different areas choose building bridges wisely. Bridges for animal traffic important. High traffic bridge is also good. But bridges to access trees aren’t important.

The Dino world introduces many new animals plus a few new tasks. New animals are the triceratops, tyrannosaurus rex, pterasour, brontosaurus, and Leedsichthys problematicus (man eating fish).

The triceratops and their babies are similar to pandas. Instead of herding them you lure them. The babies are lured with food. However, the mamas chase you when you pick up a baby triceratops. Similar to boars, triceratops also knock down trees .

The T-rex chases and eats you unless you hide in the grass. We found it’s best to have a player dedicated to distracting the T-rex otherwise it’s hard to get any animals or trees harvested.

The pterasour doesn’t like it when you take her eggs. Collecting eggs is a new task. You pick-up an egg from her nest then try to get it to the barn before she gets you. She can’t get you if you hide in the grass This is an easy order so don’t let any of these time out.

The brontosaurus is easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it. You use its head for a bridge. The graphics and 3d modeling in Lumberhill are beautiful but the proportions and contrast make things difficult to distinguish. Smaller items, or a brontosaurus’s giant head, really blend in and are hard to spot!

The Leedsichthys problematicus is not hard to spot at all. Merely touch the water and this man eating fish takes you with one gulp! It’s unexpected and kinda hilarious the first time it gets you.

Apart from all the new animals, trees, and setting this world has you doing the same tasks. Collecting animals, eggs, and trees to complete orders. As usual, we found focusing on small orders, building bridges, putting out fires, and distracting the T-rex worked best.

While this world has only 1 level, in my experience, it is very difficult. This world combines elements from all the previous worlds. You’ll be collecting every type of tree and animal.

Like other final levels it has you moving to different locations every couple of minutes. It seems barely possible to get more than a couple orders filled before it’s time to evacuate.

This level is harder than November but not by much. Not only do you have to focus on putting out fires, building bridges, and dealing with hostile animals. Filling orders is very difficult.

We had to gauge the time before committing to an order. Many times we’d need just 1 more item to fill an order when it was time to evacuate.

We would have 3 out of 4 , or 4 out of 5 when the ship sailed to a new area. Basically wasting our time. Once we kept an eye on the timer, and collected wood for bridges before evacuating, our efforts weren’t in vain.

They give you more time for the last area though. We mostly did animal orders. Ignoring any tree order with 6 items or more. Jumping and trowing the trees seemed to work better than waiting for the platform.

Herding and luring groups of animals is faster than individually moving them. As always build bridges and address fires as soon as possible.

The final area allowed for the most orders to be filled. Being aware of the evacuations every 3 minutes helped the most for beating the final level.

Lumberhill gameplay brought to you by David M.

I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space, and Overcooked All You Can Eat.