Theme is a funny beast in boardgames, as it does add greatly to a game but sometimes can feel very generic. Many a comment and a joke has been made about the stern gentlemen on the cover of many a euro game, trying to look very much the part of a merchant or a trader. To stand out, you need to have a truly unique theme, but even better, have a theme that is somewhat supported by the gameplay of the game. It helps both in the immersion and if done correctly, in the understanding/retention of the rules.
I love Worker Placement games (or is that Action Selection games? Perhaps that’s an entirely different topic…) but for a lot of them, the theme is not only pasted on (Lords of Waterdeep, anyone?) but also quite generic (too many medieval games about traders to list). Sometimes, out of nowhere comes a truly thematic, truly wonderfully game and this is what Euphoria: Building a Better Dystopia is to me.