Review: Ark Nova

Introducción

In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, house animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you achieve this goal.

This is how we are introduced to Ark Nova, a design by Mathias Wigge, this being his first title to see the light of day. It was first published in 2021 by Feuerland Spiele in a German version. The illustrations are handled by Loïc Billiau (Spirit Island, Glen More), Dennis Lohausen (Terra Mystica, Glass Road), and Steffen Bieker.

It will be published in Spanish by Maldito Games (the game is quite language-dependent, with a lot of text on a huge number of cards, in addition to the rulebook). It allows games from 1 to 4 players, with a suggested minimum age of 14 and an approximate duration of between 90 and 150 minutes. The MSRP is €65. For this review, a copy of the English version by Capstone Games and Feuerland Spiele was used, which the publishers themselves kindly provided.

Importante: si ya conoces el juego y/o sólo te interesa mi opinión sobre el mismo, puedes pasar directamente al apartado de Opinión. Los apartados Contenido y Mecánica están destinados especialmente a aquellos que no conocen el juego y prefieren hacerse una idea general de cómo funciona.

Ir a la Opinión Personal

Contenido

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom), measuring 36.5×30×8 cm (a large rectangular box similar to Gaia Project, though with less depth), we find the following components:

• 255 Cards (62.5×88 mm):
  • 212 Zoo Cards:
    • 128 Animal Cards
    • 64 Sponsor Cards
    • 20 Conservation Project Cards
  • 11 Final Scoring Objective Cards
  • 12 Base Conservation Project Cards
  • 20 Double-sided Action Cards
• Main Board (cardboard)
• Association Board (cardboard)
• 8 Double-sided Zoo Boards (cardboard)
• 82 Standard Enclosure Tiles (cardboard):
  • 28 Enclosures of Size 1
  • 24 Enclosures of Size 2
  • 15 Enclosures of Size 3
  • 13 Enclosures of Size 4
  • 10 Enclosures of Size 5
• 24 Kiosks/Pavilions (cardboard)
• 12 Special Enclosures (cardboard):
  • 4 Petting Zoos
  • 4 Reptile Houses
  • 4 Aviaries
• 15 Unique Enclosures (cardboard)
• 55 Money Tokens (cardboard):
  • 40 of Value 1
  • 10 of Value 5
  • 10 of Value 10
  • 10 of Value 20
• 20 Partner Zoo Tokens (cardboard)
• 12 University Tokens (cardboard)
• 9 Bonus Tiles (cardboard)
• 20 X-tokens (cardboard)
• 8 Multiplier x2 Tokens (cardboard)
• 8 Venom Tokens (cardboard)
• 8 Constriction Tokens (cardboard)
• Solo Play Tile (cardboard)
• Break Token (cardboard)
• 12 Scoring Markers (3 of each color) (wooden)
• 16 Workers (4 of each color) (wooden)
• 100 Cubes (25 of each color) (wooden)
• Rulebook

Mecánica

Ark Nova is a card-driven development game in which each player must build a modern zoo. Players will alternate turns executing one of the five actions available in their card row, keeping in mind that its strength depends on its position within the row (the further to the right, the more powerful it is). After executing the action, the card moves to the leftmost slot of the row. These actions will allow players to build enclosures on their personal board, draw cards, resolve administrative actions (which allow closing deals with various continents, upgrading scientific research, or playing objective cards), play sponsor cards (which offer recurring effects), or play animal cards (which require having certain enclosures among other prerequisites, resolving the effect indicated on the card). The goal of the players is to trigger two markers that move in opposite directions: appeal (which determines the income obtained in each break phase) and conservation points. The end of the game is triggered when the markers cross, giving the remaining players one final turn. The player who managed to separate their markers the furthest after crossing will be the winner.

Conceptos Básicos

Let’s start with the basics. In Ark Nova, we have a fundamental resource which is Money. This is represented by tokens with values of 1, 5, 10, and 20 credits. This money will be used primarily to play zoo cards and to build enclosures for the animals. The main way to earn money will be through the break phases, where players will gain income based on their zoo’s level of appeal.

Standard Enclosures are represented by tiles made of hexagons (from 1 to 5). When adding animals to the zoo, it will be necessary to have available enclosures with an equal or greater capacity. Each standard enclosure can only accommodate a single animal species. These tiles are double-sided, with one side in ochre tones indicating that the enclosure is unoccupied, and the other side with green tones indicating the presence of animals in it. The cost of each enclosure will depend on the number of spaces it occupies.

There are a series of Unique Enclosures that are played as the effect of certain zoo cards. These enclosures must also be placed in the zoo, with the peculiarity that they will have no cost beyond what the card indicates. There are also a series of Special Enclosures whose unique feature is being able to house multiple species inside: the aviary, the petting zoo, and the reptile house. Each player can build one of these structures in their zoo and will mark on it the number of spaces occupied by species.

As the final structures we can add to the zoo, we have Pavilions and Kiosks (they are the same tokens, one on one side and the other on the reverse). Pavilions increase the zoo’s appeal immediately, while kiosks will provide additional income based on the structures adjacent to them which, in the case of standard enclosures, must be occupied.

These enclosures will be placed on the map terrain that appears on each player’s Zoo Board. Some spaces on this terrain show placement bonuses that are obtained when covered by a structure. Each of these boards is double-sided, featuring a symmetrical side and another side with a unique effect and a different terrain space distribution among them. To the left of the terrain area, we have slots with bonuses that players can activate when they complete a conservation project. The purple bonuses will be, in addition to immediate (like the yellow ones), recurring in each break phase. To the right, we have a column for partnership agreements with different continents, another column for partnerships with universities, and another column for the worker pool. These spaces show bonuses that will be activated when covered (in the case of universities and partnerships) or uncovered (for the workers). Finally, in the bottom row, we find five slots to place the action cards with associated values from one to five in ascending order from left to right. Let’s look at these elements in more detail.

Partner Zoos from different continents will be necessary to play certain animal cards in the zoo. Each player can only sign four agreements out of the five possible, and cannot repeat continents. Upon obtaining a new agreement, the corresponding bonus from the covered space is gained. The icon on this token will be taken into account for effects activated later. Additionally, each partner zoo discounts 3 credits when playing an animal associated with that region.

Partner Universities allow increasing the number of scientific icons in the zoo, which is required to play certain animal cards. There are three types of partner universities, and each player can only sign one of each type (they cannot be repeated). Upon gaining a new university, the corresponding bonus from the covered space is obtained. The icons on this token will be taken into account for effects activated later.

The Association Board will serve as the supply for the Partner Zoo tokens and Partner Universities, which will be placed in their corresponding spaces. There will be two additional action spaces. Each of these action spaces can be activated via a specific action by placing workers on them. In turn, each action will have a specific cost in action points. In the top and bottom rows, we find spaces to place conservation project cards (which are activated with the highest-cost action). On the left side, we find the slots for donations, which will provide conservation points if the player has reached a certain development level and performs an action on this board.

Let’s move on to the main element of the game, the Zoo Cards. There are three types: animal cards (which show a cost in credits and requirements for enclosures and icons already present in the zoo in the upper left corner, and activation effects on the bottom bar, usually with an increase in the park’s appeal; the icons to consider will be those in the upper right corner of played cards, partner zoos, and partner universities), sponsor cards (which have an activation cost in action points and activation effects that can be immediate, recurring, or conditional), and conservation project cards (which indicate a certain requirement that can be fulfilled with greater or lesser intensity, providing conservation points; several common cards of this type will be laid out at the beginning of the game). Players will hold these cards in hand, from where they can play them. Before that, they can draw them from the visible supply or the deck. In the break phase, a hand limit will apply, forcing players who exceed it to discard cards.

The fourth type of cards would be the Final Scoring Objective Cards, which provide conservation points at the end of the game based on a specific requirement. Players will start the game with two of these cards and must discard one of them when a certain milestone is reached, although there will be options to get new cards thanks to certain effects.

As the final, and no less important, type of card, we have the Action Cards. These will be the core of the action selection system. There are five cards, each associated with one of the actions that can be executed. These will be placed under the zoo board in each of the slots marked along the bottom row, granting them a number of action points. When activating one of the cards, the action will have associated action points equal to the value of the slot it occupies, then moving to the first slot and shifting the cards that were to its left to the right (increasing their action point value). Each card is double-sided, featuring an initial side and a more powerful upgraded side. To upgrade cards, players must activate some of the available bonuses in the game, specifically when obtaining a second partner zoo, obtaining a second partner university, reaching a certain amount of conservation points, and reaching a certain level of research. To carry out certain actions, it will be necessary to have upgraded the corresponding card.

When activating a card, we can increase the number of action points corresponding to its position in the row using X-tokens. Each of these tokens allows increasing the action point value of a card by one unit (there will be actions that require more than five points, which is the maximum that can usually be obtained). The only limitation is that a player cannot have more than five tokens of this type at any given time.

In the center of the table, we will have the Main Board. In the central row, we have a card supply organized by slots associated with the reputation track. When the time comes, players can choose cards from this row up to their current reputation level or play them directly if they have upgraded the corresponding card, though assuming an additional cost corresponding to the value indicated on the slot. Surrounding this row, we have a double track. In a counterclockwise direction runs the appeal track, represented by small orange tickets. Associated with these tickets, we will have a specific income value when a break phase occurs. In a clockwise direction runs the conservation track, with green spaces (each space covers two or three appeal tickets). In the first conservation spaces, we will have bonuses. Between the reputation track and the conservation/appeal track, we have the game’s progress track, which shows a series of spaces with a starting point depending on the number of players. Every time the marker reaches the last space of this track, a break phase will be triggered.

Only the first two bonuses are printed on the board, while the remaining four must be set up using the Bonus Tiles. At the beginning of the game, four of these tiles will be chosen randomly and placed in those slots, allowing the player to choose one of them when their marker reaches or passes the corresponding space.

Through the effect of the cards, we can also obtain Multiplier, Venom, and Constriction Tokens. The first ones allow doubling the effect of an action, the second will make a rival’s action more expensive, and the third will reduce the number of action points with which a rival can execute an action. These tokens will be discarded after activating the corresponding card or when a break phase is reached.

Each player will have three Track Markers. The first one is for appeal (which will determine the income in each break phase), the second for conservation points (which will allow enjoying certain bonuses upon reaching specific spaces on the track), and the third for the reputation level (which will unlock card slots in the supply in addition to providing various bonuses). The key concept is that the appeal and conservation markers progress in opposite directions to one another. When the markers of the same player cross, the end of the game will be triggered.

Each player will also have a group of Workers (initially only one) that they can use to execute association actions. The important concept is that between break phases, to execute the same association action again, the player must place one more worker than in the previous execution, regardless of whether other players have activated it or not.

Finally, players will also have a set of Cubes (7 of which are initially placed on the bonus slots to the left of the zoo board). These cubes will be used to mark conservation project cards (releasing one of the previous bonuses) or to mark occupied spaces in the donation area or in special enclosures.

That is enough to get us started.

Preparación de la Partida

1. The main board is placed in the center of the table.
2. The deck of zoo cards is shuffled and placed in the appropriate space on the main board.
3. The first six cards of the deck are revealed and placed in the supply slots of the main board.
4. The bonus tiles are shuffled and four of them are placed randomly in the slots of the conservation track.
5. The association board is placed to one side.
6. The initial conservation project cards are shuffled and 3 of them are revealed (4 in 4-player games) and placed under the association board.
7. A supply is formed with the partner zoo tokens and university tokens. One of each type is placed in the appropriate space on the association board.
8. A general supply is formed with the money, constriction, venom, multiplier, X-tokens, and structures (separated by type).
9. The starting player is chosen randomly.
10. Each player chooses a color and receives:
    • 3 markers (one is placed on the appropriate space of the appeal track according to turn order, another on the starting space of the conservation track, and another on the starting space of the reputation track).
    • A zoo board (players decide whether to use the asymmetrical side or the symmetrical side).
    • 25 cubes (7 of which are placed on the bonus slots of the zoo board).
    • 4 Workers (places one in the available area and the other 3 in the reserve slots of the zoo board).
    • Each player receives 25 credits as initial income.
11. The objective card deck is shuffled and 2 are dealt to each player.
    • In 2-player games, cubes of an unused color must be used to cover the first column of the donation area as well as the first, second, and third spaces of the first, second, and third common conservation project cards.

Now we can begin!

Desarrollo de la Partida

A game of Ark Nova takes place over an indefinite number of turns alternated by the players, starting with the initial player and continuing clockwise.

On each turn, the active player must activate one of their five action cards. When activating a card, the action associated with it will be resolved with the number of action points indicated by the slot it occupies in the row of the player’s zoo board, keeping in mind that this number of action points can be increased by discarding X-tokens (1 point per discarded token). After resolving the action, the player places the activated card in the first slot of the row and shifts to the right the action cards that were to the left of the activated card. Alternatively, a player may choose not to execute any action, moving any action card to the first slot and receiving an X-token as compensation (this option cannot be chosen if the player already has 5 X-tokens).

After this, the turn passes to the player on the left.

The available actions are:

• Cards. The break marker is advanced 2 spaces and the player chooses one of these two options:
  • Draw the number of cards indicated from the deck according to the corresponding action points and, then, if applicable, discard a card from their hand (not necessarily one of those drawn).
  • Choose a card from the supply, regardless of the player’s reputation level.
    • Upgraded Card: in addition to altering the number of cards drawn and discarded, the player can choose, instead of drawing from the deck, to take cards from the supply from slots that their reputation marker has reached.
• Build. The player builds a structure whose size is equal to or less than the number of action points of the slot where the card was located. This structure must be placed connected to a previously built structure (with the exception of the first one, which must simply touch a border of the player’s map). If a player covers a space with a placement bonus, they resolve it immediately. For each space the structure occupies, the player must pay 2 credits. If building a kiosk, it must be separated by two spaces from any other kiosk in the zoo. They can build one of the special structures indicated on the card.
  • • Upgraded Card: the player can build multiple structures as long as they are different and the sum of their sizes is equal to or less than the number of action points with which the card is activated. In addition, they can cover the spaces marked with the upgraded card icon.
• Sponsors. The player chooses one of the following options:
  • Gain Income. Breaks equal to the action points available to execute the card are gained in credits. In addition, the break marker advances that same number of spaces.
  • Play a Sponsor. A sponsor card whose value is equal to or less than the number of action points available when activating the card is placed in the play area. The requirements indicated on the card must be met. The immediate effects indicated on the card are applied.
    • Upgraded Card. If used to gain income, the amount of credits obtained is doubled. If used to play a sponsor, the number of action points is increased by one and more than one sponsor can be played as long as the sum of the values of the sponsors is equal to or less than the number of available action points. In addition, sponsor cards can be played from the supply as long as they are within reach according to the reputation level and the corresponding money indicated on the slot is paid additionally.
• Association. The player chooses one of the actions on the association board whose cost in action points is equal to or less than those available and places a worker of their color to resolve the action. If a worker of their color is already in the space (from activation on a previous turn), the player must place 2 workers. The available actions are:
  • Increase reputation level by 2 steps.
  • Gain a Partner Zoo. The player chooses a token they do not yet have, pays 3 credits, and places it in the first free space starting from the bottom in the partner zoo column.
  • Gain a Partner University. The player chooses a university token they do not yet have and places it in the first free space starting from the bottom in the university column. The reputation marker is advanced the indicated number of spaces.
  • Support a Conservation Project. If the player meets the requirements of a common conservation project they have not yet supported (it can be a card from their hand), they place a cube from the bonus area of their zoo board into the corresponding slot that best fits. The player receives the released bonus and scores the corresponding conservation points. If a card from the hand is played, it must be placed in the leftmost space of the upper area of the association board. If all spaces are already occupied, the rightmost card is discarded and all cards are pushed to the right to leave the first space free.
    • Upgraded Card. Allows gaining the third and fourth partner zoo. In addition, it allows making donations every time an association action is executed.
• Animals. According to the number of action points available, the player can play one or two animal cards by paying their cost (which is reduced by 3 if they have the partner zoo associated with its region) and provided the requirements are met. The corresponding enclosure is flipped (or a cube is placed in a free space of the aviary, reptile house, or petting zoo if applicable). The player updates their zoo’s appeal and applies the card’s effect. If more than one animal card is played, the effects of one are applied before playing the other.
  • • Upgraded Card: allows playing more animals for fewer action points and rewards the player with reputation points at certain levels. In addition, animal cards can be played from the supply as long as they are within reach according to the reputation level and the corresponding money indicated on the slot is paid additionally.

Each time the break marker reaches the last space of the track, a break phase will be carried out upon completing the current player’s turn. The break phase consists of the following steps:

1. Adjust hand limit. Each player can only keep 3 cards in hand (5 if they have the appropriate university token). Discarded cards are placed in the discard pile.
2. Discard Tokens. Multiplier, venom, and constriction tokens on players’ action cards are discarded.
3. Replenish Association Board. Players retrieve their workers and empty spaces for partner zoos and university tokens are replenished (unless all players already have a specific token).
4. Update Supply. The first two cards of the main board row are discarded and the remaining cards are shifted to the left. Finally, two new cards are revealed to occupy the free spaces.
5. Income. Each player obtains the income corresponding to their appeal, sponsor card bonuses, recurring bonuses from the zoo board, kiosks (1 credit for each adjacent structure except empty enclosures), and the effects of their map board (if any).
6. Finally, the break marker is reset to the space corresponding to the number of players, and the game continues with the next player’s turn.

Fin de la Partida

The end of the game is triggered when a player’s appeal and conservation markers cross (that is, the appeal marker is in one of the spaces covered by a conservation space where the player’s marker is located). After completing their turn, the remaining players will have one final turn, after which final scoring takes place. Each player scores:

• Conservation points from their final scoring objective card.
• Conservation points from end-of-game effects of their sponsor cards.

Finally, each player’s score is calculated by subtracting from their current appeal the value of the lowest appeal space associated with the conservation space where the player’s marker is located. The player with the highest result will be the winner. In case of a tie, the winner will be the one who supported the most conservation projects. If the tie persists, the players share the victory.

Variantes

Solo Mode. The game is set up as if there were 3 players. The solo mode tile is deployed by placing 7 cubes of an unused color in the left column. At the end of the player’s turn, the top cube of the first column will be shifted to the right. When all cubes have passed to the right, the break phase will be activated, placing the top cube of the column in the first free space of the donation area. The game ends when only 2 cubes remain on the solo mode tile, and the player’s score is evaluated. The difficulty level can be modulated by starting with an initial appeal of 20, 10, or 0.

Opinión Personal

Today we are analyzing one of those special games for which one feels an instant infatuation almost simply by looking at its cover. The Boardgame Cupid showed no mercy and drove one of its arrows into my heart that day when, scanning the list of titles announced for Essen, I came across that magnificent illustration of a hemisphere with a collection of animals enclosed in it against a green background (my favorite color).

After reading the rulebook and seeing the ideas that the designer combined in it, I had no doubts and placed it as the game I had the highest expectations for among those to be published at the most important board game fair in the world. It’s time to check if this is a fleeting crush or if I can enjoy a stable relationship with this Ark Nova.

The premise of the game is quite simple. We have been commissioned to develop a modern zoo where animals can feel at home. In other words, a nature reserve where visitors can enjoy different specimens but without them having to suffer like in old-fashioned zoos.

To do this, we will have to build a series of enclosures suitable for different types of animals, close partnership agreements with various regions of the world, contact universities so that the best researchers join our staff, attract sponsors, support conservation projects, make donations, and, of course, get animals to place in the corresponding enclosures. All this in order to raise the appeal and value of the zoo.

Mechanically, we find the exact same action selection system as my beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn (here is its tocho-review), that is, a row of cards, each with one of the available actions in play that receive a certain amount of action points when activated depending on the position the card occupies in that row. Thus, the leftmost card will be activated with one action point, while the rightmost card will be activated with five action points.

A player’s turn will simply consist of activating one of these cards with the corresponding action points, resolving the associated action based on those points, and, finally, placing the activated card in the leftmost space of the row, shifting the other cards to the right. This action selection system has several virtues, but two stand out especially.

The first is that it forces players to maintain a balanced development. There will be no bad action, only a bad time to activate it. Except in very specific cases, the normal thing will be to try to have the highest possible number of action points to resolve the card in the most powerful way.

And the second is that downtime is reduced to a minimum thanks to this clever constraint imposed by the assignment of action points to the cards. Since it is more or less clear what is interesting to activate on the next turn, players won’t have to overthink things when choosing one of the available actions.

Furthermore, this action system allows the game to develop in alternating turns that will be punctuated by break phases where maintenance is minimal, leading to a spectacular game flow. If players do not suffer from analysis-paralysis, it is one of those games where the turn returns to you with extraordinary speed, especially when players resolve actions that do not generate large synergies, such as drawing cards, building structures, or executing association actions.

Now, it must also be noted that there will be turns in which players will throw a party on the board, as they will be able to chain a significant number of actions thanks to board bonuses and/or card effects. In that sense, managing to set up a combo that ends up being beneficial will provide tremendous satisfaction. I have had turns where, thanks to being able to play 2 animal cards, I triggered scoring tracks that allowed me to activate a bonus to build an enclosure, which allowed me to cover spaces with more bonuses to play more cards. These are moments with a Feldian flavor where, starting from a single action, a massive chain reaction is triggered.

It also inherits from Sid Meier’s Civilization the concept of upgrading cards, although in this case each card will only have one upgraded option. What is important to note is that players will only be able to upgrade, at most, four of their five cards, so you have to know how to choose well which card is not going to be upgraded. The sooner the cards are upgraded, the more powerful our actions will be.

It is true that this can lead to a somewhat scripted development, as players will bet on trying to get partnership agreements and university tokens as early as possible or scoring a couple of conservation points by any means necessary (although this usually costs more since conservation project cards are not easy to activate). But once these early milestones are reached, you have to know how to choose which card to upgrade at any given time. If, for example, our income is depleted, it can be very interesting to upgrade the sponsor card to be able to get double the income from the action points with which the card is activated. If, on the other hand, we are not short of money and want to develop our park quickly, upgrading the build card can be crucial to occupy spaces that are initially blocked.

I like how the designer has solved the problem of actions taking a back seat as the game reaches its final turns. For example, when a player completes their zoo and runs out of spaces to build, the build action becomes useless, so it will tend to slide to the slot with the highest amount of action points. It is true that it will be an ineffective action, but it will allow us to reset that card and not have to worry about it occupying the highest-value slot for at least five turns (and normally the game ends before then).

Choosing this option will also allow us to obtain an X-token, which is the other element that prevents us from being too constrained by the action point assignment system. Thus, a card located in the second slot (2 action points) could be activated with up to 7 action points if a player had 5 X-tokens in their possession (the maximum you can have) and used them together with that card.

The main objective for players is to skyrocket the appeal and value of their zoo. These two parameters are recorded on two tracks that progress in opposite directions, so that a moment comes when the markers cross, triggering the end of the game. A concept originating from Rajas of the Ganges (here is its tocho-review) by the Brand design duo, which was highly acclaimed among enthusiasts for framing a race in a very particular way, as it allows players to take various approaches.

On one hand, you can try to rocket the appeal marker as quickly as possible, since it will be linked to the amount of income a player receives in each break phase, and money is fundamental to building enclosures and playing animals. On the other hand, you can try to accumulate as many conservation points as possible, since each conservation point is equivalent to two or three appeal points. Although the normal thing will be to have a certain balance and, once the zoo has some substance, try to score more conservation points than appeal.

Be that as it may, it is a system that generates a lot of tension, because except for the card-drawing action, it is always possible to advance one of these markers with an action. Playing animals increases appeal. Playing sponsors will also grant benefits that are not only immediate but recurring, which will also allow increasing appeal. With association actions, we can support conservation projects that will provide us with conservation points. And with the build action, we can reach the milestone of occupying all terrain spaces, obtaining a reward in the form of appeal.

As the players’ markers draw closer, the tension will grow until someone manages to trigger the end of the game. The thing is, it is not easy to evaluate if the player has victory in hand, because once the end of the game is triggered, final bonuses must be added, some of them hidden, and more than one player can get an unpleasant surprise by forcing the game end without having enough rewards for the finale.

There remains a third reference to mention which acts as the third leg of the stool. I am talking about Terraforming Mars (here is its tocho-review). It is true that the Fryxelius game is not, in my opinion, the best design when it comes to card development mechanics. But its impact on the gaming scene is undeniable, so it is understandable that many games that came after tried to replicate, with varying success, a similar design.

Ark Nova is one of these candidates to dethrone Terraforming Mars as the favorite option for this type of game for many people. And the reality is that the similarities between both games are palpable. In both games, we have two main types of cards, one that will simply apply an effect (usually cumulative) and another that will allow generating synergies. We also have the dependence on icons visible on previous cards, so that to play certain cards it will be necessary to have a certain number of icons of various types, in addition to having the necessary credits to play them.

However, Matthias Wigge’s game moves away from Terraforming Mars by dispensing with the wide variety of resources to manage, focusing exclusively on money. To compensate, Ark Nova is a game where the synergies between cards feel more intense, especially with sponsor cards, which open many doors and raise the demands when it comes to managing timing. Here, generating points by taking advantage of effects feels much more rewarding, as most sponsor cards reward you during the game and/or at the end of it based on various criteria, and not simply by granting fixed victory points (which is the most common thing in Terraforming Mars, although it is also true that there are cards that allow playing around with certain resources to raise the points they provide, though, in my view, it is a less organic system).

It also completely wipes out the drafting element. The game embraces the luck of the draw that was already present in Terraforming Mars but provides ways for players to have some leeway when selecting cards. For starters, it is very difficult to find a card from which you cannot get some value and/or that is very difficult to play. This, combined with the draw-and-discard system, will allow players to pare down the draw deck looking for the best options for their zoo. In addition, having a supply from which you can choose cards is another relief from the impact of luck.

In the games I’ve played, I haven’t felt that luck prevented me from progressing. It is true that certain cards, especially conservation project cards, are very specific when demanding icons. But since there aren’t that many and you can get university tokens and regional agreements, it won’t be that complicated to meet the demands of most cards. Usually, the problem will be money and space.

And since we are talking about space, another similar aspect between Ark Nova and Terraforming Mars is the development of a territory through tile placement. In Terraforming Mars, from my point of view, this aspect was more circumstantial than anything else. Tiles were placed more as a consequence of card effects than seeking certain elements, beyond raising the amount of victory points that cities and green areas provided, but they were rarely a requirement when playing cards.

In Ark Nova, the exact opposite happens, and the tile placement mechanic is intimately linked to the cards, since all animal cards require an enclosure to be placed in. And of course, at the beginning, everything is open field and the room for maneuver when building enclosures is high. However, as we build structures, the available spaces will shrink, which can significantly impact the animal cards we can play. For example, it is quite common that in the final turns it will be very difficult to build an enclosure that occupies four or five spaces, so playing animals that require that amount of space can become an impossible mission. In addition, many cards will require enclosures to be adjacent to very specific spaces, complicating the puzzle even further.

This is why each player has their own private zoo, because managing your own board will provide enough headaches without anyone else interfering in it, especially keeping in mind that there is a significant bonus if you cover all the terrain spaces.

Just like Terraforming Mars, Ark Nova is not a particularly interactive game. It is true that we have elements that get temporarily blocked on the association board or permanently on conservation project cards or donations, where the fastest player will get a greater reward. And there are also cards that can apply a minor nuisance to opponents, such as making the activation of action cards more expensive or reducing the number of action points available. But, in general, these will be isolated moments in which a player will be affected by others’ decisions.

So, in general, we have a game that takes the most remarkable elements from several games that, for one reason or another, have made an impact among players, shakes them well in a cocktail shaker, and as a result, we have a quite well-rounded product, with an infernal game pace (when players know how to play and analysis-paralysis is not common at the table) and a growing tension.

All in all, it is not a perfect game and partially inherits the main flaw of Terraforming Mars, which is none other than the game length. It is normal to consume about 40 minutes per player, so a game with four players, even when played with barely any downtime, will hardly drop below two long hours. That said, thanks to the magnificent game flow, we will feel like we are constantly playing.

Perhaps the scaling used in solo mode could have been exploited to reduce the game length. If players start with an appeal of 10 or 20, the game is going to be shortened by quite a few minutes. In fact, I think it would be highly recommended for the first few games to get the hang of it.

Since the level of interaction is not particularly high, scalability is magnificent. This is why the game might work best at two players, as downtime will be reduced to the maximum. In addition, it is a game that takes up a lot of table space even at two players.

As for replayability, it is one of those games that is easy to bring to the table thanks to its huge deck, its asymmetrical maps, and the different elements that provide variability, such as the bonus tiles, final scoring objective cards, or common conservation projects. All this added to the massive card deck ensures different games.

Let’s move on to production. We find quite decent qualities. The cardboard is of good thickness and pressed, being easily punchable. The cards have a great weight, smooth texture, and quite acceptable snap (although with such a large deck, sleeving is more than recommended for comfortable handling). The wooden components have standard shapes and good density. The zoo boards are made of cardstock, which is understandable considering that 8 different ones are included, although the use of cardboard is always preferable. Worth noting is the inclusion of two organizer trays to deploy the game quickly. The rulebook is acceptably well-structured, although it is true that there is significant symbology and many concepts might not be completely clear. For example, I haven’t found where it specifies that the partner zoo necessary to play an animal must belong to the same region (although obviously it must be so).

The visual aspect of this game has generated some controversy. To me, it seems like a decent finish. It is true that the sponsor cards have a variable structure when it comes to placing the different text boxes and sometimes it can get a bit confusing, but once you get used to it, it won’t pose any problem. Visually, real photographs have been used, to which a filter has been applied to homogenize them. It is true that the result is less attractive than if they had been illustrations, but at least the finish is consistent across all cards (although in some the filter is more noticeable than in others). The best part, without a doubt, is the cover, very evocative yet simple. Also noteworthy are the tiles for the enclosures, although the special enclosure ones have turned out a bit bland (they are solid colors). They could have illustrated them according to what they represent and it would have looked great on the board.

And let’s wrap things up. Ark Nova is a game that very successfully combines mechanical elements seen for the first time in relatively recent games to propose a race in which players try to develop the best modern zoo possible. The action selection system allows progress at a great pace, reducing downtime to a minimum (unless there is some titan of analysis-paralysis loose at the table), and the game-end trigger system with markers progressing in opposite directions generates a delicious tension. Furthermore, the synergies between cards will be constant and thanks to the massive deck of cards, along with the bonuses and asymmetrical boards, they skyrocket the game’s variability, ensuring diverse games. It is also tremendously satisfying by allowing players to trigger combos continuously through almost every element of the game. The worst thing that can be said is that, even being a very agile game, the playtime is not short. But as the enjoyment is continuous and growing, it doesn’t turn out to be a drawback. For all this, I give it a…