Review: Wondrous Creatures

Introduction & Overview

Lost amidst the swirling mists of the sea, a merchant ship stumbled upon a strange creature. Its shape was reminiscent of a bird, but its luminous beak pierced the darkness with an otherworldly glow. Intrigued, the crew followed the animal and soon discovered an uncharted island, teeming with curious creatures. The peculiar island was packed with mysterious beings, from tiny and adorable balls of fluff to reptiles with enormous and terrifying fangs. News of this newly discovered land spread far and wide, captivating the hearts of the most adventurous, including yours. Driven by your deep love for animals and the thrill of discovery, you set sail for this enigmatic island, longing to explore its wonders firsthand.

This is how we are introduced to Wondrous Creatures, designed by Yeom Cheolwoong (Shallow Sea). It was first published in 2024 by Bad Comet in an English version following a successful crowdfunding campaign. The illustrations are handled by Sophia Kang (Life of the Amazonia, Wild: Serengeti).

It will be published in Spanish by Samaruc Games (the game has text dependency on many cards as well as the rulebook). It allows for games of 1 to 4 players, with a suggested minimum age of 14 and an approximate duration of 20 minutes per player. The MSRP is €69.95. A review copy of the English version by Bad Comet was used for this review.

Important: if you already know the game and/or are only interested in my opinion about it, you can go directly to the Opinion section. The Content and Mechanics sections are especially intended for those who do not know the game and prefer to get a general idea of how it works.

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom), measuring 29.7×23.7×7 cm (a rectangular box similar to Steam), we find the following elements:

Main Board (cardboard)
Supply Board (cardboard)
4 Player Boards (cardboard)
4 Lock Tokens (1 in each color) (cardboard)
14 Habitat Tiles (cardboard)
20 Energy Tokens (cardboard)
4 50/100 Point Tokens (cardboard)
78 Eggs (cardboard)
161 Cards (62.5×88 mm):
- 126 Creature Cards
- 19 Achievement Cards
- 12 Solo Mode Cards
- 4 Reference Cards
16 Trophies (cardboard)
12 Butterfly Nets (cardboard)
3 Solo Mode Objective Tokens (cardboard)
5 Time Tiles (cardboard)
2 Time Strips (cardboard)
12 Crew Members (3 in each color) (wooden)
24 Achievement Markers (6 in each color) (wooden)
16 Resource Markers (4 in each color) (wooden)
4 Score Markers (wooden)
Time Marker (wooden)
9 Captains (wooden)
Bag (cloth)
Rulebook

How to Play

Wondrous Creatures is a card tableau-building game in which players alternate turns where they must choose between four main options. The first is to place one of their pawns on the hexagonal board, activating habitat spaces that allow them to obtain resources and/or cards, and activating bonuses with the use of butterfly nets. The second option is to play one or two cards, paying the required resources and applying their effects. Thirdly, players can claim an achievement (at the start of the game, six achievements are set up for players to try to complete as soon as possible). Finally, the fourth option is to recall their pawns if they have all been placed, which activates recall effects, refreshes the supply, and advances a time marker that spawns eggs on the central board. Additionally, each time an achievement is claimed, the player receives a trophy. The end of the game will be triggered when all trophies are depleted.

Key Concepts

Let’s start with the Main Board. It shows in its upper section a reserve area with space for the deck of cards, eggs, energy tokens, butterfly nets, and the discard pile. Below these, we have a row of six spaces to place the card supply. Next comes the time track, followed by the island, which is divided into a series of hexagons that can be plains, mountains, water, or habitats. The plains and mountain spaces can be occupied by players to activate adjacent habitat spaces. Below this, we have the reserve area for trophies and, on the bottom section, the area to place the achievement cards. Framing the lower edge of the board is a score track with spaces numbered from 1 to 50 featuring various bonuses.

Each player will have a Player Board showing on its upper section an egg track where eggs can be placed to unlock bonuses when occupied. On the right side, we have the four resource tracks with spaces numbered from 0 to 6 (each associated with a habitat) along which the Resource Markers will move. No more than six units of each resource can be accumulated. On the left section, we have the achievement markers area, with a bonus associated with them. And finally, taking up the central area, we have a slot to place the captain card.

The core element of the game is the Creature Cards. In their upper left corner, they display the type of animal they belong to (out of seven possible types: crustacean, mammal, bird, reptile, fish, insect, or dragon). Below that is the resource cost required to play the card. In the upper right corner, we have the habitat to which the card belongs. And along the bottom section, we find its effect (out of five possible types: immediate, passive, energy-activated, recall, and endgame scoring). Next to the name of the card, a victory point value is shown, which will be earned at the end of the game.

To gather resources and cards, players will use their Crew Members. These are elongated pawns that are placed on the hexagonal spaces of the main board (occupying two of them and blocking them as long as the pawn remains on the board). This allows the player to activate the habitat spaces adjacent to the two occupied spaces. When a player has all three of their crew members on the board, they can resolve a recall turn to retrieve them.

At the beginning of each game, players will choose Captains. These are represented by a magnetized pawn that is placed on top of one of the crew members (which is also magnetized). Each captain allows the player to enjoy a special ability every time the crew member with the captain is deployed onto the main board. This ability is described on their Captain Card, which is inserted into the slot on the player board. However, it cannot be used until the player has claimed their first achievement.

These achievements are represented by Achievement Cards, which show a limited number of spaces associated with a specific number of times a player must meet a certain criterion. If a player meets that criterion for any of the quantities shown, they can resolve a turn to complete that achievement.

This is indicated using the Achievement Markers that players have available on their player board. Each achievement marker is also associated with a bonus that is enjoyed right at the moment the marker is removed from the player board. Once a marker is placed, no other player can complete that achievement for that same quantity.

Once players have all their crew members on the board, they will have the option to recall them. Doing so will advance the Time Marker along the corresponding track. This track features spaces with rewards such as obtaining butterfly nets and refreshing the card supply. On certain spaces of this track, Time Tiles will be placed, which determine the spaces where eggs will be replenished every time the time marker reaches one of these tiles.

The primary goal for players is to accumulate as many victory points as possible. These are recorded using the Score Markers that progress along the corresponding track. It is important to note that during the game we will see two different scoring symbols. On one hand, a deep red wax seal representing endgame points (not accumulated during the game) and, on the other hand, a brown wax seal representing points that are scored immediately on the score track.

During the game, by progressing on the score track, players will add Habitat Tiles to the main board. These are placed over water spaces, keeping any egg that was on the space where the tile is placed. From that moment on, it functions as a habitat space and can be activated using crew members and/or butterfly nets.

As we have already seen, energy cards show effects that can only be activated a limited number of times. The number of times it can be activated is represented by Energy Tokens. Each card indicates how many energy tokens are placed on the card when it is played. Some effects allow players to recharge energy tokens.

When building their collection of animal types, in addition to cards, players can also add Eggs. These represent offspring of these types and can be used to meet achievement requirements. However, when used to complete achievements, the eggs hatch (flipping over), meaning they cannot be used for other achievements. There are effects that allow players to flip the eggs back over to show their colored side. At the end of the game, endgame scoring card effects based on creature types will also take hatched eggs into account.

Trophies will be the element that dictates the duration of the game. At the beginning, a reserve of trophies is set up based on the number of players. Every time a player completes an achievement, they obtain one of these trophies. A trophy can also be earned as a result of reaching certain spaces on the score track. At the end of the game, regardless of how each trophy was obtained, they provide three victory points each.

Lastly, during the game, players can obtain Butterfly Nets. These have two possible uses as a free action during a player’s turn. On one hand, they allow the player to capture eggs located on spaces adjacent to one of their placed crew members. On the other hand, they allow the activation of actions shown on habitat spaces adjacent to one of their placed crew members. Players can only store up to three butterfly nets. If they are already at the maximum, each newly obtained butterfly net is converted into a victory point. At the end of the game, leftover butterfly nets provide victory points.

That is enough to get started.

Setup

The board is deployed on the side corresponding to the number of players.
The supply board is placed on top of the main board.
The creature card mazo is shuffled and placed in the corresponding space. After this, the first six cards are revealed to form the supply.
5 egg tokens of each type are put into the bag. The rest are left in the general supply.
The butterfly net and energy tokens are placed in their respective reserve spaces.
The habitat tiles are shuffled and placed in a stack in the designated space. After this, the first 3 are revealed and placed in the reserve spaces.
- The time strip is placed in 3-player games.
- In 4-player games, the next tile is revealed and placed on the space marked with the 4-player symbol.
2 eggs are drawn from the bag and placed on the spaces marked with the 4-player symbol.
The time tiles are shuffled and two of them are revealed.
Eggs are drawn from the bag and placed on the spaces marked with the symbols of those time tiles.
These two tiles are shuffled and placed face down in the last two time tile spaces on the time track.
The other three time tiles are shuffled and placed face down in the remaining time tile spaces on the time track.
The time marker is placed on the first space of the time track.
10/14/16 trophies are placed on the main board in 2/3/4-player games.
The main achievement cards are shuffled and two are revealed, placing them in the reserved spaces on the side corresponding to the player count.
The multi-species achievement cards are shuffled and two are revealed, placing them in the reserved spaces on the side corresponding to the player count.
The single-species achievement cards are shuffled, but first, the four cards showing the species from the multi-species achievement cards are set aside. Those remaining cards are shuffled and two single-species cards are revealed, placing them in the reserved spaces on the side corresponding to the player count.
Each player chooses a color and receives:
- A player board.
- 3 Crew Members (left to one side of their player board).
- 6 Achievement Markers (placed in the six achievement slots on the player board).
- 4 Resource Markers (placed on the value 1 space of the resource tracks).
- 1 Score Marker (placed on the starting space of the score track).
- 1 Lock Token, left to one side.
- The captain cards are shuffled and 2 are dealt to each player. Each player chooses one and places it in the slot on their player board, placing the lock token over it.
- The corresponding captain pawn is found and mounted onto the magnetized crew member.
Each player draws eight creature cards and, after inspecting them, discards four into the discard pile.
Each player receives one butterfly net, placed in their personal supply.
The starting player is chosen at random. The second/third/fourth player receives 1/2/3 additional distinct resources.

We are ready to begin!

Game Flow

A game of Wondrous Creatures takes place over an indeterminate number of turns alternated between players, starting with the first player and continuing clockwise.

On each turn, the active player will choose one of the following four options:

Place a Crew Member. The player places one of their crew members occupying two free plains and/or mountain hexagons connected to each other (if there is an egg on either hexagon, the player claims it and places it on their egg track, enjoying the corresponding reward). If one or both spaces are mountains, the player must pay one resource. After this, the player activates all habitats adjacent to any of the hexagons occupied by the crew member. With each habitat, the player can either gather a resource of the corresponding type or add a creature card matching that habitat from the supply to their hand (replenishing the supply immediately). If the placed crew member is the one carrying the captain and their ability has been unlocked, it can be applied after placing the crew member.
Play Cards. The player can play one or two cards. To play a card, the corresponding resources indicated on the card must be paid. The card is placed face up in the player’s play area. If it is an immediate effect card, it is applied right then. If it is an energy card, as many energy tokens as indicated by the card are placed on it. If it is of another type, nothing immediate happens. The player can take advantage of the effects of the first card to help play the second.
Complete an Achievement. If the player meets the requirements for an achievement, they place one of their achievement markers on the corresponding space, obtain a trophy (if any remain), and apply the effect associated with the slot where the achievement marker was located. If it is the first achievement completed in the game, the player unlocks their captain’s effect, which can then be activated every time the crew member carrying the captain is placed on the main board. If eggs are required to complete the achievement, they are flipped over to show their hatched side.
Recall. If a player has all three crew members on the main board, they can retrieve them. After this, the time marker is advanced and the effect of the space is applied (if there is a time disc, eggs are drawn from the bag and placed on the spaces corresponding to the time token symbol, provided they are empty). Now, if the player has more than five cards in hand, they must discard down to the limit. Finally, the player activates all recall effect cards in their play area in the order they see fit.

Additionally, the player can resolve the following free actions as many times as they want before or after their main action:

Use Energy. If the player has at least one energy card with energy tokens on it, they can return a token from a card to the reserve to activate its effect. Each card can only be activated once per turn.
Use Butterfly Nets. The player can discard a butterfly net to capture an egg from a hexagon adjacent to one of their placed crew members, or to activate the effect of a habitat tile adjacent to a placed crew member. Each icon can only be activated once per turn.

After this, the turn passes to the next player.

Game End

The end of the game is triggered when a player claims the last trophy from the main board. The remaining players enjoy one final turn, and then the final scoring takes place, where each player scores:

Points from endgame scoring cards in their play area.
The points from each creature card played in their play area.
Points obtained by completing achievements.
3 points for each trophy.
1 point for every four resources and/or butterfly nets.

The player with the most victory points wins. In case of a tie, the following tiebreakers are applied:

The player with the most trophies.
The player with the most resources.

If the tie persists, the players share the victory.

Variants

Solo Mode. The player faces an automated opponent (bot) in a two-player setup. The bot uses one of the captain cards, markers, and a deck of cards that determines which space to activate on the captain card. This dictates where its crew members are placed, which cards it takes, and when it completes achievements.

Personal Opinion

In recent years, card tableau-building games have experienced an unstoppable boom within the gaming landscape. This type of game allows players to build their own engine using various elements, combining strategy and resource management, which results in a rewarding sense of progression.

We have many benchmarks. Many years have passed since pioneers in the genre like Race for the Galaxy (read its tocho-review here) or San Juan (read its tocho-review here) put this type of game in the spotlight. Designs that, in case you didn’t know, hide one of the juiciest controversies in modern board game history. Thomas Lehmann collaborated on the development of San Juan as an adaptation of Puerto Rico. However, due to contractual disagreements with the publisher over rights and creative control, Lehmann decided to redesign his original ideas, giving rise to Race for the Galaxy and leaving him uncredited in San Juan. Hence the resemblance between both designs.

In Spain, this genre took time to proliferate, and some internationally acclaimed designs didn’t fare well when published in the language of Cervantes. There we have the case of Seasons (read its tocho-review here), which, despite having a striking premise and a truly attractive aesthetic, didn’t catch on with the public. If it had been published for the first time today, it probably would have achieved great success, but at the time, the learning curve players faced proved too steep for most.

Fortunately, the mainstream audience has evolved, and games that once seemed very complex, like those mentioned above, are now sometimes mistakenly labeled as “family games.” I am talking about games like Wingspan (read its tocho-review here) or Everdell (read its tocho-review here). Designs that follow in the footsteps of Seasons, offering card tableau building with resource management paired with a highly striking production level.

In a way, I understand those who find these designs accessible. Those eye-catching components and accessible themes (adorable animals and evocative nature) attract players of all profiles. However, behind that friendly facade, they hide remarkable strategic depth, with complex combos, resource management, and long-term planning that can overwhelm novice players. And the truth is, those of us who have been in the hobby for many years have our minds structured in such a way that certain games already seem much simpler to us than they actually are. That is why, back in the day, Seasons crashed. The critical mass of players in our country just wasn’t ready yet.

All things considered, I don’t think the game that strikes the perfect balance in card tableau-building games has arrived yet. For me, Race for the Galaxy along with its first expansion arc borders on perfection, but it is true that on a thematic and production level, it’s a design that repels many players, while Ark Nova (read its tocho-review here) or Terraforming Mars (read its tocho-review here), which are also great exponents of the genre, feature a rather extensive development, resulting in games that easily exceed forty minutes per player.

Now we get a game that is hitting hard after reaching the backers who contributed to the standard crowdfunding campaign. A design with which its author seems to be precisely looking for that perfect balance within the card tableau-building genre. Has he achieved it? Let’s find out.

In Wondrous Creatures, we become intrepid explorers arriving at a mysterious island filled with unique and fascinating creatures, each with extraordinary abilities and behaviors. Our goal? To be the crew that compiles the most complete dossier, exhaustively cataloging the animals we encounter during our expedition. To do this, we must manage our resources, make strategic decisions, and adapt to the challenges that arise in this wild and enigmatic environment.

This is a card tableau-building game where, naturally, the core mechanism is hand management. These cards represent the different creatures we will find on the island. Each belongs to a habitat (out of four possible options), has a resource cost (associated with the four habitats), provides a certain number of victory points, and has an associated effect (which can be immediate, passive, use-on-demand, recall-based, or endgame).

In turn, these cards belong to one of the seven types of animals available in the game: crustaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects, and dragons. Each type of animal offers different opportunities, on one hand, to complete game achievements, and on the other, to score victory points in the final tally through cards that display scoring criteria.

Players will try to accumulate a certain number of symbols of the different animal types. However, playing cards won’t be the only way to obtain these symbols. In this process, eggs come into play, representing offspring of these animals. Eggs not only contribute to the collection of symbols but also grant bonuses when placed in the player’s area, adding an extra strategic layer to the game.

I’ve been talking about cards and eggs, but I still need to address one of the most fundamental aspects of Wondrous Creatures: resources and how they are obtained. This mechanical aspect is, without a doubt, one of the most original in the game, as it uses a worker placement system where the action spaces are fluid.

Instead of a board with fixed action spaces, we have a board of hexagonal spaces on which players place their crew members. These occupy two adjacent hexagons, activating all the habitat spaces connected to either of the two spaces occupied by the pawn. These spaces will remain blocked as long as the pawn stays on them and won’t be freed until the player recalls their pawns from the board.

The system is reminiscent of Everdell in that it doesn’t follow a traditional round structure, where players occupy action spaces that stay blocked until the round ends, but rather a turn-alternating structure where it’s possible to recall the placed pawns during your turn. This mechanism creates a dynamic that feels like an area control game, generating a sense of constant competition for the available resources and spaces.

I must say that I love this system because, in addition to being versatile and allowing players to collect different types of resources (without being confined to a specific action space), it presents a dual mechanic. In addition to gaining a resource, the player can add a creature card to their hand whose habitat matches the activated space. To make it even more interesting, players have butterfly nets that allow them to activate additional effects on habitat spaces or capture eggs on adjacent spaces. I find it a brilliant exercise in mechanical synthesis.

But for me, having a brilliant mechanical idea isn’t enough. We are talking about a card tableau-building game, and, for example, Everdell and Wingspan fall short in what matters most in this subgenre. I am referring to card combos. In both designs, we encounter relatively simple synergies in the sense that they don’t give rise to grand strategies, and in the end, you finish with the feeling that it doesn’t matter too much what you ended up playing.

However, much to the delight of lovers of this type of game, Wondrous Creatures is much closer to Seasons than to the aforementioned games, in the sense that we find a very wide diversity of effects that pave the way for a tremendously interesting development where we have countless combinations to discover and exploit.

Another aspect it shares with Everdell and Wingspan is the existence of achievements that generate a racing dynamic among players, who try to fulfill the requirements as quickly as possible. Upon doing so, they can occupy the corresponding scoring space and also enjoy a bonus associated with the marker on their player board. This system is reminiscent of Ark Nova when completing a conservation project, although in this case, each bonus can only be enjoyed once.

But it doesn’t stop there. The clever Yeom Cheolwoong also introduces a touch of asymmetry with the captains. At the start of each game, players will receive two captain cards and must choose one, which will determine the special effect they can activate when placing a worker on a specific space. However, to activate this effect, it will be necessary to have completed at least one achievement beforehand, adding a layer of urgency and strategy to players’ choices.

Another interesting detail that recalls previous games is the score track, something that sets Wondrous Creatures apart from Everdell and Wingspan. On this track, players will move their markers when activating certain effects, and they will find bonuses they can enjoy upon reaching or surpassing specific positions. This system is reminiscent of Ark Nova, but with a key difference: while in Ark Nova the benefits are more concentrated in the early positions of the reputation track, here the bonuses are more evenly distributed along the track, increasing in power as you advance. Furthermore, players can obtain trophies by completing achievements, which accelerates the pace of the game and offers a greater sense of progression.

I don’t want to change the subject without mentioning another key aspect of card tableau-building games that feature a market display from which players can draw, something that is also common in the two benchmarks we have been constantly mentioning. The usual problem with these displays is that they tend to be too static. To avoid this, the author has implemented a time track (which advances every time a player recalls their pawns) that ensures the supply is in constant motion. This allows a large number of cards to circulate through the supply, adding dynamism and variety to the game. Without a doubt, a wise decision that keeps the game fluid when looking for combos.

The last thing I want to highlight regarding the most notable aspects of the game is its pacing. Just like in Everdell or Ark Nova, the game’s duration depends heavily on the players’ choices. The end of the game will be triggered when the trophy supply is depleted, as they are removed from the main board as players complete achievements and/or activate certain bonuses. It’s true that this can lead to some games dragging out if players don’t focus on completing these achievements and/or scoring victory points. However, as soon as one player sets a fast pace, the others will have no choice but to try to match it if they don’t want to be left behind and lose the chance to win.

I think you’re starting to guess the color of the seal, though there are still aspects to comment on. What is clear is that we are looking at a game where the author has managed to identify the problems of the landmark designs within the genre and offer effective solutions. Furthermore, he has managed to integrate a mechanical system with a touch of originality that freshens the experience, making Wondrous Creatures stand out due to its unique approach while keeping the essence that makes card tableau-building games so appealing.

As is usually the case with card tableau-building games, I think Wondrous Creatures works best at two players. It’s true that, in this case, player interaction is intensified by the striking worker placement system, which adds more tension when playing with three or four. However, this higher interaction comes at the cost of lengthening the game’s duration without really contributing a significant improvement to the feelings or the overall experience of the game. In short, it scales very well, but I prefer two-player games for their great pace.

Obviously, Wondrous Creatures is not a perfect game (though it comes close). On one hand, there is the classic impact of luck of the draw in this type of game. If a player happens to draw the right cards at key moments, it’s hard to stop their momentum, which can be frustrating for the others. However, the aspect that feels most relevant to me is the lack of variety in achievements during setup. It’s true that the game is very well balanced and it’s hard to find repetitive patterns, but a couple of additional achievements could probably have been added to give it a bit more diversity and increase replayability.

In terms of replayability, we are dealing with one of those designs that can hit the table with high frequency thanks to the great variability of effects (much more interesting than in Everdell or Wingspan, as we’ve already discussed). The combination of achievements, captains, and the different effects that can be activated during the game guarantees that every session feels unique. This diversity of options and strategies ensures that, even after several games, the game maintains its freshness and keeps offering new experiences to players.

A special mention goes to the minor, yet intriguing, tile-placement mechanic that allows players to expand the number of habitat spaces available on the board. This mechanic not only contributes to the game’s variability but also gives players the chance to shape the “action spaces.” By doing so, they can create highly lucrative strategic spots where the combination of resources and/or effects generates great opportunities to advance their goals.

Let’s move on to production. Given the benchmarks mentioned throughout this opinion section, the publisher was almost obligated to offer finishes that live up to expectations. Nowadays, a poor choice of materials can ruin the gaming experience. Fortunately, we find a more than compelling quality, with thick and well-pressed cardboard components, cards with an ideal linen-texture finish and excellent snap. Additionally, the pawns are pre-printed and have very striking shapes, highlighting in particular the detail that the crew members and captains are magnetized, allowing them to snap together securely on the board. Granted, this idea of pawns on mounts was already seen in Spirecrest (one of Everdell’s expansions), but here it turns out even more appealing. The rulebook is well-structured, leaving no room for doubt, and includes an extensive appendix that explains the cards in detail, making them easy to understand even for less experienced players.

And the icing on the cake is its visual presentation. As its name suggests, we are looking at a game of wondrous creatures, and Sophia Kang’s work is simply stunning, with an impressive amount of distinct illustrations. Perhaps the cover and the main board could have shown a greater level of detail (I’m not a fan of covers that mimic books), but overall the art is of the highest quality. I love the idea that many of the creatures are fusions of two real animals, although this can give off a slight impression of being a *Pokémon* knock-off. However, there is no doubt that the visual work is magnificent.

And let’s wrap this up. Wondrous Creatures is a card tableau-building game that manages to gather most of the virtues of the benchmark games in this genre, resolving the problems that many of them present and, furthermore, introducing a novel mechanical element regarding worker placement. But on top of that, regarding card effects, we are looking at a design that is much more elaborate than those games we all have in mind when asked for a recommendation in this category. If we add a top-tier production value to this, we find ourselves with a nearly perfect product. It’s true that luck of the draw still plays a significant role (as usually happens in this genre) and that maybe a bit more variety in achievements could have been added. But, all in all, these are minor details considering everything the game manages to offer. For all these reasons, I give it a…