Ark Nova | Multiplayer Zoolitaire | Board Game Review

[@BillyIndiana]

I really appreciate your very balanced review. This game has gotten a lot of love and I'm excited to try it eventually, but it was good to hear a perspective that showed the game a lot of appreciation while still acknowledging the parts you didn't care for. Several things you mentioned I haven't heard anyone else say, but they are issues I like to know about a game. Great video!

[@numberswoman4224]

This theme appeals to me far more than Terraforming Mars, plus so many people have played TM so much that they know what cards to look out for, so they have a distinct advantage. Will play this at some point as one of my group has it, so will be able to judge better then! Great balanced review as always, and so fantastic that you are at 10k subscribers, testament to your amazing channel

[@dave0754]

I think it's great that you both like different games and play styles and that your opinions don't always match. It makes for a much better review.

[@untilmay9323]

This made my top ten games of all time and im a super euro style guy. its just divine. but your reviews are still to this day a notch above all

[@ThinkerThemer]

Thank you so much for the kind words! ☺️ and glad to hear you love this one... it really rocketed up the BGG rankings!!!!

[@untilmay9323]

@@ThinkerThemer does your merch go out to the US? cus im super tempted and I never usually buy into that type of thing haha

[@LegendaryTactics]

You did it! Congratulations on 10k subs. This is a well-deserved achievement.

[@thelankygameruk7787]

Just picked up the game so watching playthroughs, tutorials and reviews. As always your thoughts are really helpful. Thank you.

[@senbe64]

I'm not a huge fan of multiplayer solitaire but I do enjoy Ark Nova a lot and look forward to playing it again (and introducing it to gamers.) That being said, I think you did a great job highlighting the issues with the game and how they could affect people's enjoyment of it. There is a dichotomy between the fairly high amount of luck to the card draw and the determinism of the other game mechanisms and it's something players have to be aware of (and wary of) when they engage with it.

[@FemmeSensei]

Mechanics alert! I can tell this is potentially a great game because I can't think of another game where I heard Maggie talk so much about mechanics in the game :).

[@clivewitcomb2839]

Symboliosis - it's a thing! 😉 Lovely video, thanks! X

[@TheLobbyOfHobbies]

Really looking forward to this one coming in to try. Great detailed review and appreciate you sharing where this game didn’t hit for you both and where it did great for you.

[@xandermichael78]

I really love this game! It too made it to my top 10 games. I do sympathise with getting a bad hand of cards, though i like the added challenge of being flexible and figuring out how to make the most of a bad situation. I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed the solo variant - I left it set up on the table and played it 7 times over a couple of days because it was so much fun!

[@firebound12]

the expansion fixes the problem of not finding the things you need: new universities that can search for specific animals, and then more cards that lets you draw more specific things. Also, the river symbol on some expansion cards will discard the oldest card in the market. Also, if you want to play at a higher level, you absolutely cannot play this as a multiplayer solitaire. You really need to watch every single card that the opponent plays, what cards they pick from the market (and remember them!), where each of their action cards are and how many X tokens they have. Everything is a race. This game is definitely highly interactive.

[@theunamiable]

Nice review. I've even played this one, and while I find it hard to judge such things on one play, your comments did resonate. (Also, they misspelled Sydney on the main board. Shocked, I tell you!)

[@AaronAndSusie]

When games like these come around that get such high praise I have so much trouble resisting wanting to run out and get it despite there being so many strikes against it for me haha You would think after 20 years in the hobby I'd be able to get over that 😂. Multiplayer solitaire and the tile placement is so not for me and I think that the lack of the market refreshing would drive me nuts. It was my biggest complaint with wingspan too So glad they fixed that in wingspan with oceana. This is probably the most grounded in reality review I've seen for it and I really appreciate you both!

[@drjgamefan]

Thanks for the great review and all of your other content. Also, congratulations on 10k subscribers- saw it right as I started video. Well deserved!

[@CandiceLikes]

And thank you ladies so much for this honest review.

[@joesolo1836]

great review, thank you!! confirmed a few things about it that I've heard elsewhere. And really love hearing its a good solo experience!!

[@shortydancer]

This game is so hot right now on all content consumers brains. I love the theme. Will have to try this out sometime.

[@AllGamesNewandOld]

Every video you two do is so fantastic and this one is no exception! I'm waiting on my copy of this game, but until then it's so great to hear your viewpoints on this game.

[@jannagregory7928]

Great review! Ark Nova is definitely my type of game and I’m loving it so far. What you’ve said about the card play is absolutely on point and is the main thing I’ve told the people I’ve played with before we started-you may not get the cards you’re looking for. I’m like Amy, though, and enjoy reacting to whatever I do get and pivoting to figure out how to use it as best I can. I’ve only played with 4 so far and do think I’ll enjoy it more with 2 or 3 since it will take less time. So far, though, I’ve found the game play to be smooth and turns to be fairly snappy most of the time. I also tried the solo and liked how low-maintenance it is, but those turns ticking down so quickly felt pretty angsty. 😃

[@flatcapgamesnz4301]

Loved the review. I think it was totally on point. I played my second game of this today and am really enjoying it but I am fine with multiplayer solitaire every now and then. the two mechanics that stood out for me were the action selection system and the two points trackers and game end scoring. In my first play through I was dismayed by the concept of negative points as an end state. I remember Jamies Stegmaier saying somewhere that he always tries to aim to build to something positive in a game which I tend to agree with, and whilst its great to build the zoo I think the very real negative score potential goes against that sense of working towards a positive goal. i really liked however the way the final score was a balance of the two tracks and perfecting the moment of intersection. I feel this was incredibly unique mechanically but also very thematic. I've worked with Auckland Zoo before on their sustainability in supply chain, and we talked a lot about balancing the social, and ecological, license to operate with a viable attraction for guests. Given the management of uniques systems in this game, I wonder if this will be one of those games which will be hard for new players to join experienced players at the table?

[@JeanDubuc]

Very interesting and critical review. So much hype around this title around gamers and reviewers. I'm not sure if I would like it but hope to try it someday soon. Those money tokens, though

[@TheEricBooth]

The action selection is very much like the way it is done Civilization a New Dawn.

[@Cissewis]

Thanks again for another wonderful and thoughtful review! Really appreciate the efforts you put into this :-)

[@DonGilstrap]

Excited for this one! Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to my preorder even more.

[@julietaylor5287]

10k subscriptions congratulations keep up the good work

[@InvaderFelix]

This was a really good review, I loved the balance in it.

[@lukeschleif683]

Great review! My copy just arrived yesterday and I can't wait to play it.

[@craiggruesome6400]

This is a weird one for me. It looks like it could be great, but for some reason isn't grabbing me. Thanks for the review!

[@cjfreddy]

Thanks for this honest review! I still haven’t played Terraforming Mars but hearing about this game and the comparison between them had me wondering if I would have to pick one or the other or neither. I like the theme of this one a lot more and the overall aesthetic, might need to give it a shot all things considered.

[@darlene7165]

I have been waiting for this review! And of course, another awesome job! I am really looking forward to getting my copy and playing it! It is suppose to be here this weekend and am very excited about it! I don’t mind the multiplayer solitaire and Richard (in Discord) has gotten me stoked about playing this game solitaire! I had an idea about where it would fall for you (especially Amy with the lack of interaction 😁). I am always concerned about super hyped games, but it still stirs the excitement for me. It does sound like a house rule for market refreshment is needed. I always appreciate your authentic reviews! Hopefully this will get delivered this weekend so I can bring it to DTW. Looking forward to you teaching us 😁!! I seriously doubt I will have time to learn before I leave! I mean that’s next weekend! Thanks again for this great review!

[@odgregg]

We enjoy this level of interaction in our house, and yes there is competition and interaction to some extent. And as you know I find the solo pretty great as well

[@sherlockhomeless7138]

multiplayer zoolitaire.. oh my goodness. That was a good one.

[@petiolereads]

Great review! I love the way you two review games, from the explanation to the clarity in what you like and don't like. I don't mind multiplayer solitaire and I am more inclined to tactics over strategy, so the things that keep you both from loving the game make me even more excited to try this one eventually!

[@StephenGrubb]

Thanks for another helpful review. This looks like Zooloretto on steroids! The potential for analysis paralysis concerns me as it looks like there are a lot of decisions to be made when a player takes their turn. However, the theme appeals to me. After watching your review, I was on the fence until I looked it up on Amazon. The current price point was the deciding factor for me. If I could get this for about half the current price down the road, I might consider it.

[@zhivik]

A great and very comprehensive review! I believe I am mostly with Amy on this one, as I enjoy a lot the clever mechanics, as well as the general feel of an efficiency puzzle you get. While it is certainly not the greatest game I have seen, it is a very good game regardless, and every time I finish I game I have the desire to play another one, so I can improve my efficiency. I do agree with Maggie on the large number of cards, particularly with two players - it is indeed too much and randomness is a little too high. I didn't feel it is ruining the game, but at times you could get really unlucky. I have been thinking of a house rule that refreshes three, rather than two cards during breaks at two players, but it is not essential to enjoy the game, in my opinion. I do have some remarks about the game mechanics. For instance, I feel that the upgraded version of the Sponsors action is inferior to the rest, and I really don't see a strong reason for upgrading that action. This makes the upgrade choice less restricting, as the game is a designed in a way that you cannot upgrade more than four of your actions (out of five). True, you could prefer to get a worker instead of one of the upgrades, but I feel upgraded actions are worth more than having more workers. The thing is, the Sponsors action may look good in the early game, but there are far superior actions to upgrade at that time, like Build (for flexibility when building enclosures) or Animals (to play more of these cards). The other thing that feels somewhat overpowered is the abundance of Sponsor cards with end-game scoring conditions. Each conservation point you score on these is essentially +3 to your final score, so playing 5 or 6 of them could really push you ahead. I believe if some of these end-game scoring cards were gated by upgrading your Sponsors action, the game would become tighter and more strategic, as that way you would really need to make a choice when upgrading. Finally, there is more interactivity in this game than it appears. For instance, if you are observant how many cards your opponents currently have, you could trigger a break faster (there are several ways to do it), forcing them to discard down to their hand size, which could really disrupt their plans. I realise this way of playing is not exactly in the spirit of the game theme, but it is a way to interact more. All in all, I'd say for myself that the length to which I am willing to discuss this game's mechanics shows how much it appeals to me :) I wouldn't go as far as Tom Vassel to declare this the best game of all time, but I will definitely keep it in my collection. Also, many have said that this is a Terraforming Mars killer. While both games share some mechanics, they are distinct enough, and there is enough room for both of them in anyone's collection.

[@ralfn9629]

Hi Amy and Maggie. Thanks for the very great and informative review. I was wondering about Tom Vasel's no 1 Spot-argument. Is the game already out here? I love the animal cards and the enclosure tiles. But I very much appreciate your comments about the frustration of not getting the right cards. And Maggie's comments to be able to better facilitate the cards better in TM is also very useful for me. Thanks again.

[@whataboutki]

Another great review. Personally all the comments I've heard from others saying this is the Terraforming Mars killer kind of turned me of this as Terraforming Mars didn't go down well in my group. I do like the action selection mechanic so will try and get a game in if I can.

[@windyhillbomber]

Nearly 10K Subs. Woweee!

[@BoxedMeeples]

Fantastic review as always! Great to hear things from the 2 player and solo perspective. Also great to hear about the market refresh issue. We sometimes feel similarly about the meadow in Everdell when playing at 2, would you say it is more or less of an issue than that?

[@dave0754]

I feel like Everdell was more frustrating at two players because sometimes a card you really need just won't show up, while in Ark Nova you can always flip your strategy.

[@BoxedMeeples]

@@dave0754 Thanks David, that's good to know. I'm sure we will be adding it to the collection as soon as its back in stock at our FLGS 😀

[@spot7006]

Love playing this game solo on TTS. Waiting until I have a physical copy before trying it multiplayer. About house ruling the card offer, it seems that cycling more cards would weaken the value of reputation track. I'm often keeping my eye on the cards that are out of my reputation range & planning on getting them next round. If the cards cycle too fast then there's less incentive to build your reputation.

[@Felipe.curiel]

I played Ark Nova on Tabletop Simulator and I noticed what Maggie is saying. I was really frustrated because I have no useful cards at the beginning. I had nothing to do for almost 7 rounds. Break, cards, break, cards, those were my turns. I don't know, I was really excited but now I'm doubting about getting it. Definitely TM is staying higher in my ranking.

[@hermeschrisyt]

you're praising the card action selection: this seems to have been strongly inspired by civ: a new dawn

[@Listan1]

How would a 2-player market refresh house rule work? Refresh all cards at the break? How did the complexity level go with the friends you played it with? Were they all seasoned gamers? I have this on preorder and that’s my biggest worry: our ability to learn and play it and enjoy it in light of the complexity. Most complex games we enjoy now are Scythe and Obsession, so this is some sort of step up. Hoping the tightness and toughness to do anything are fun for us. Scythe and Obsession don’t grind and frustrate you much. You can usually do cool things. What do you think there? Thx for the great review.

[@areyal26]

Thanks for this review, I hope to try this someday. Love TM. Have you seen Earth on Kickstarter right now? Gives me the same vibes.

[@melvinyong3148]

The multiplayer solitaire part is bit of a turn off. Was rather keen when I first heard of it but it's almost impossible to get it here. Anyway in another you mentioned you have Brian Boru, mine just arrived in the mail earlier this week. Will only get to play it with the group next week I hope. There's an unofficial solo variant on BGG, I hope Maggie gets to try it out and reviews it. I'm curious and I have printed out the rules for it. Wishing the both of you a safe and extremely enjoyable trip to DW West!

[@DigitalAwakening]

Terraforming Mars is my favorite game so I am looking forward to getting a copy of this. It's a bummer about the cards. This can be quite a factor in TM as well but the game is still enjoyable to play. There are other games where bad luck with cards can really ruin the experience though. So I hope I will like it with or without some house rule.

[@cwb95k]

Great review and I am still thrilled to see this game show up soon. I'm curious if the display will get houseruled the way we did Wingspan. We use a six card display in Wingspan instead of 6 because 3 felt more frustrating and using 6 doesn't seem to break the game.

[@Sebastian-rt9qf]

Just house rule the 'break' segment and refresh the complete market. Could be interesting as other players might had an eye on a card which makes it a bit more spicy. For me, i have yet to play it, but March will be the month I'll receive my copy. But what I've seen so far with several playthroughs I love the game, and that for not an good looking game. Guess it has a lot of similarities to Terraforming Mars ;-)

[@BG-Orion17]

Great review! Can’t wait for this game! One thing I do want to say is I’m not sure why you consider Terraforming Mars multiplayer solitaire. I think it has way more interaction and that people give it credit for. Drafting cards every round is interaction. Every time you place a tile on the central board, it can get highly interactive. Some of the cards you play are interactive. You constantly need to keep an eye on what everyone plays and fight for awards and milestones. With the Colonies and Turmoil expansion, it gets even more interactive. Terraforming Mars has never felt multiplayer solitaire. Also, not sure if this was mentioned in your review of Ark Nova, or maybe I just missed it, but since you like the action selection mechanism here, that’s from the game Civilization: A New Dawn. It’s 100% the same card action selection mechanism from that game.

[@ShaneGelven]

I luv multiplayer solitaire games

[@malvinafis6907]

I have a question regarding the cards for you. Did you usually upragde your card action? and the animals and sponsors? because I feel at some point in the game the cards in the middle go by relatively quick for me. Also one detail that I realized recently after 10+ plays which took out the luck of the draw a bit for me was that the partner zoos also already count as continent symbols. Thanks for your review.

[@malvinafis6907]

congrats on 10k

[@FemmeSensei]

I feel like you were harsh in this critique, but reasonably fair. I'm wondering, when a game gets a lot of hype, do you feel you're obligated to be more strict or harsh on your assessment?

[@michaelmueller260]

So....like Teraforming Mars, but interesting and fun? I'm in!! XD I'm one of those people that doesn't like as much player interaction in games like this. The fun is building your own engine, tableau, civilization, or whatever the game requires. Competition over resources/cards is great, but the mechanism of being a jerk and ruining somebody else's work has always been off-putting to me. It's a personality thing for sure, but I find that overly competitive players tend to only care about their own fun...I'd rather see everyone have an enjoyable time, win or lose.

[@CandiceLikes]

Maggie- how does this rank in your solo gaming experiences?

[@odgregg]

Great review! If you like the action selection card queue, have you played Cilization: A New Dawn? It has an almost identical system for it's action cards

[@thiagodonascimento7926]

Great review :) Can you explain, themewise, how it makes sense that a player can use an animal's characteristics in the gameplay? Example: you do have an ecuadorian squirrel monkey in your zoo, which is considered being "clever", and therefore you can place an action card on 1. Looks like a big gap for me, between the theme and the game's mechanics... I just don't get it. I mean, for example in Terraforming Mars, one can explain those kind of effects with the new technology you bring into the game with the project cards.

[@lane5480]

Thanks for this amazing video!! You are late to the party > Promo-SM!!!

[@kosterix123]

STD games are a signpost of beginner designers with no clue on probability. Single tiered decks dictate the game by the sequence that you draw regardless of player skill. You should have known that before backing.