Ark Nova

Ark Nova is a 10 game for me, which came as a surprise, because I was not big on the theme and I ignored it for a long time due to the hype. It's heavy without being hard to learn or teach. It's very satisfying planning out your actions and adding then flipping the enclosure tiles as you place animals into your zoo. I don't mind long games and this is long even at two. My only knock against it is as a racing game is it's super slow to get going- initially drawing 8 cards and having to immediately discard down to 3 means your just gambling on which initial synergies to keep in your hand and tossing others- I feel this stunts the beginning of the game. That said there's a huge deck and you can't rely on one strategy alone, because it may not be in the cards. You have to pivot from time to time and do not forget the conversation projects. It's a beautiful game and sitting back to admire what everyone has built is as pleasure. I find there's still so much I wanted to do by the time it ends.

A great game for low player counts. The theme about animals works really well. A bit pricey for a 1 - 2 player game.

Ark Nova is a very enjoyable game with nice components, fun mechanics, and a very deep gameplay. That massive stack of cards, though, does have the horrible ability to absolutely OBLITERATE your starting game. Can’t wait to see what Aquarius adds!

Elephant is 5/5

Fun game with lots fun choices to make. Solo mode is good, too. It runs a bit long, even at 2 players, but if you enjoy longer games then this should be right up your alley.

I'm really enjoying this game. There are so many different choices to make that it makes each game feel unique. I've played solo mostly and sometimes I'm worrying that I've cheated because of how many things need to shift each round, but it's been fun. One thing I want to point out is that players can get negative points. So be kind to new players since it takes a game or two to get the hang of things. Great addition to add to the collection!

A fun puzzle with lots of replay value due to the large deck of cards. Looks gorgeous on the table (though you're going to want to use a pretty big table!), and has a nice flow with quick turns once you grasp all the rules. End scoring can be a little anticlimactic, but barring this, it's a sold recommendation.

Ark Nova is an excellent, but difficult game. Mostly by playing cards, a player designs a zoo and places animals in it. But the player must also pay attention to conservation issues to win the game

It looks intimidating, but once you learn the rules, you see the rules are simple and the trick is making the best of what you draw and working towards that goal.

Received. The game took over 3 hours to finish playing while keeping to the rules :D. Keeping my boyfriend and his friends occupied with a fun game. HAHAHA