EntertainmentBoard GamesArk Nova board game review: whip-smart strategy with an enchanting themeThe tight zoo-management board game is a charming chimaera of some of the best strategy games out there – but still very much its own beastWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictArguably the leader of the pack of 2022’s board game releases, Ark Nova blends a cute theme with multiple layers of smartly designed mechanics. It’s not flawless – odd components here and there could do with an upgrade and you’ll need to invest a couple of hours in most games. But it’s a charming play, one that inherits some DNA from some of the best strategy board games of recent years.Reasons to buy+Gorgeous components+Deep, pleasing strategy+Clever action card mechanicsReasons to avoid-Animal powers can feel underwhelming-Zoo mats are pretty flimsy-Not as good a fit for casual gamersWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
EntertainmentBoard GamesArk Nova board game review: whip-smart strategy with an enchanting themeThe tight zoo-management board game is a charming chimaera of some of the best strategy games out there – but still very much its own beastWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictArguably the leader of the pack of 2022’s board game releases, Ark Nova blends a cute theme with multiple layers of smartly designed mechanics. It’s not flawless – odd components here and there could do with an upgrade and you’ll need to invest a couple of hours in most games. But it’s a charming play, one that inherits some DNA from some of the best strategy board games of recent years.Reasons to buy+Gorgeous components+Deep, pleasing strategy+Clever action card mechanicsReasons to avoid-Animal powers can feel underwhelming-Zoo mats are pretty flimsy-Not as good a fit for casual gamersWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
The tight zoo-management board game is a charming chimaera of some of the best strategy games out there – but still very much its own beast
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictArguably the leader of the pack of 2022’s board game releases, Ark Nova blends a cute theme with multiple layers of smartly designed mechanics. It’s not flawless – odd components here and there could do with an upgrade and you’ll need to invest a couple of hours in most games. But it’s a charming play, one that inherits some DNA from some of the best strategy board games of recent years.Reasons to buy+Gorgeous components+Deep, pleasing strategy+Clever action card mechanicsReasons to avoid-Animal powers can feel underwhelming-Zoo mats are pretty flimsy-Not as good a fit for casual gamers
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
T3 VerdictArguably the leader of the pack of 2022’s board game releases, Ark Nova blends a cute theme with multiple layers of smartly designed mechanics. It’s not flawless – odd components here and there could do with an upgrade and you’ll need to invest a couple of hours in most games. But it’s a charming play, one that inherits some DNA from some of the best strategy board games of recent years.Reasons to buy+Gorgeous components+Deep, pleasing strategy+Clever action card mechanicsReasons to avoid-Animal powers can feel underwhelming-Zoo mats are pretty flimsy-Not as good a fit for casual gamers
T3 VerdictArguably the leader of the pack of 2022’s board game releases, Ark Nova blends a cute theme with multiple layers of smartly designed mechanics. It’s not flawless – odd components here and there could do with an upgrade and you’ll need to invest a couple of hours in most games. But it’s a charming play, one that inherits some DNA from some of the best strategy board games of recent years.
T3 Verdict
Arguably the leader of the pack of 2022’s board game releases, Ark Nova blends a cute theme with multiple layers of smartly designed mechanics. It’s not flawless – odd components here and there could do with an upgrade and you’ll need to invest a couple of hours in most games. But it’s a charming play, one that inherits some DNA from some of the best strategy board games of recent years.
Reasons to buy+Gorgeous components+Deep, pleasing strategy+Clever action card mechanicsReasons to avoid-Animal powers can feel underwhelming-Zoo mats are pretty flimsy-Not as good a fit for casual gamers
Reasons to buy+Gorgeous components+Deep, pleasing strategy+Clever action card mechanics
Gorgeous components
Deep, pleasing strategy
Clever action card mechanics
Reasons to avoid-Animal powers can feel underwhelming-Zoo mats are pretty flimsy-Not as good a fit for casual gamers
Animal powers can feel underwhelming
Zoo mats are pretty flimsy
Not as good a fit for casual gamers
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Given it’s one of thebest new board gamesto hit the market in 2022, and most likelybest board gamesto buy, this Ark Nova review was always going to be a fun one to write. Not only did the zoo-building strategy game win a recommendation at the2022 Kennerspiel des Jahresbut for months it was effectively extinct in the wild –both the initial printing and second printing were pounced on so fast that it was effectively impossible to get hold of. Fortunately, this situation has now been rectified and it’s widely available but this tells you something about how hotly anticipated this game has been.
So does Ark Nova warrant the hype and deserve a place on T3’s list of best board games? Well, for any board gamers that love clever mechanics and smart design, it’s likely to be a roaring success. And even if you like a more casual gaming experience, I’d argue its cute components and rich theme will still prove sufficient to ensnare your attention.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
ARK NOVA REVIEW: PRICE AND WHO IT’S FOR
There’s no getting around it: Ark Nova ain’t the cheapest board game out there. Even now the mad rush on the game has calmed down, you’ll need to budget somewhere from £50 to £60. But I would argue that in terms of scale, replayability and components, Feuerland’s game more than justifies this asking price. As a deckbuilder of a similar scope, Terraforming Mars will comfortably set you back £45 and that’s eight years old with, arguably, lower quality components, so it doesn’t feel like Ark Nova’s price is at all out of kilter with the rest of the market.
And this should give you a clear idea of the kind of gamer Ark Nova is aimed at. While its gorgeous artwork and cute animal theme may make it seem like classic family fare, you’re not going to be splashing that kind of cash on a gift for your tweenage niece or nephew. In fact, Feuerland recommends Ark Nova for 14+. And given the complexity of some of the game’s systems and the depth of strategy required, that feels just right to me. Teenager or adult, anyone who has the warm heart of David Attenborough and the cold, strategic mind of Napoleon is going to get a massive kick out of this.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
ARK NOVA REVIEW: HOW IT PLAYS
Ark Nova is sometimes described as a chimaera of Wingspan and Terraforming Mars. While there’s some truth to this – it definitely inherits genetic strains of power-based deckbuilding and hex-based tile-placement from each of them – it’s also very much its own beast.
While this is a simple system, it has an enormous impact on what you play when, rewarding players who enjoy squeezing maximum efficiency out of their every move.
When building, each player populates their zoo mat with enclosures made up of differing numbers of hex tiles. And they come in several flavours: single-use enclosures for standard exhibits; petting zoos, aviaries and reptile houses that can house multiple fluffy, feathery and scaly friends; and large, unique building tiles that tie in to specific sponsorship projects.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
This allows you to get the drop on your opponents and nab the most desirable and charismatic creatures before they get a chance. Naturally, how much you enjoy this kind of mechanic is going to depend on your feelings about drafting in games. Personally, watching my opponents wince when I swoop in on a card they’ve been eagerly anticipating is half the joy of competitive games but not everybody is as sociopathic a gamer as I am.
To stick a critter into your zoo, you’ll play one of the cards from your ever-evolving hand. But first you need to meet certain conditions: you’ll need a free enclosure that meets the species’ space requirement, while some require you to have a partner zoo on a specific continent or require your zoo to contain a number of a specific type of animal. Again, this means you’ll often have a chain of priorities at any one time – first building the right size enclosure, then partnering with a zoo then placing the animal – which really rewards careful optimisation.
There are a few niggles here though. The one exception to the generally high production values are the zoo mats themselves: as in Terraforming Mars, they’re constructed from a flimsy, lightweight card that feels destined to get damaged. Given the game generally has such high production values, this seems like an odd misstep on Feuerland’s part.
Also, despite a gameplay loop built around filling empty enclosures with your unique menagerie, Ark Nova doesn’t feature any components to actually show this. When an enclosure is filled, you simply flip the tile to show it is now occupied or, in the case of aviaries, reptile houses and petting zoos, place a cube on one of the remaining spaces. I can’t help but feel that adding some animal meeples for this purpose would have really helped bring zoos to life – especially as the game already divides its critters up into seven handy categories.
Given the top quality of the rest of the components though, neither of these is a dealbreaker. It might just be a good opportunity for some third-party upgrades for those who love to add custom components to their games.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Once you’ve finally played your latest animal acquisition, you take your reward: appeal or, if you’re very lucky, conservation points. However, there are additional biological bonuses up for grabs. Each animal comes with a power that provides you with all manner of immediate bonuses, whether that’s reordering your action deck, drawing new cards or even stealing from, envenoming or constricting your opponents.
Used judiciously, these abilities can allow you to chain together some clever combos – being granted a second animal placement action, only to place a herding herbivore into the same enclosure I just filled will never not bring a smile to my face. However, this ain’t Wingspan: a lot of the powers can feel samey pretty quickly and the lack of innovation often means those moments where they genuinely turn the tide of gameplay feel few and far between.
Objective cards augment this, providing you with additional conservation points at the end of the game, should you complete their conditions. And, believe me, these are no pushover – you might need to exhibit a number of lower-scoring, smaller animals or build as many space-hungry special enclosures as you can.
Balancing these various objectives are perhaps the smartest part of Ark Nova’s gameplay loop. You’re often forced to prioritise between hitting certain objectives and exhibiting creatures with steep requirements, many of which may help you achieve other goals. This tension, coupled with the fact every game contains a different combination of conservation and objective cards, always makes each playthrough of Ark Nova feel fresh and engaging.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
ARK NOVA REVIEW: VERDICT
Ultimately, there’s a reason Ark Nova has been one of the hottest board games of 2022. It offers a captivating theme akin to zoo-building computer games like Planet Zoo or Zoo Tycoon, while its components are – for the most part – both pleasingly tactile and delightfully designed.
And this beauty is much more than skin deep. Tactically speaking, it offers a rich and rewarding play, with more than enough variability to keep each playthrough fresh and confounding. Novel systems like its variable-power Action cards also mean it feels distinct from most other titles you can buy and should see you reaching for it on the shelf time and again.
There are missteps here and there. Animal powers definitely offer fewer interesting game-changing moments than some other deck builders. And the zoo mats are insubstantial enough that I’m sure many gamers will replace them the second the inevitable upgrades hit the market. But that doesn’t detract from the fact Ark Nova is a joy to play and will likely prove to be the leader of the pack of the year’s board games.
ARK NOVA REVIEW: ALSO CONSIDER
As we’ve indicated above, Ark Nova shares more than a few strands of DNA with Terraforming Mars. Another strategy-heavy deckbuilder with tile placement mechanics, it’s thematically rich, allowing you to compete with other players to transform Mars into a lush, populated world. It’s also marginally cheaper at £47.99, so is definitely worth a look if you don’t mind its slightly poorer quality components.
Conversely, if Ark Nova’s critter theme makes you squee but you’re not a fan of sinking two hours into a game, Cascadia is a great, streamlined animal placement puzzler. Creating the perfect environment and plopping down bears, foxes, deer, hawks and salmon into their new ecosystems is an addictive little loop and the animals’ various scoring patterns ensure it’s still thinky enough to satisfy more cerebral contestants.
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