Capstone Games Ark Nova Card Drafting, Hand Management Strategy Board Game, 1-4 Players, 90 to 150 Minute Play

Amazingly creative, fun and well made game! It’s one of our family favorites. It’s complex and requires a lot of setup but the experience is always fun for us and the game pieces and artwork are really beautiful. It’s also not a game based on destruction, imperialism and colonization so that’s a HUGE plus!

As fantastic as this game is, be aware that the learning curve is pretty steep and playing time is significant. Don't think I'll ever tackle the 1-player mode, but it's nice that it exists. All in all, no regrets!

This game is long and complex but also very satisfying and good. The gameplay is balanced and a nice puzzle. I also like the game's focus on conservation as part of keeping a zoo. If you are looking for the next easy family banger this probably isn't it but if you are a veteran board gamer looking for something interesting and new to sink your teeth into for a while this is the one.

I got Ark on a whim and minor recommendation from a friend of mine, and oh man, did it follow through. Ark Nova is a very large game about running a zoo while also taking part in animal conservation efforts across the globe. Turns happen one after another were players choose one of five actions like playing animal cards, building enclosures, assisting conservations, getting sponsors or drawing more cards. While turns are short, they do require quite a bit of strategy and forward thinking as another players action could force you to change your next move. There are a multitude of winning strategys available as well. My fist game was focusing strictly on primates, another player mainly aimed towards getting animals of a certain continent while someone else goal was to increase his fame through sponsorships. The game also supports nearly 250, beautifully photographed cards of animals all across the globe, making it a aesthetically pleasing as well! My only real gripe with the game is that the rules can be difficult starting out. Our group started the game and didn't really get into the flow of the turns for the first 2 hours; and when the box say an average game takes about 2 and a half to 3 hours, they mean it. So while the game is great, it's not really for new board game players or people looking for a casual game. All-in-all, a great game and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great time killer or who has a love of all things animals!

Addicting.

It did take a few YouTube videos to help figure out the game. The first game took about three hours and we made multiple mistakes. However, we were hooked about 20 mins into the first game. There is so many options of how to play the game. We are a family that LOVE to play board games. Ark Nova may be our new favorite - it will be a top pick when we have 2 hours available to play a game. We love to play board games, but have found not everyone in the family likes the same games. This game crossed the gab and seems that everyone agree it's a great game. Remember - you will need a couple hours open to play. There are multiple ways to be successful in the game. Love that your don't really know who's winning until the very end. Love how many different options there are to play the game. Multiple successful strategies that can be used to win. There is a more aggressive game play where you can do damage to other players. We do have some who love this type of game play and others who do not - so for us, we did not play with this option. I have heard this is similar to Transforming Mars. We've not play TM, so I don't know if this is true. Highly recommend Ark Nova.

Fun game for 2 players takes to long with 4

My husband and I really like board games, so we are more inclined than most to sit down and play a game more than once to learn the rules, just to be clear. That being said, there is a definite learning curve for this game. I think it would honestly be a real challenge for anyone who is not familiar with playing board games or some of the mechanics of tile placing games. Not to say that it isn't possible, but unless a person was really interested in understanding Ark Nova, I just don't think they'd find it fun. Anyways, it took us a couple hours for our first game, as we had to keep checking rules or forgetting "what happens when...", etc. However, after the first couple of games, our total playtime for a game dropped by about half, and we felt pretty comfortable with the rules after 4-5 games with just the two of us. All of the different mechanics have significantly increased the replayability for us, and we have since bought the additional maps and aquatic expansion. Several weeks later, we are still enjoying it! I think anyone who enjoys board games and/or has an interest in zoology would enjoy this game. I have an M.S. in Biology (evolution and ecology) and have also worked at zoos- I was surprised and impressed at how much research the writers and game designers clearly did for Ark Nova. The information was accurate (as much as can be expected for a game's depth), even down to WAZA and research funding, breeding programs, etc. This added another level of enjoyment for me especially. Again, highly recommend for board game connoisseurs and zoology buffs alike!

Great game, thoroughly enjoyed it. Makes sense as to why it's #2 overall in Board Game Geek.

Uno de los mejores Euros. Es un juegazo con una gran variedad de cartas que te permiten crear tu zoológico, mecánicas excelentes y buena rejugabilidad. Aunque si es importante estar familiarizado con el idioma porque depende mucho de él, y sin duda no es para jugadores que apenas inician en este mundo. Pero qué más puedo decir, por algo es de los mejores valorados

Great game

À part la rejouabilité et la thematique du jeux, c vraiment bien pensé ... Chapeau pour l'editeur

Bellissimo gioco che si basa sulla costruzione di uno zoo. Perfetto per chi ama gli animali e la natura. Le istruzioni sono molto lunghe e complicate, ma una volta imparate, il gioco è molto semplice. Le regole sono tutte esclusivamente in inglese.