Ark Nova Strategy Board Game for 1-4 Players, Card Drafting, Zoo Building, Hand Management Game with High Replayability | Ages 14+ | 90-150 Minute Play Time

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!

Great game, played often. Not for casual boardgamers. This is a heavy strategy game that can last for 3+ hours.

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.

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!

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!

I bought the game on sale. I LOVE that the box comes with storage trays and bags included! And the components are extremely high-quality, especially the cards. Ark Nova is one of my current favorites on Board Game Arena (BGA), so I'm glad I grabbed the physical copy so I can play with family and friends IRL. My casual-gamer parents found the game "too complicated", which I partially agree with, but I enjoy the challenge of learning these types of games, and I find Ark Nova's rulebook quite intuitive upon first reading, despite its intimidating 20-page length. And my mother eventually caught on as we played through our first game. While Ark Nova has its foot in multiple different board game mechanic genres (i.e. worker placement, deck building, tile placement, etc.), I find that they are all melded together rather intuitively through the theme of building and maintaining a modern zoo. Thinking of what I am doing thematically often helps me remember the rules to games, so I just apply that logic to Ark Nova, and I've had no problem with playing and forming above-basic strategies. TL;DR - While definitely targeted at hardcore gamers as opposed to casuals, I believe the former demographic will enjoy Ark Nova's theme and mechanics immensely. 9/10 - Recommended.

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.

Has taken up my life, it’s so entertaining. The learning curve is significant, but worth it to me. There are a couple of decent play-throughs on YouTube that have been very helpful. Watched them on longer car trips! The game’s solo capacity is well-thought out. In the game, there are often so many plays, and choices to be made, within each move that, without having another player to check, having a system in place to know when a turn is complete is helpful. I’ve learned to pull down the action card I’m playing and leave it there until all of the moves are complete. Once it’s moved to the first position again, then I move the solo cubes indicating the end of the turn. A great winter’s day game alone or with a friend.

Amazing game

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

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.