go to Game Pages index
by Frank Nestel & Doris Matthaus
Rating 8/10 after 5 plays
by Frank Nestel & Doris Matthaus
art Doris Matthaus
publish Doris & Frank/Rio Grande
players: 3-5
duration: 30-40 minutes
type: light card game
COMPLEXITY: LIGHT. I won't lie, the rulebook is a little overwritten and seems complicated, but the game itself is fairly easy to play once you get the hang of it. The only really tricky part of the rules is the Special animals but once you play twice, this game is fairly breezy.
LUCK: MEDIUM. Some luck in the card draw (players get to choose 1 of the 2 cards they draw), and in placement (as players scramble to find optimal 2-at-a-time placements -- a lot of which will be determined by the previous player's turn. This is offset by watching what other players are drawing, and tracking their scoring progress in the different animal types.
TENSION: LOW. Admittedly, when the player before you is taking their turn you might be holding your breath hoping they won't load the boat in sucg a way as to deny you good placement opportunities, but generally a fairly relaxing game in that respect.
CONFLICT: LOW. Players have no direct ways to affect each other, and since players score points as they would in 'influence' games, even finishing 2nd or 3rd in a 'type' gets you points, so it is a friendly game in many respects.
VISUALS: EXCELLENT. Doris is once again at her best, with colorful, delightful depictions of dinos, foxes, and, of course, the ubiquitous hedgehog, and a host of other animals. All the cards are very clearly and beautifully illustrated, with quality components, and a very easy to understand 'iconographic' system to remind players what the animal's requirements are.
THEME: HIGH. Players must consider climate, diet, animal size, and provisions, and these conditions really make you wonder how ol' Noah did it! Obviously you can't put a lion in a cabin with a pig, and putting a dino in the left side of the ark means making sure their is lots of counterweight on the right, and never ever put a mouse in a cabin with the grain! A simple card game the does a great job of carrying out theme.
PLAYERS: need more plays. Only played with 4 players so far, but it has been working wonderfull with that number. I would guess 3 would also work well, with 5 maybe slowing the game down too much.
GAMER APPEAL: MAYBE. True, no strategy here, just tactical play, but the game is fairly short with experinced players, and somehow manages to be stimulating enough despite the fact that gameplay is quite easy.
CASUAL GAMER APPEAL: PROBABLY With a great theme, and superb artwork, the only thing that might be problematic is learning the game from the rulebook. But if you can teach the rules to the group, they will have a blast. Excellent family game.
REPLAY: MEDIUM. This is no Bohnanza, and the decisions are simple, but that doesn't keep it from being a very fun game. Artwork and theme work well towards this end, and I've enjoyed every game I have played so far.
The rain is starting to drizzle, and the animals need to be loaded quickly onto the ark. Players have animal cards and provision cards in the hand that they will need to load onto the ark as efficiently as possible. Players can draw more cards for their turn, or load 1-2 animals, but when they load, there are some serious considerations such as weight (don't want the boat to tip), diet (don't want the carnivores snacking on the little animals), and climate ('cos you can't keep a lion in a refridgerated room!)
My 2 cents
The rulebooks daunts, but the gameplay tickles. Good theme implimentation, good art, good game. As you can guess from the theme and the art, you don't want to take this game too seriously, but as a light 30-minute card game for 3-4 players, I can't think of any game I like better.