Ark Nova Review

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[TheGlassesPush]

You two are consistently informative and entertaining. I find myself disagreeing with your opinions more than I agree, yet I keep watching because your opinions are very well-founded. Thanks for elevating the medium and the hobby.

[charlietwoteas]

This just solidified to me that I'll definitely play this if a friend gets a copy but its not something I need in my own collection.

[Cerhob]

I just came back from a Union action this weekend where we were shouting the whole "what do we want?" "a fair contract!" when do we want it? "now!" so that bit made me laugh way more than it should have any right to.

[donbooger]

Good review, I like Ark Nova and have played it 3 times. I ended up rating it higher each play, I went from a 7 to an 8.5 to a 9 on the third play. I agree that Ark Nova is not as strategic as it first appears, its a reactionary tactical game primarily. My third play for example, my starting cards looked primed and ready to build predators from Asia. 2 hours later I won the game primarily with a fully stocked bird aviary and releasing a few lizards into the wild for conservation. In Ark Nova you do what the cards tell you to do, I haven't even built a petting zoo yet. I certainly want to, but the cards haven't come up at the right time that make building a petting zoo a good idea.

Thats Ark Nova, you don't do what you want, you do whats needed and if you do it faster and cheaper then everyone else you win. I still think the game is great but the lack of strategy did take me by suprise in a game this heavy.

[albertoverduzco]

I've having a bad time recently and this video just brighten my life a little. I had lots of laughs watching it. I'm still waiting for my copy, I can't wait to play it. But besides the review, I just love watching all the energy that is put in each video. I'm grateful for having the opportunity to be a spectator of this amazing channel.

[Penceos]

I've been treating it like Race for the Galaxy; when I see a card with two requirements in my opening draw it's probably a discard.
If the game didn't let you turn part of the public display into part of your "hand" with upgraded cards, it would probably be a bit TOO random. I like that mechanism a lot, actually.

[joeferreti]

"That's not game design, that's a hostage situation!" :D

[fukhewdik]

Elaine/Efka Thank you both for bringing me years of enjoyment. I realized after all this time I never took the time to drop a like, and you 2 talented people are far far deserving of this. (I just personally have not developed the habit of liking any videos...something I'm beginning to rectify...starting with your channel.) I have really enjoyed your content for a few years now...you all are so entertaining that I've watched videos on games I literally had no interest in just to see what you think about it anyways. There are not many channels where I can say that is the case! Just wanted to drop a massive THANK YOU! As far as Ark Nova is concerned...still waiting for my pre-ordered copy to arrive...the massive card deck is something I take issue with when incorporating both Wingspan expansions as well (though that game has fewer requirements to get them played, it still can throw a wrench in your strategy if you are praying to the card drawing gods to get another Raven or what have you.)

[klapaucius]

I think you nailed this. We have it, and it was fun until I could not get going. And then when I did get going, it still did not benefit me. Building the zoo is fun, dealing with the scoring is just disappointing. Too many cards with not enough ability to make them work together.

Maybe instead of an expansion, it needs a contraction.

To be honest, after three plays, I am not that keen on playing it again.

[travisdhall]

I think the problem you mention is pretty common to engine builders. I've had the same thing happen with wingspan and terraforming Mars. I think Race for the Galaxy got around this best with the +5 search feature, and later, the Draw till you get X feature. It's frustrating to pull a card early game and get excited by the possibilities, then proceed to see nothing to support it for the rest of the game. Especially if that frustration lasts two hours.

[kanedafx]

I have a lot of design problems with Ark Nova, especially about the way you can luck into cards that work with your strategy...or not. And it doesn't have a drafting mechanism like Terraforming Mars to help mitigate that. But the game is heckin fun in spite of this. It's definitely not something to play if you want a pure skill game, but we play to have fun, and in that way I think the huge deck is actually a strength since there's so much content to explore.

[StuartHetzler]

100% agreed with your criticisms. nothing sucks more than drawing a starting hand of entirely sponsor cards or drawing all animals but none of them get you closer to the starting conservation projects. i know the game has major hype, and I do like it, but it is way more random than its advocates are willing to admit

[ErikTheViking]

The deck being huge brings a ton of replayability, and I don't think you're supposed to pick a strategy on the first turn and stick to it the whole game, you're supposed to improvise with the cards you get

[esarandom]

Totally has similarities to another hit, Terraforming Mars, and as someone pointed out, Race for the Galaxy.
A plethora of cards you want to draw and do neat combos with... but totally depends on card draw luck. Race for the Galaxy gives you effects to increase cards seen with "draw X, pick 1" effects, and many people play Terraforming Mars with a drafting variant. This mitigates the possibility of eternally drawing junk which does not work with your engine.

I'm excited if and when someone comes up with a similar house rule or an official expansion rule to Ark Nova.
- Maybe increase cards drawn with Cards action but discard more...? Which would make card draw abilities in the animals seem weaker and you still might end up with gunk.
- Maybe make snapping easier from the get go so you can snap that one perfect card?
- Somehow discarding cards from the card row before Break? This would create take-that discarding: Oh you need that predator? Too bad if something happened to it...
Oh well, smarter people than me will figure this out I hope.

[LifeUntilLove]

I certainly related with the deck being too big to be usable. I have played a lot of Terraforming Mars solo and it highlights how much you absolutely need drafting or large draws to make things viable. There are times when it is simply not possible to win because I never drew enough ocean cards and didn't have the cash to buy them all. It is a super frustrating experience, made worse the longer the playtime was.

[KhameCat]

Excellent review! As always, your presentation is fantastically entertaining regardless of my interest in the game, and whether or not I agree with your opinions. Since I don’t usually comment, I’ll add that your podcast is equally fantastic and anyone reading this should really give it a listen. You’re my favorite board game channel and I appreciate your balance between humor, critical evaluation, documentary-style research and social / environmental consciousness! Many reviewers have one or more of those traits, but no others match you in quality on all four counts.

I have strong opinions about singleton decks and why they are more strategically valid than many give them credit for, but I totally understand the criticism. Suffice to say that while for you the robustness of the deck detracted from the charm, I found it to be the opposite. It was no surprise given how much I enjoy Wingspan, Terraforming Mars and the like. But none of those let me play danger noodles so this gets extra points!

[GoodGamesPublishing]

Another great and insightful review that showcases the joy and the niggles players might have. But the endless prerequisite loop fadeout had me literally crying with joy.

[skkeeper]

They could do what one of the mini viticulture expansions did and remove the entire deck (or even partially) and add cards that would make a more cohesive experience. In any case, great video!

[josephpilkus]

Absolutely wonderful review, as always. I've played this on TTS and in-person and was over the moon to receive it as my Secret Santa gift. While I appreciate the fact that the card deck can prove a bit frustrating, I abhor Terraforming Mars, so I'm happy to have a card game which both reinforces the main idea with every turn and decision AND is rewarding on every turn.

[j_atkinson]

Another great critical review. I was wondering what the hype was all about. I like a lot of the mechanisms in here, but your constructive criticisms do give me pause about buying this game. I'll definitely have to try before I buy, and I may wait for the so-called "one expansion" away from greatness :) Thanks again.