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Game Info
Year
2024
Players
1-4
Age
14+
Playtime
90 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
Build a thriving Biome in this highly thematic nature themed tableau builder for 1-4 players. Compete for biodiversity achievements and outmaneuver your opponents by activating the special abilities of your plants and animals. Each action can only be activated once, so think carefully about which actions you take and when.
Rounds of the game move through the seasons, each season having its own thematic impact on the Biome. In the simultaneous gameplay phase, draw cards and collect resources to play a plant or animal into your Biome and earn points. Play your birds and rabbits next to plants, so that in Spring, they will make nests and have chicks and baby bunnies! But beware, in Summer, your opponents' predators are on the prowl. Protect your baby animals by playing more plants in each habitat. Earn points with successful hunts and by feeding your baby animals.
Add the optional Natural Disasters mini expansion (spinner) to bring additional variability and nature's harsh reality to your game of Biome.
With many ways to earn points (and win!) plus multiple difficulty levels, you can tailor your game to your adventure level!
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 16
This page: 16
Sentiment:
pos 10 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–16 of 16
Video U4kbQCENeak
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Top List at 48:02 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 93862 · mention_pk 254626
Click to watch at 48:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Very simple and easy to learn.
- Plays fast.
- Good for families and kids.
- Small box, inexpensive.
- Appeals to non-gamers.
Cons
- Can feel too light for experienced gamers.
- Randomness can lead to frustrating turns where goals are hard to achieve.
- Tony felt unable to build desired structures and was often blocked.
- Not likely to be a game Tony would play repeatedly.
Thematic elements
- Building ecosystems by placing terrain tokens around a planet.
Comparison games
- Century: Spice Road
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Drafting — Players draft terrain tokens from a central pool and replenish their supply from a bag.
- Pattern Building — Players aim to complete sequences of terrain tiles shown on biome cards to score points.
- Slide and Replace — Players can slide terrain tiles to create gaps, allowing them to replace adjacent tiles with others, possibly performing optional actions.
- Tile Placement — Players select and place terrain tokens (oceans, deserts, forests, mountains, glaciers) around a circular track.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is a puzzle game for people I don't know I mean without the little tapping thing which I was so happy not to see so happy this is one of those programming games to help people solve puzzles
- if you like the original but now you want something that's maybe a little less tension or a little less stressful with a lot of replayability check out magic Maze tower
- this is a very light game strategy-wise I I think it could easily missed by players
- for me you know the game didn't really I like tense strategy card games so this game really did not resonate with me I wasn't really you know it didn't grasp me
- playing against a couple guys who play this game a lot they want to go to tournaments and stuff like that
- when you play against somebody that really knows what they're doing and then you realize how little that you know that you're doing sort of deal
- he goes I don't understand how to throw in this game there's a learning curve
- it gives you a whole appreciation of the person who's actually playing this game sitting in the pocket with somebody trying to take off your head and you're just trying to find the open guy downfield
- the game's cheating to be honest with you cuz he kept roughing my Kicker too
- all of his games he has in the store he sells below MSRP
- the bathroom is immaculate it smells great he keeps it clean and I know it's like Marty why are you bringing that up because we've all been in situations where the bathroom can make you s
References (from this video)
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Video HZpjlRnHjfE
Watch It Played News Roundup at 8:35 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88135 · mention_pk 231622
Click to watch at 8:35 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- family-friendly theme
- tech-tree progression offers visible sense of growth
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- ecosystems and planetary stewardship
- planet-embodying exploration
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — players embody a planet and build influence across areas
- area control of planetary tiles — players embody a planet and build influence across areas
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The Witcher brings so much to the game a rich fancy setting a unique Heroes and some of the best villains unmatched has ever seen
- each hero is represented by a unique deck designed to evoke their style and Legend tactical movement and no luck combat resolution create a play experience that rewards expertise
- this looks charming and puzzly two things the board game world seems to just really enjoy
- River Valley Glass Works a tall placement game for one to five players from design team Adam Hill Ben Pinchback and Matt riddle
- puzzly flip and roll and write games featuring the habitat of wildlife of the Pacific Northwest
References (from this video)
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Video n_ptHCPqoAg
Board Gaming Ramblings Discussion at 9:56 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 85965 · mention_pk 221487
Click to watch at 9:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
- don't know much more about it
Thematic elements
- Scoring points in nature
- Nature
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Resource Management — Players get resources to play cards.
- Tableau Building — Players build a tableau of cards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we also always want to try new stuff
- we don't need this many games there's no reason for that if you don't have a YouTube channel
- I'm going to be telling you all about how the game box looks because that's the extent of my knowledge about this game
- this is the thing in this whole video which I'm the most excited about
- I backed a Kickstarter to get a lid
- I have a problem it looks really good
- I'm so happy to see that we can get new versions of these games maybe there's hope for Mad some way down the line
References (from this video)
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Video a3NVftbhPkE
The Broken Meeple Discussion at 22:55 sentiment: negative
video_pk 85935 · mention_pk 221264
Click to watch at 22:55 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Cute gimmick of nests for babies
- Card tableau play system is generally liked
- Nice artwork
Cons
- Rich get richer mechanic on the bonus track
- Lack of catch-up mechanism (only one extra resource per turn for the last player)
- Objective cards are not varied and are hard to achieve
- Severe luck of the draw element
- Game takes a while to finish
- Weather module seems like a way to get hurt at random
- Purely luck-based effects like coin flips and predator dice rolls
- Relying on luck without enough mitigation
- Lower end on the scale compared to similar games like Earth or Wingspan
- Failing Designer Diary 101
Thematic elements
- Nature
Comparison games
- Earth
- Wingspan
- Kavango
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- luck — Relies heavily on luck for drawing cards, objective completion, and predator/baby interactions.
- Resource Generation — The game involves resource generation.
- Set Collection — Objective cards require specific patterns or diversity of cards.
- Tableau Building — Players play animal cards in a tableau.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Ark Nova is my favorite game of all time.
- Look at how gorgeous that thing is. Oh my god, I am drooling. This is such a pretty insert to get out.
- So, inserts I think are worth it.
- The money you get in those two games is garbage.
- I do have a lot of inserts in a lot of my games. Now, some of them I probably shouldn't have bought because the game doesn't get played often enough.
- Upgrade it from something that's crap to something that's really good. Don't upgrade something that's already good to something that's just a bit more good. It's not worth the money.
- People don't respect wood enough. Wood pieces are great.
- I don't care about miniatures in games now. I'm getting sick and tired of gray miniatures in all my games.
- The Folded Space insert for Civilization and New Dawn is a thing of genius.
- Do bling your games is good, but remember that you're paying a lot of money for it.
- Live comedy these days has suffered a lot because of all the political correctness nonsense.
- The golden age of comedians is sadly dying out.
References (from this video)
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Video tUVqkRLm770
Board Gaming Ramblings Analysis at 14:18 sentiment: other
video_pk 84850 · mention_pk 216333
Click to watch at 14:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
culled
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- building a display of nature
- nature
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- So many games and we can't play them all because we're not robots. We have to eat and sleep and do other things as well.
- I really enjoyed the concept of this. It's a co-op game. This we got even before I started going to say hating co-op game, but understanding they weren't for me.
- It sounds okay, but it also big and we don't need it.
- This is actually not sad. It's actually a positive thing getting these out of the house so we can get more games into the...
References (from this video)
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Video pJHlYlp6jlY
Stonemaier Games Top 10 List at 13:46
video_pk 81541 · mention_pk 203124
Click to watch at 13:46 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- there's a ton of interaction in the trading phases of this game that are completely simultaneous
- you must trade with other players to have a successful strategy or even to have fun
- Planet Unknown uses a rondelle to let players select tiles and there are shared goals and a race to get technology cards
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video pJHlYlp6jlY
Stonemaier Games Top 10 List at 14:41
video_pk 81541 · mention_pk 203146
Click to watch at 14:41 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- there's a ton of interaction in the trading phases of this game that are completely simultaneous
- you must trade with other players to have a successful strategy or even to have fun
- Planet Unknown uses a rondelle to let players select tiles and there are shared goals and a race to get technology cards
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video TtvLYhsyA7I
The Dice Tower Analysis at 3:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 80696 · mention_pk 197344
Click to watch at 3:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Trying to get animals in different biomes.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Play — You're playing a card each round of the game and where you play that card matters.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Hey everybody, I'm Tom Vasel.
- This game is about giving good gifts or bad gifts to other people, and you have to figure out which gift they would most want and which gift they would least want.
- It's a pretty good ice breaker type game.
- It works well, okay, seven out of 10.
- Guilds of London, this is a game that does not get talked about much these days, but it is a solid Euro style game with these different guilds in the middle.
- Ice Cool, this game still getting played. It's one of the best kids games ever designed, but also for everyone.
- Mint Control is one of the worst. They really their follow-ups were not nearly as good.
- Dia de Dead from Radical 8 Games. I really wanted to like this game. I like the theming of it, the idea of dice moving up these steps it just misses the mark, 5.5.
- Positano, I was very surprised by this game, one of my bigger surprises from last year.
- It's mean, it's nasty, but it's also short, which makes it very palatable, eight out of 10.
- And Three Chapters, a little card game, one of the last gasps from Amigo USA before they disappeared.
- But I really like Three chapters. You're You're You're spending three turns where basically you are drafting cards and playing cards, and they're going to score at different times.
- So, there you go, folks. The games I reviewed 1, 5, and 10, and 20 years ago.
- Thanks for watching. I'm Tom Vasel, and this has been look back on The Dice Tower.
References (from this video)
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Video _acHhPziEMM
The Dice Tower Analysis at 11:39 sentiment: positive
video_pk 80255 · mention_pk 195003
Click to watch at 11:39 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Interesting idea
Cons
- Gets lost among other games
Thematic elements
- Animals
- Biome
Comparison games
- Wingspan
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card placement — You're building your own biome. What I like about this game is you're putting a card into the series and each round you're also going to activate one of these cards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- And we always end at the the last one, The Road to Canterbury.
- If you like the Harry Potter theme.
- Cupcake Empire is a game I like a lot.
- I find it unique and interesting.
- So, the Valeria series has been up and down for me, but I thought Mar Graves was pretty interesting.
- This is one I considered getting back in the day if only because it's a war game but fantasy and from a war game company.
- It's good.
- What I like about this game is you're putting a card into the series and each round you're also going to activate one of these cards.
- So, that looks interesting.
- That is a lot of tan. Very Canterbury.
- my favorite here is probably Chomp actually, that little card game from All Play.
- I find that one to be pretty nifty.
- Are there ones that I should play that I haven't played there? Ones that I like and you're like you're crazy, etc.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 33BN6PWHWmA
The Board Gaming Doctor Top 10 List at 11:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42723 · mention_pk 129776
Click to watch at 11:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- noted as a sleeper hit with high ratings
- hand-management, simultaneous play, card drawing, and biodiversity theming
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm huge fan of Sanderson as many people are and I am just really looking forward to this one because it's a John DeClair game
- Beyond the Horizon it's the Standalone sequel to Beyond the Sun looks really interesting as well and a theme that I'm more comfortable with
- cvoluion was actually a game I talked about last year for the Essen
- it's a civilization themed deck-building type of game as well
- it seems like this is more along the complexity lines is like Pulsar 2046
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ZUzqI-sdzsw
Board Of It Review at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 36647 · mention_pk 109975
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging decision-making with many choices each turn
- Good rhythm with minimal downtime due to simultaneous actions
- Pleasant production and deluxe components
- Strong puzzle feel and path-building through card play
- Two-player interaction remains tight due to predation and card effects
Cons
- Endgame achievements are inconsistent and rely on luck of card draws
- Complexity and micro-actions can be fiddly
- Some players may find the rotation of card draws frustrating due to probabilistic nature of achievements
Thematic elements
- Ecosystem building and interaction via predators, breeding, and resource management
- Seasonal wildlife habitats with birds, mammals, and plants across four seasons
- Abstract thematic presentation centered on wildlife management and habitat-building
Comparison games
- Wingspan
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card tableau and placement — Play cards into habitats to activate actions and scoring possibilities
- Endgame scoring via achievements — Goals that grant points based on diverse cards or patterns
- Habitat placement puzzle — Position cards to satisfy adjacency rules for nests and babies
- Predation and breeding — Predator cards and breeding actions create tension and scoring opportunities
- Resource gathering and card activation — Draw resources and play cards to habitats to trigger effects
- Seasonal events and timing — Spring/Summer rules determine nest/baby dynamics; Autumn/Winter add variety in advanced mode
- Simultaneous action phase per season — All players perform actions in the season concurrently before resolution
- Simultaneous Actions — All players perform actions in the season concurrently before resolution
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- action all the time
- big recommendation from me
- really love this game
- there's a lot of decisions and a lot of puzzle
- it's surprisingly engaging
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yUmFalWF8ws
Board Gaming Ramblings Review at 7:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 35295 · mention_pk 105316
Click to watch at 7:54 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Clever and original puzzle feel
- Pleasant, relaxing to play
Cons
- Not particularly replayable for some players
- Fine-tuning patterns can be fiddly
Thematic elements
- Biome interactions and adjacent terrain scoring
- Terrain/pattern-building puzzle
- Puzzle-focused with interlocking placement
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring — Terrain adjacency creates scoring opportunities and pattern diversity.
- interaction scoring — Terrain adjacency creates scoring opportunities and pattern diversity.
- tile drafting and placement — Draft biomes/terrains and place them in a pattern area to score.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a lighter casual Family Style game has some Randomness in it
- I enjoyed my time playing it
- this is a weird game this is a game where you speak we had to kind of do a little bit of work
- it's basically Cascadia just very boring
- I had so much fun with Contra Baner
- this is not my favorite and but we don't have a lot of trick takers so we can play with two
- I would rather play Ja Versus
- I think this is going to be a great one for that situation
References (from this video)
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Video gsR3unJB9Wc
Stonemaier Games Discussion at 14:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 31418 · mention_pk 92551
Click to watch at 14:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Delightful, cute animal theming with a Wingspan-like vibe
- Smooth tableau engine with approachable decisions
- Deluxe components that elevate the experience (nest tokens)
Cons
- End-of-winter mechanics can feel harsh as tokens die
- Theme and aesthetics may clash for players seeking heavier strategy
Thematic elements
- ecology, conservation, biodiversity
- natural habitats; animal-centric tableau
- whimsical yet subtly competitive; nature-forward
Comparison games
- Moon Colony Blood Bath
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- animal births / nesting tokens — Cute tokens (nested birds) appear and eventually retire as seasons turn
- Engine Building — Upgrading or layering actions to improve efficiency over the course of the game
- engine-building — Upgrading or layering actions to improve efficiency over the course of the game
- Tableau Building — Players assemble a tableau of animal cards to score and optimize future turns
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- games and the worlds they create they create safe havens for people
- there are good people out there... welcome here on this channel
- the worlds waiting for me
- the power of gaming... safe space that designers create
- forget that you're surrounded by 400 people in that moment and just be there
- it's magical
- the nests are really really they add to how cute it was
- pusher luck feels really good
- the endgame is still relevant to make buildings because if I make this building that is worth five people, that's five more people that I have to outlast this blood bath
- the joys of escapism and safe spaces in gaming
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video teQN4AemU28
Stonemaier Games Analysis at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 30854 · mention_pk 90963
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Adorable components and immersive physical tokens (meuples and nests) that enhance theme
- Fully simultaneous core, with a clever non-simultaneous activation phase to create interaction without breaking flow
- Immediate scoring on card play and a rewarding point track with ongoing benefits
- Seasonal variation adds variety and strategic depth
- Tension between feeding, predators, and habitat development creates thematic tension
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- ecosystem growth and survival
- Forest habitat with seasons and wildlife dynamics
- ecosystem simulation
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Creature tokens and nesting — Tokens (bunnies/hatchlings) are generated by cards and placed on nests; feeding and predators affect survival.
- Endgame condition on points/mat fill — The game ends when a player reaches a victory point threshold or when mats are filled.
- Immediate points on card play — Points are earned as cards are played, not solely at end-game scoring.
- One non-simultaneous phase: activated abilities — Each card has at most one activated ability; this phase introduces interaction.
- Seasonal phases — Different seasons modify actions and objectives, shaping strategy over time.
- Simultaneous tableau building — Players act concurrently to build their tableau of cards and tokens.
- Token Pairing — Tokens (bunnies/hatchlings) are generated by cards and placed on nests; feeding and predators affect survival.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm thinking 120, but it that also sounds a little bit low.
- these little tokens that you can get in the game during certain seasons.
- the cards don't have come into a come into play abilities. Um, you do get the points right away when you play a card
References (from this video)
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Video 2lyj0xPiEps
TheGameBoyGeek - Hi Quality Hi Energy Board Game Reviews Top 9 List at 1:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 29027 · mention_pk 85358
Click to watch at 1:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
- prototype stage
Thematic elements
- nature/ecosystems
- Prototype/demo
- preview/first-look
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- And my number one experience at Origins 2025 is definitely the people.
- One highlight for me was definitely Journeys Afar the Ketsui by my awesome friend Travis R. Chance.
- The best part is the story behind it and how it's connected to something so personal for him.
- I came for the games, but I stayed for the friends.
- Can't wait to do it all again next year.
References (from this video)
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Video XWrw6s-sCow
The Broken Meeple Review at 5:56 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10002 · mention_pk 29457
Click to watch at 5:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- cute nest components made of straw
- simultaneous play reduces downtime
- interactive gameplay with giving resources to other players
- clear iconography
- good strategic depth for light game
- weather expansion adds variety
Cons
- die-roll based predation mechanic feels weak
- many card abilities and text-heavy
- similar to Wingspan and Earth in design
- hand size can be overwhelming with many cards
Thematic elements
- animals
- plants
- nature
- biodiversity
Comparison games
- Wingspan
- Earth
- Cavanga
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's only a game
- you're listening to the broken meeple show a podcast that speaks passionately about board games
- I am very much a cold blooded I'm a cold blooded lizard I need cold
- the top 50 has finally finished finally it's done
- there is nothing apart from it being bright and sunny there is nothing about the summer that really gets me like you know excited or interested because it's just too hot
- I look at these top 50s uh they certainly increase a bit
- there's a lot of good feedback in terms of what's up next hard to say really
- I would give it at least a seven out of 10 right now and say it's good
- the Arkham Horror games are still pretty solid and you know they're fun to play but they are definitely getting to a point where I don't think I can uh like really say that they're practical
- my tastes were new at that point you know I respected terroriser for its thiness
- I have definitely developed to want more theme in my games
References (from this video)
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Transcript Navigation
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