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Millions of years ago the first men fought with other creatures for survival. By their ability to adapt to new types of terrain, they were able to flourish and eventually dominate the Earth. In this evolutionary game, players control up to six types of creatures indigenous to different regions of the land: Eagles (mountains), Bears (forests), Crocodiles (water), Mammoths (plains), Men (savannah), and Snakes (desert).
Each player takes the role of one of these six creatures, and tries to expand their herd and learn new abilities. As long as there is enough room in the region for all of the animals, the creatures can live together in harmony. Otherwise, battles erupt amongst the creatures for control of the region. Now, the success of the creatures depends on how well they adapt to their new terrain.
Which creature will grow its herd and develop the best strategy for survival?
Original description from the publisher.
- Early example of mean-style euro with tight interplay
- Influenced later euro designs
- Older production values
- Might feel dated to modern players
- mean-but-innovative control of the earth via creatures
- animal/creature themed area-control
- abstract
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — control regions with creature cards to influence the board
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Not a single one of these games ends up on my list today.
- 21 years ago when I made this list, I was 28; now I'm 49 and tastes change.
- This game here, this I've not played that much anymore, but I still like it.
- I would love to see a more modern remade version of this one a lot.
- I really like the theme of this game.
- This is a worker placement game where you place workers face down so people know where you're placing your workers but they don't know the value of them.
- Look at that PLA. You have to realize when this game came out, there was almost no plastic in games.
References (from this video)
- tension and player interaction
- can be harsh or mean
- ecosystem balance
- area-control in species-themed domain
- competitive but thematic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — players influence zones to control their species' territories
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- One of the greatest experiences I've ever had playing a board game ever.
- It's all about board games, but especially the people who play them.
- This is Look Back, a series that I do where I talk about games that I reviewed one year ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, and 20 years ago during this time frame.