Game Info
Year
2025
Players
2
Age
14+
Complexity
1.8/5
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description
A dynamic two-player card game where brown bears compete for prime fishing spots along Brooks River to gain dominance and catch the most salmon.
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video 0Zsl0JiC4fo
Getting Games Games Radar Vlog at 26:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88045 · mention_pk 231019
Click to watch at 26:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- speaker is always curious about Stefan Feld's designs
- enjoys Stefan Feld's dice manipulation mechanics
- likes Stefan Feld's 'wandering around doing stuff' games
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- leading an expedition and exploring diverse landscapes
- Nepal
Comparison games
- The Oracle of Delphi
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Movement — move around the landscape boards
- Dice Rolling — each player uses three of five dice to gain resources and move around the landscape boards
- Race against time — not to waste too much time since there is a storm coming you should always be in the front of the storm
- Resource Management — gain resources
- Set Collection — gain points through different means like visiting temples trading for goods in the cities discovering each landscape and drying the many unique animals that call Nepal their home
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Tiny Epic Game of Thrones it's a 2024 game it says assume the role of a mighty House of the Seven Kingdoms
- players utilize an Innovative limited action dice mechanism M to strategically choose cards such as plot whisper event March and sail with the options to follow other players actions
- players will yield an immense amount of Power with their respective houses through a versatile hand of multi-use cards that allow players to plot against the influential houses of Westeros orchestrate grandio events and partake in exhilarating battles
- Worms span I'm being factious this is like one of the most talked about games over the last few weeks this is a reimplementation of wingspan all about dragons
- Build a cavernous Sanctuary for Dragons of all shapes and sizes
- your player board starts out small they're caves and at the beginning of the game your cave is Tiny I think there's only room for one Dragon but as you play through the game you can dig out your cave allowing you to put more dragons in there
- Wormspan looks cool I like dragons I think they're cool I think the artwork looks neat
- I'm intrigued like wingspan is one of the more popular games to come out in the last seven years and here is a follow-up game with a new theme and some new mechanics I want to see how this one goes
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video RE4nc2zTEik
The Cardboard Herald Review at 0:40 sentiment: positive
video_pk 86599 · mention_pk 224626
Click to watch at 0:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Approachable and tight yet robust
- Pizzazz and pressure that works with the theme
- Beautiful slight mechanism with the first player token exchange
- Extremely savvy for how pickup and play it is
- Simple mechanisms, lots of options with strategic implications
- Knockout production
- Charming illustrations
- Thoughtful notes about the region, wildlife conservation, and Indigenous Heritage
Cons
- Scoring conditions aren't always clear
- Resolution of certain abilities in conflict could have used more clarity
- More confrontational than some may want
- Comes off a bit narrow without a sense of investment from one round to the next
Thematic elements
- Bears of Brooks River
- Alaska
Comparison games
- Undaunted series
- The King is Dead
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — A two-player head-to-head game of area control and dominance.
- bluffing — Cards are played face down to a river tile.
- Deck Building — Each player takes a thematically different though mechanically identical deck of bears in their color.
- Hand Management — Players have two cards in their hand at any given time to work with.
- Variable player powers — Each bear might have some ability that could redirect your bear deployment or impact theirs.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- if it's black fight back if it's brown lay down and if it's white good night
- these are the kind of bare safety strategy Rhymes that I learned in elementary school growing up in Alaska
- it's easy to take for granted how much the Wilds is right at our doorstep in this state and that our relationship with our Majestic lumbering pig dogs is something that is completely unique unque compared to the way that a lot of people grow up but it's definitely a point of Fascination for the rest of the world
- this voluntary exchange that you can do at the beginning of any turn so long as you started with the first player token is just a beautiful slight mechanism that's emblematic of what catm does over and over and over again
- as an Alaskan and as a gamer catm does right by our big old buddies of the Brooks River bringing your experience a little closer to our home
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video GM9xxHQ8AlE
kovray Playthrough
video_pk 68784 · mention_pk 165072
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the Bears of Brooks River as the Box title with the Bears the Bears of the Brooks River
- best two out of three that's true because you get to know so that means we'll have to play one after this
- I love two-player games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video GM9xxHQ8AlE
kovray Playthrough at 0:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 68784 · mention_pk 223296
Click to watch at 0:14 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Concise, tense two-player play
- Multiple scoring avenues through pattern building
- Strong thematic flavor tied to Brooks River bears
- Clear interaction and strategic decisions despite simple rules
Cons
- Learning curve for new players due to pattern and scoring interactions
- Some advanced cards add complexity that could overwhelm casual players
- Occasional misplays during playthrough can obscure optimal choices
Thematic elements
- bear competition for salmon
- Brooks River, Katmai National Park
- pattern-building with territorial control and scoring
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players place bear tokens on river tiles to form patterns that unlock bonuses and salmon rewards.
- Card Drafting — Each round two cards are set aside, the deck is shuffled, two cards are drawn, and players play a card with possible immediate effects.
- Deck Manipulation — Milkshake-like mechanic allows moving previously played cards to influence outcomes and resolve interactions.
- deck/drafting and card play — Each round two cards are set aside, the deck is shuffled, two cards are drawn, and players play a card with possible immediate effects.
- dominance scoring on tiles — The strength of a bear on a tile determines control and scoring opportunities; higher dominance yields rewards.
- endgame and tie-break rules — End condition triggers when bear dominance difference reaches a threshold or a player has two or fewer bears; ties are resolved with tie-break tokens.
- pattern-based area control — Players place bear tokens on river tiles to form patterns that unlock bonuses and salmon rewards.
- special actions and card manipulation — Milkshake-like mechanic allows moving previously played cards to influence outcomes and resolve interactions.
- two-player symmetry — Designed around head-to-head play with tight round lengths and direct player interaction.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the Bears of Brooks River as the Box title with the Bears the Bears of the Brooks River
- best two out of three that's true because you get to know so that means we'll have to play one after this
- I love two-player games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video juR0bBv8yDw
Board Of It Review at 0:04 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 31166 · mention_pk 91887
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Strong thematic integration with bear behavior and Brooks River lore
- High production quality and nice component design
- Engaging back-and-forth card play with meaningful decisions
Cons
- Longevity and replayability concerns due to largely similar decks across rounds
- Early rounds can feel loose or non-tight due to the space on the river board
- Endgame can feel abrupt or anticlimactic depending on how dominance accumulates
Thematic elements
- Bear behavior and competition for dominance, translated into actions on bear cards
- Alaska's Brooks River during the salmon run
- Abstracted but thematically faithful with real-life inspiration
Comparison games
- Ironwood
- Radlands
- The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Baby bear tie-breaker — In ties, a baby bear cub token can be allocated to tip dominance and scoring.
- End Game Bonuses — The game can end when a player creates a certain dominance gap or when specific card counts remain; otherwise, play continues in rounds.
- endgame conditions — The game can end when a player creates a certain dominance gap or when specific card counts remain; otherwise, play continues in rounds.
- Hand Management — Each player starts with a hand of two bear cards from a 12-card deck, with two cards set aside to create a 10-card deck for variability.
- Initiative and pass mechanic — An initiative token determines who places first, with the option to pass initiative to the opponent to change turn order.
- Objective cards scoring — Players draw or claim objective cards that dictate scoring conditions, granting summon points based on objective difficulty.
- Simultaneous Reveal — Each round, players place a bear card against a river tile face-down; they reveal simultaneously and compare dominance values to determine control.
- Simultaneous reveal and dominance resolution — Each round, players place a bear card against a river tile face-down; they reveal simultaneously and compare dominance values to determine control.
- Terrains and quadrants — River tiles have four quadrants representing terrain; players aim to place bears to meet objective patterns across quadrants.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the production quality is also super nice
- we really appreciate the theming and the fact that the Bears are based on real life
- the mechanics are interesting about what to play when
- initiative is a neat twist that keeps the tension high
- you can use the baby bear token as a tiebreaker to gain an advantage
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video X1fEVGzOgmQ
Foster the Meeple Playthrough at 42:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 677 · mention_pk 1981
Click to watch at 42:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Two-player friendly with meaningful decisions and thematic charm
- Clear objective-based scoring with a accessible ruleset
- Appealing wildlife theme and characterful bear names
Cons
- Rules and scoring can be dense for absolute beginners
- Endgame scoring can feel slow as players chase salmon tokens
Thematic elements
- Nature and wildlife with a light, humorous animal-kingdom flavor.
- Two players manage bear meeples along river tiles, aiming to outbuild and outscore through objective completion.
- Playful, thematic, and approachable for two players.
Comparison games
- Rift Force
- Shot and Totten
- Zenith
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Reveal and place cards that drive placement decisions, objective progress, and potential bonuses.
- card reveal and drafting — Reveal and place cards that drive placement decisions, objective progress, and potential bonuses.
- Compound Scoring — Global objectives track salmon tokens and region dominance; completing objectives yields salmon tokens for end-game scoring.
- initiative and cub tokens — Initiative tokens and cub tokens provide tie-breaks and endgame bonuses that can swing outcomes.
- objective-driven scoring — Global objectives track salmon tokens and region dominance; completing objectives yields salmon tokens for end-game scoring.
- two-player lane battler / area control — Compete for dominance across river regions; the active player places bear meeples to gain scoring opportunities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Frogs are all the rage.
- This is a game about frogs.
- This really is a perilous pond.
- Jeff was the meanest frog I've ever met in my entire life.
- This game makes me think of Brother Bear because it looks like Brother Bear.
- Poolside is one of the objectives and you get salmon tokens when you complete it.
- Moon Rollers.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6