Game Info
Year
2013
Players
3-6
Age
7+
Playtime
20 min
Complexity
2/5
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
Players introduce species to their continent and compete to collect victory points by having species survive extinction events
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment:
pos 0 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video xbaHNbgerxo
PlayingBoardGames Analysis at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 42322 · mention_pk 128428
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Clever partner mechanic that adds narrative weight
- Strong campaign feel with replayability
- Effective use of frost tokens to create tension
- Memorable exploration map design and scenarios
- Assets and techies provide meaningful deck-building choices
Cons
- Early character deaths can undermine emotional stakes
- Possession/frost interactions can feel punitive or unbalanced
- Techies can be too impactful and disrupt pacing
- Ending feels underwhelming and anticlimactic
Thematic elements
- Survival under creeping Madness, exploration of unknown threats, and struggle against escalating dread
- Antarctica exploration with Lovecraftian cosmic horror and stranded survivors
- episodic campaign with evolving partner dynamics and deck-building consequences
Comparison games
- Circle Undone
- Scarlet Keys
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- assets and deck-building — Mechanics that add assets to decks via exploration rewards, expanding options but increasing deck management complexity.
- Deck Building — Mechanics that add assets to decks via exploration rewards, expanding options but increasing deck management complexity.
- frost tokens — Tokens representing freezing conditions that slow or impair actions and can interact with other mechanics (e.g., possession).
- map exploration and large exploration maps — Expansive exploration maps that drive progression, rewards, and narrative payoff.
- partner mechanic — Players track and interact with a partner system; losing partners affects narrative weight and influence on subsequent scenes.
- possession (related to frost tokens) — Possession-like effects triggered by frost mechanics that introduce risk to players.
- techies — Assets or agents that modify your deck and tempo; can have large swings in effectiveness and complexity.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The partner mechanic was really really clever.
- I would love playing it again.
- Edge of the Earth goes a little too far in that direction.
- I did not like the possession mechanic connected to Frost tokens.
- This campaign has some of the best examples of push your luck in all of Arkham so far.
- The ramp is probably my one of my least favorite things in all of Arkham.
- Wet fart of an ending.
- If they just said draw a card, I'd be curious to see how they played.
- Assets felt really impactful.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video -2rwPhTfapE
PlayingBoardGames Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 37359 · mention_pk 112228
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Strong cooperative puzzle-solving with clear teamwork goals
- Dense exploration with meaningful choices around clues, seals, and encounters
- Tense moments driven by doom, frost, and enemy pressure
Cons
- Punishing token effects (especially frost) can rapidly derail plans
- Complexity and token management can be overwhelming mid-game
- Victory condition depends on a fragile balance of clues, seals, and timely escalation
Thematic elements
- Cosmic horror and exploration with a strong emphasis on sealing gateways and racing against an encroaching apocalypse.
- A frozen, ancient subterranean complex beneath an icy gateway (the gate of Yqua), filled with sealed portals and lurking horrors.
- Campaign-like, episodic progression with escalating threats and evolving objectives across a symmetric, modular map.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Activated seals and the gate — Players place activated seals to progress toward closing the gateway; activating all five seals is the push-your-luck objective.
- Asset and clue economy — Managing clues, assets, and evidence to boost tests and activate seals; drawing and discarding cards impact options.
- Enemy and encounter dynamics — Hunters and other entities with ‘prey’ mechanics that chase or interact with investigators based on seal control and location.
- Exploration and location management — Investigating locations, gathering clues, and moving between locations using shortcuts and movement costs.
- Skill Tests — Tests using various attributes (brain, foot, book, etc.) with modifiers, items, and tokens influencing success or failure.
- Token system (doom, frost, and other tokens) — Tokens (doom, frost, and other effects) modify tests, impose penalties, or trigger automatic outcomes that increase pressure.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a great corridor for us.
- We could put an activated seal here and resign.
- The gateway stirs whatever is calling to you from within these walls.
- Blow up all life on Earth.
- There are five seals and five spokes.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–2 of 2