Zoo On Board Game Review
For better or for worse, Zoo On looks like a kids game, but it packs a bit of depth and strategy you might not realize by looking at the cover. Zoo On isn’t my favourite game to play, and it’s one that probably will get played less each year than other titles, but yet still one I plan to keep around for a little while.
The game does invest in a them I’m excited about – you’ll be playing animal cards, making sure they have the right environments, and putting them into enclosures. There are placement rules you need to abide by; some animals can go with others, some are solitary, etc. but ultimately you are trying to score the most points and be the winner.
The game is meant to be a family game, but the advanced mode makes it much more appealing to an older audience. There are slight changes to the game that make it a bit harder, but most of what we say here will be universal between both game experiences. The big changes in the advanced mode are action cards that are shuffled into the decks that provide you with new opportunities, and a public goal that everyone will work towards.
The simplicity of the game is what makes it so attractive. There are a variety of cards and decks on the table, and on your turn you will draw one card from the central board and then play a card into your play area. It’s that easy, which does mean that the game is heavily dependent on what cards you get. It’s possible, and it has happened, that you just won’t get the cards you need. You might have the biome and enclosure all ready to go, and an animal to put into it, but you are missing the food.
I do like how this game fills that central tableau, though. Two of the tree actions will have you either discard one card to place an enclosure directly into your zoo, or discard any number of cards to draw back up to 5 cards into their hand. When discarding cards, they aren’t just tossed into a discard pile – they are instead placed into the three market piles on the central board. It’s little things like this that make me pause and think about why I enjoy Zoo On more than I thought I would.
Once the game gets moving, though, building out your tableau becomes a lot of fun. In enclosures that can house up to 2 animals, it’s important to make sure that each is fed – that said, while single-enclosure animals can earn you a lot of points, enclosures that hold multiple animals can stack you up points really quickly as you can earn more points for less work.
Ultimately, though, this all does come down to card draw. If you get the cards you need, then playing Zoo On can be a really pleasant experience; have bad cards, and this game can quickly become a drag. That said, the ability to use a turn to discard cards to draw back up is a good way to try and get what you need, but it does come at the cost of a turn. I do find the family version a bit to basic as well – without those additional action cards shuffled into the deck, the game can be VERY predictable. It’s great for kids just getting started in board games, but won’t be much fun for adults around the table. And I think this game is just a bit too hard for kids to setup and play on their own.
If your kids can manage it, I would move to the advanced version of the game as soon as possible, as it provides more opportunities for success even when things aren’t going as planned. Either way, Zoo On has a few neat ideas that I really enjoy, and since it plays up to 6 players AND is pretty quick, it’s one that will stick around!
Article By Adam
