In The Footsteps of Darwin Components Overview and Impressions
Far to often, board games that we may classify as simpler experiences often get sub-par productions. I understand why – I think the less a game is for hardcore gamers, the more likely the production quality doesn’t matter as much. In the Footsteps of Darwin is a fairly simple board game experience, but the design team has done a fantastic job making this feel like a very premium experience. Even my kids were impressed by the quality of this product. Let’s take a look!
Off the top, I generally dislike when companies provide extra fluff in the box that doesn’t really add anything to the core gameplay. This goes for lore books, history books, etc. For some reason, though, I always make an exception when it comes to animals, and so I was thrilled that an Appendix of animals was included. This appendix included some historical journal entries, Latin names for animals, and so much more. I always worry about what added cost these additions pass along to consumers, but In the Footsteps of Darwin is very reasonably priced so I don’t have a ton of concerns here.
There is a ton of cardboard in the box for this game, and thankfully it all punches from the punchboard with ease. Sometimes the cardboard just doesn’t punch quite like you want and pieces risk tearing, but that did not happen here. I love the the cardboard tokens are shaped, something not everyone is doing yet in 2025. Book tokens look like book tokens, compass tokens like compasses, etc. The colours are really nice as well, and the details on the animals tiles are phenomenal.
This gorgeous artwork and design carries over to the central board as well. As we say often, I love when boards offer spaces for tiles, as opposed to placing them off to the side. Dedicated spaces for pieces makes setting up and cleaning up board games so much easier and much more enjoyable. Player boards also have fantastic artwork to make them look like little books when closed. There are places for all your components as well, which I love!
There isn’t much to complain about here. The small little baggie included is nicely stitched, and I don’t have a ton of concerns about it’s longevity. It could have been just a little bigger, but it’s not a huge problem. Overall, this is easily an A+ production!
Article By Adam
