PARKS: Wildlife [Micro]

What's Eric Playing?

Jan 9

Base price: $20.
1 - 5 players.
Play time: 40 - 70 minutes.
BGG | Board Game Atlas
Buy on Amazon (via What's Eric Playing?)
Logged plays: 4

Full disclosure: A review copy of PARKS: Wildlife was provided by Keymaster Games.

I'm trying my hand at an even-more compact review format, more as a curiosity than anything else. I think there's going to be mixed feedback, just because we're saying goodbye to the Pros, Mehs, and Cons and the Strategy sections (which I do already kind of miss), but I'm intrigued to see if there are games that I can cover with this format that I couldn't have previously. Plus, I'm looking at the smallest PARKS game today so it makes sense that I provide it my smallest review. I'm ... mostly joking, but please bear with me during this interesting transition time. Besides, I've written at length about PARKS and PARKS: Nightfall, so if you're already reading this, you're hopefully a bit familiar with the series as a whole. The Micro Reviews are new, and they'll be popping up at their own cadence as I take care of other tasks around the house. 2023 is going to be a big year for me in more ways than one, and we must adapt, as well. In the meantime, let's take a relaxing stroll through the various American National Parks, and see what PARKS: Wildlife has to offer!

In PARKS: Wildlife, you once again return to hiking the trails of our National Parks to see what you can find. And while you've survived the full day / night cycle and the changing seasons, this time, you're on the lookout for some wild animals! These sightings are represented by a new Bison token that moves between various in-play PARKS Cards over the course of the game to try and make visiting that specific Park easier. Additionally, there are new Gear Cards, new Canteen Cards, new Season Cards, and even new Trail tiles in play to help you figure out how to forge your own path! This means that there will be plenty to try every time you try a new game, and, of course, there are even more new PARKS Cards to try and claim so that you can outscore your opponents. Some of these will use some new techniques you might have seen in PARKS: Nightfall, like Instant Effects, but others add a new Wildlife Token cost that will force you to make sure you keep a couple in reserve so that you can pick them up. With even more to do, will you be able to see it all?