Simply awesome!

It's time to talk about Wondrous Creatures again! 🤩 I’m glad we had the chance to try it, as it is one of those games that really pushes the right buttons for me. Though it has many elements we’ve seen elsewhere before, and reading the rulebook almost feels familiar, there are quite a few fun layers on top to make things interesting. 😉

The most exciting part is definitely the 2-hex crew (worker) placement. While it is very simple in terms of what you do—you either gain a matching colored card or a resource—it also feels very new. And as you play more, you’ll discover even more potential in it. You see, as the game progresses, you’ll be able to evolve the island by placing new habitat tiles and thus shaping the available worker placement slots to your liking. Be careful, though—those newly pimped spots will be interesting for your opponents too! 😉

And that’s not all—while your crew is on the map, you have access to eggs and extra abilities on adjacent tiles, which you can collect or use by spending a butterfly net token. This extra layer adds another reason to carefully plan your placements.

Another highlight is how the game rewards you. Usually, when an action just provides me with flat points, I avoid taking it like the plague because such actions are simply boring. 😴 Here, it’s part of the fun, as you regularly get some bonuses from the victory point track too. 👌 Plus, the deck is full of completely unique cards, with only a few abilities appearing more than once—but even then, they have different costs, habitats, and artwork, so they never feel repetitive. There are countless possibilities to squeeze out just one last resource for that juicy combo you were planning!

Despite having plenty of interesting decisions, the game still feels relatively lightweight and smooth. There’s always something to think about or plan for, but it never becomes overwhelming. Even recharge turns, which in many games feel like a wasted action, are meaningful here, keeping you engaged throughout.

Overall, there is really nothing to complain about if you enjoy combo-tastic tableau building, beautiful artwork, and worker placement. 🥰