Ark Nova is a tile-placement game about managing a zoo. Up to four people. It was designed by game designer Mathias Wigge and first published in 2021. Players balance animal habitats, visitor satisfaction, and park expansions while optimising their strategies for victory.
255 cards featuring animals, specialists, special enclosures, and conservation project. Each with a special ability, are at the heart of Ark Nova. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and collect conservation points.
At the heart of “Ark Nova” is the goal of scoring as many points as possible by placing animals, building enclosures and completing conservation projects. The player whose zoo has the highest combination of reputation and contribution to species conservation wins the game. This requires not only skilful management of cards and actions, but also strategic thinking and long-term planning.
The end of the Ark Nova is triggered when any one player’s conservation and appeal markers have crossed each other. After which all other players take one final turn. Conservation points and appeal from final scoring cards are then added to each player. A final score is then determined by subtracting the appeal points from the conservation points, with the player having the highest final score being determined the winner.
In March 2023, the publisher announced an intention to change the final scoring. Hence, conservation points and appeal would be added to determine the final score, and this is the scoring mechanism currently implemented on Board Game Arena.
