Dinosaur World

Designer: Brian Lewis, David McGregor, Marissa Misura
Artist: Kwanchai Moriya, Joe Shawcross, Andrew Thompson
Published: 2021
Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 60-120 Mins
BGG Rating: 7.4
BGG Ranking: 909
Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
Mechanisms: Dice Rolling, Tile Placement, Worker Placement
Sleeves: TCG 63,5x88mm, MEU 45x68mm

Game Description:

The triumph of science that led to dinosaurs returning to the world once more has become public knowledge. New parks spring up regularly, often beginning operations even before everything has been finalized. There is no shortage of patrons eager to be entertained by these returned species in new and exciting ways. However, as with any form of entertainment, elements of triumph are often accompanied by elements of tragedy. This means it is of the utmost importance that you take every precaution by ensuring each visitor signs the safety waiver before enjoying the wonders of Dinosaur World!

Quick play overview:

During the 4 rounds players try to collect most victory points by constructing dinosaur fences that will hold the big reptiles, attractions for visitors to spend money in and taking care that security is strong enough to limit the amount of visitors that get eaten each day.

Players first draft a RESUME card which will provide them with different workers for this round.

Then they start to spend workers on the PUBLIC actions which will grant them new fences,  attractions and DNA for new dinosaurs.

Once all players decided to pass on public actions,  they will simultaneously spend more workers on their private actions in their parks to improve the park.

As the last action all players will drive their jeeps through the park to gather excitement (that will bring money) and spend the last workers in the special buildings that will offer special actions/discounts/upgrades.

Final thoughts:

I love this game. It's visually appealing and the gameplay is robust. The game is long but it it's not boring for a single minute. The mechanics are easy to understand and make sense in the big picture. Players fight for resources and tiles. Timing is very imporant as most players fight for the same resources even if they are following a different strategy to victory.

SCORE:

Gameplay: 10/10

Timing your moves to get the needed resources and the needed tiles is such a pain… but the feeling, when you manage to get all the planned items, is amazing. Even if your opponents steal »your« tile, the game will offer you some other options that will push you down a different road.

Art & Graphic Design: 10/10

The art is amazing. Park looks beautiful once the game is finished and the dinosaur meeples look great wandering around in their fences.

Graphic Design is top notch. The icons are large enough for you to ready them. I didn't need to check any rulebooks or player aids.

Rules & Complexity: 10/10

There is a lot of rules… but there is also a lot of game here 😊 Rules are clear and once you learn how to play the game, the flow of the game is not interupted by any strange rules. Everything makes sense.

The game is complex. Do not teach this to a non-gamer that loves dinosaurs.. nobody will have fun. But for gamers, the complexity is perfect for the length of the game. You always have something to do and the complexity comes from the good choices, not from nonsensical rules.

Theme: 10/10

I'm not the biggest dinosaur fan but creating your own park and populate it with different dinosaurs.. what more can the kid inside me want? 😊 The theme comes through your every move.. from gathering different workers to building attractions and to visit them with your jeep to gather the excitement/points.

Fun & Replayability: 10/10

There was never a moment when I checked my phone or watch.. the game grabbed me at the start and didn't let me go till the last turn was over. I would even dare to say that the last turn came too quickly.. I would love to get some more dinos into the park 😊

While playing I saw a lot of attractions that I would love to build in my park in the next play. Available tiles will push you into different strategies and make your games replayable over and over again.
If you play it »too much« then there are expansions that will give you even more options.

FINAL SCORE: 10/10