Aquatica

Aquatica is a visually stunning engine builder that puts you in the role of an ocean king striving to conquer the underwater world. The game revolves around capturing locations, recruiting characters, and completing goals, all while using your hand of cards strategically to gain victory points. The clever use of the card-rising mechanic, where you slide cards deeper into a three-layered player board to represent exploring locations, is both intuitive and visually appealing.

I personally find Aquatica incredibly easy to learn, making it a great option for casual gamers or those looking for a quick and engaging experience. The artwork on the cards and box is absolutely breathtaking, further enhancing the game’s appeal. The 3D manta tokens are a nice touch, adding a tactile element to the game.

However, I do have some reservations. The card quality is a bit of a let-down, especially for the location cards which are quite flimsy. I felt the need to sleeve my character cards to prevent damage. The game also lacks depth, with limited character card variety. While the expansion addresses this, I still found myself wanting more variety.

Overall, I enjoy Aquatica for its simplicity and beautiful design. It's a great choice for those looking for an engine-building game with a quick setup and engaging mechanics. While I wish the card quality was better and there was more variety in the character cards, it remains a solid choice for my collection.