Nimalia

Nimalia is a delightful little game that offers a surprising amount of strategic depth for its compact size. The core gameplay is simple: draft cards with animal-filled biomes and place them strategically in your animal sanctuary. The catch? You have to cover at least one biome on each card, and your sanctuary can't grow beyond a 6x6 grid. This creates a constant tension between expanding your sanctuary and maximizing points, especially since the scoring objectives change each round.

I found Nimalia to be a nice mix of King Domino and Draftasaurus, as reviewers have mentioned. It shares the tile-laying and drafting elements of King Domino, but adds a layer of strategic complexity with the ever-changing objectives, much like Draftasaurus. It's a game you can easily teach and play with a group in under 30 minutes, making it great for casual game nights or taking on the go.

The artwork is incredibly charming, filled with adorable animals and colorful biomes. The pandas, as mentioned in one review, are a particular highlight. The game's mechanics are also quite clever, requiring players to balance short-term gains with long-term strategy.

While the instructions might require a bit of careful reading, as some reviewers noted, I found them to be clear and concise once I delved into them. The game also boasts a decent level of replayability due to the varying scoring objectives and the dynamic nature of the card drafting phase.

Overall, I highly recommend Nimalia to anyone looking for a quick, engaging, and visually appealing game with a healthy dose of strategic depth. It's a game that's perfect for a variety of players, from those new to board games to seasoned veterans.