- Publisher : ThunderGryph Games
- Designer(s) : Simone Luciani, Nestore Mangone
- Artist(s) : Paolo Voto
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 60–120 Min
- Weight BGG : 3.86
What's this?
Darwin’s Journey is a worker-placed euro game in which players recall the memories of Charles Darwin during his adventure in the Galapagos Islands, which contributed to the development of his theory of evolution.
With the game’s innovative worker progression system, each worker will have to study the disciplines that are prerequisites for performing several in-game actions, such as exploring, matching, collecting and sending directories found on the island towards museums in order to contribute to human knowledge in biology. The game lasts five rounds, and with several short- and long-term objectives, each action you take will grant you victory points in different ways.
How do you play?
At the start of each round, you will improve your deck by adding new cards. Then, during the duel against your opponent, you will try to obtain the highest value to win the trick.
During the duel, if the opponent wins the trick, you will have to place your card on your “bench”, limited to 6 places. When it is filled or your deck of cards is exhausted, you have lost the round.
If you win, you will win the round trophy with victory points called “fans”.
The two finalists will be the ones with the most fans, requiring strategy to build your deck with cards with timely powers.
Is it good?
When I discover that a new game is signed Simone Luciani, the desire is immediate! Whether it is Barrage, Tzolk’in, Grand Austria Hotel, Marco Polo’s Journey, Newton, Lorenzo, or the recent Tiletum, each time, I am satisfied. Darwin’s Journey is no exception to this rule, I am simply enthusiastic!
The exploration aspect of the islands to find new specimens and establish camps reminds me slightly of Newton. The advancement of the Beagle and the penalties associated with the end of each round evoke the countdowns of Barrage.
The mechanisms linked to stamps, majorities, sending specimens to the museum, the evolution track, the gradual opening of actions during the game, the specialization of workers, and many others, form a set of fascinating mechanics.
However, the real reward lies in the combos; chaining three or even four consecutive actions is simply exhilarating! Setting up camp triggers a series of events that lead to a chain of events, creating real gaming enjoyment. 😋
This expert game is truly excellent, offering a wealth of choices, diverse strategies, and particularly captivating mechanics. Its link with the theme is also well thought out. With only five rounds to accomplish everything, the tension is constant.
The more I play it, the more my affection for this game grows. I can only recommend it to all fans of expert, tense games, and offering exceptional replayability!
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Review Darwin's Journey
Positives
- The combos!
- Super replayability
- All mechanics well established
- A rich, complex, tense game
Negatives
- Quite a few icons but after a few games it's okay!
Breakdown
- Components and illustrations 9.5
- Mechanics 9.0
- Theme 9.0
- Replayability 9.0
- Handling 8.5
- Interaction 8.5
- Originality 9.5
