- Publisher : Origames
- Designer(s) : Matthew O'Malley, Ben Rosset
- Artist(s) : Anh Le Art, Anita Osburn
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 60–75 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.91
What's this?
Each player embodies a scientist on a mission to find an extinct species on an island. The winner is the one who contributes the most to the expedition by obtaining the highest score.
How do you play?
➡️ Player Turns:
Players perform one of five possible actions:
Foot/Boat Survey: You explore one or more adjacent areas on the island to gather information about a specific species
Camera Trap: Place a trap to discover which animal is in a specific area.
Village Visit: Interact to obtain cards.
Locate Extinct Species: Declare where the extinct species is and identify two areas adjacent to its location.
➡️ Submit Observations: Observations can be submitted during specific observation phases triggered by the Expedition Leader token moving on the Time track.
➡️ Time Track Mechanics:
Each action has a cost in time units. The player token advances on the track according to this cost. The order of turns is determined by the position on the Time track, with the player in last position playing first.
➡️ Using the application:
It allows you to confirm observations, obtain information, or validate the location of a species.
➡️ Animals and Zones
Each animal (loris, cuscus, toad, python) follows specific logical rules on their location.
End of game: triggered as soon as a player correctly locates the missing species.
Is it good?
“The Search for Lost Species” is an excellent choice for fans of deduction games. A sequel to the highly acclaimed “In Search of Planet X”, this new title takes up the tried and tested mechanics while adding new facets.
In this game, you play as scientists in search of an extinct animal species. Victory is not limited to simple discovery: several strategies are available to you. You can score points by correctly identifying the species, optimizing your observations or collecting victory cards. These cards not only give you points at the end of the game, but also tactical advantages throughout the game.
The application, very intuitive, perfectly accompanies the progress of the game. And good news for eco-responsible people: the game is completely plastic-free!
Thanks to a multitude of scenarios, species to discover and difficulty levels, replayability is guaranteed. “The Search for Lost Species” will appeal to players looking for intellectual challenges, all wrapped up in an original and current theme.
By supporting the site, buy the game through my affiliate links. The price remains the same for you, but it allows me to continue to offer you quality free content:
Review The Search for Lost Species
Positives
- A very good deduction game
- Eco-friendly material
- Intuitive application
- A great replay value
- A pleasant theme
Negatives
- Games can be long
- Not suitable for all players
- Lack of originality if you have In Search of Planet X
Breakdown
- Components and illustrations 9.5
- Mechanics 8.0
- Thematic 8.0
- Replayability 9.0
- Handling 8.0
- Interaction 7.5
- Originality 6.0
