- Publisher : Matagot
- Designer(s) : Scott Almes
- Artist(s) : Crocotame
- Players : 1–5
- Playing time : 60 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.43
What's this?
In this cooperative game, you play as a team of Rangers tasked with protecting a nature park . Your mission: explore the map, observe and record animals , and complete missions before time runs out… or the park will be closed permanently.
How do you play?
Each round takes place in three main phases .
1. Refueling Phase (Communication prohibited)
Each Ranger draws 4 supply cards . The twist? You can’t keep your own cards. You must distribute them to your left and right neighbors as fairly as possible, without speaking .
2. Action Phase (Communication authorized)
Once the cards are dealt, the Rangers can finally discuss and optimize their moves . On your turn, you can perform several actions:
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Moving around: Using the map icons (shoes, ice axe, canoe, etc.) to navigate the trails .
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Registering an animal: If you are in the correct area and have the corresponding card, you collect the Animal token .
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Support Action: You can ask another Ranger to use their “Support Token” to benefit from a wildcard move .
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Reactivate your support: By discarding cards
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totaling at least 4 icons
The Missions and the Victory
To win, you must complete all your Regular Missions (reach specific locations marked by your flags) and count all the animals in the park .
Here is a detailed description of the specific features of each level:
Level 1: Discovery
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Objective: This is the introductory level where you learn the basics of cooperation, movement and counting of animals .
Level 2: The Obstacles
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New feature: Introduction of Blocker tokens .
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Mechanics: At the end of each round, blockers are placed on the roads corresponding to the uncompleted missions, making some paths impassable .
Level 3: Special Missions
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New feature: Special Missions and Power Tiles have been introduced.
Level 4: The Race to Success
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New feature: Introduction of Success tokens and the Rest action
Level 5: The Ultimate Altitude
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New feature: Introduction of weather maps .
Is it good?
The Peak Team offers a fairly accessible cooperative experience in its first two levels. Its core card-exchange mechanic, combined with limited communication where you have to anticipate each other’s needs without being able to say a word, works well and creates interesting tension, even if some choices may sometimes seem quite obvious.
The game’s greatest strength lies in its progression curve . You start with a simple hike at level 1, before gradually encountering blocked roads, special missions, power tiles, and even weather effects up to level 5. These successive additions introduce true modularity , effectively renewing each game.
Mechanically, the game remains intentionally simple: you spend most of the game optimizing your movements , managing your hand of cards, and completing personal missions at the right time. This simplicity makes the game smooth and easy to learn, even for less experienced players.
Cooperation plays a crucial role here. You will primarily need to use the Animal and Support tokens from other players , as well as the cards received at the start of each round. No cards are carried over from one round to the next, which reinforces the importance of teamwork and forces collective thinking each round.
On the downside, the game suffers from an element of chance linked to the cards , which can sometimes limit your actions and give the impression that you can’t do much on your turn. Furthermore, while its modularity is a real strength, the accumulation of constraints at higher levels can be unforgiving when the right cards don’t appear at the right time. Over time, the core mechanic can also become somewhat repetitive after several games.
Finally, the material is of good quality, with beautiful illustrations .
Despite these minor limitations, The Peak Team remains an enjoyable and progressive cooperative game. Thanks to its five difficulty levels, it offers a challenge suitable for both casual players and fans of more demanding cooperative games, who will enjoy donning the Ranger’s uniform.
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The Peak Team review
Positives
- Essential cooperation
- The progression through levels is very well thought out.
- Good modularity that renews the parts
- Quality materials
Negatives
- The luck of the draw can sometimes be frustrating.
- The core mechanics are a bit repetitive.
- High levels can be very punishing depending on the draw.
