Spectacular Game Review

Always Awesome Animals

I was first introduced to Spectacular at PAX U in 2024. The game was neatly laid out upstairs in the “First Look” section. For those not familiar, this area is an open gaming room where you can play the “hottest” games directly from SPIEL Essen and the Tokyo Game Show. The majority of these games aren’t yet in U.S. distribution, so it’s a great chance to preview what’s coming down the line.

As someone who has been aggressively playing Revive on Board Game Arena, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that one of the designers, Åsmund Svensson, had a hand in this lovely zoo-building game. Designed along with his brother Eilif Svensson and illustrated by Gjermund Bohne, Spectacular comes to the U.S. from Chilifox Games via Asmodee.

Let’s Build a Zoo

At first glance, the game looks like a mashup of Ark Nova and Castles of Burgundy. Don’t let that fool you—there’s a uniquely different spatial puzzle at hand here.

Players draft tiles and dice from both a rotating and personal supply to build out the most spectacular zoo. On a turn, players draft and then pass their offering board clockwise, keeping a keen eye on what…

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