GARDEN TRILOGY Announced by Uchibacoya

For a few years, one of the few grail games on our list was AQUA GARDEN, designed by Totsuca Chuo and published by uchibacoya, a board game publisher from Japan. Known for its gorgeous little wooden pieces representing dozens of different sea creatures, and with charming art by Tatsuki Asano, AQUA GARDEN was a hit on crowdfunding back in 2021 but was tough to get in the States.

Thanks to my friend, Woody Hutsell from Hutchu Games, I was able to get a copy of the base game and all of the expansions. I’ve played it a dozen times since then, teaching AQUA GARDEN to friends at numerous cons around the country. (There is almost always a request to learn it since it it so tough to find).

AQUA GARDEN has a mechanic that the designer crafted as an homage to his experiences with HEAVEN & ALE, the classic game by Michael Kiesling and Andreas Schmidt about monks brewing beer. HEAVEN & ALE uses the “walking” mechanic (also seen in games like Tokaido) where players have to make tough choices about how far down the long path that their meeples will traverse during the round. Grab something close and have more turns? Or sneak ahead to get the best spot but have less actions this round? Life’s full of tough choices, iddn’t.

I love introducing AQUA GARDEN to other gamers, but it was also a pleasure to find out from the team at Uchibacoya that there is not only going to be a reprint for the game next month (in a second edition) but also the launch of two more companion games, SKY GARDEN and DINO GARDEN. Yes, our gardens are going to include birds and dinosaurs now.

Other than a few pictures of the game covers and components, we do not have a lot of information on the three games. We do know that they will be similar in weight to the original AQUA GARDEN, which is a light-middle weight euro (not quite as heavy as HEAVEN & ALE, which to me is a solid mid-weight euro). In fact, if you leave out the expansions / modules and hand-pick some of the easier creature combos, AQUA GARDEN is a game that can be played with almost any family member.

From the publisher’s press release:

Japanese board game publisher Uchibacoya has announced the upcoming launch of the Garden Trilogy, which includes the second edition of fan favorite Aqua Garden, along with two new standalone titles: Sky Garden and Dino Garden. Aqua Garden and its expansions have already won the hearts of over 30,000 players.

This trilogy features three medium-weight euro-style games themed around biological parks: an aquarium, an aviary, and a dinosaur park. While the games share a core ruleset, each offers a unique gameplay experience based on its theme. All three are fully standalone games, but when displayed together, their box art connects to form a panoramic illustration.

Each game will play from one to four players, with a playtime around 60-90 minutes, and will be both English and Japanese language editions. The kickstarter will launch on September 16, and you can click on the pre-launch page here for more information and to be notified when the campaign starts. Plus, there is a trailer you can watch to get a closer look:

The last things I wanted to highlight from the press release for anyone wanting even more information before the kickstarter launch are some short recaps from the publisher for each game:

Three Unique Experiences with a Shared System

Aqua Garden (Second Edition)

Manage your aquarium by carefully choosing fish for each tank, keeping tank size and oxygen levels in mind. Guide your employee and spend your funds wisely in this beloved strategy game. The original edition raised $652,449 from 6,896 backers.

Sky Garden (New Standalone Title)

Build your own aviary with lush habitats for your feathered friends to flock together. With unique systems for egg collection and area expansion featuring trees and lakes, the game balances thoughtful strategy with engaging interaction.

Dino Garden (New Standalone Title)

Operate a dinosaur park by managing the food chain between carnivores and herbivores. The most challenging of the trilogy, Dino Garden features an innovative pick-and-deliver system and high replayability, with different dinosaurs appearing in each playthrough.