Description
Aqua (originally Aqua: Biodiversity in the Oceans) is a family tile placement game about the biodiversity of the oceans. Each player starts with a hotspot, around which their coral reef grows over 17 rounds. The corals give a home to small sea creatures, and the right mix of small animals also attracts the large ones.
How to play Aqua
On your turn, you take a coral tile from the shared market and place it so that at least one of its sides touches a coral of the same colour. When three corals of the same colour form a hexagon, a habitat is created, and you immediately place a small animal of that colour on it. Once you have enough different small animals together, you can place a large animal on top of them.
Instead of taking a turn, you can take the sea snail token: you play last in this round and choose first in the next one. After 17 rounds, you score points for large animals, small animals, reefs and six ecosystems, each with its own conditions. The player with the most points wins.
Why you will like it
- Every tile is a small puzzle: which way to turn it to close a hexagon.
- The six ecosystems give different scoring conditions in every game.
- A family variant without reefs and ecosystems makes the first games easier.
- An advanced variant with 18 additional ecosystems, a solo mode and 50 achievements for long-term play.
Who is Aqua for
It plays with one to four players aged 8 and up, and a game lasts 30 to 45 minutes. The rules are moderately easy, and players like it best with two. There is no text on the components, so it suits the whole family.
What you might not like
Everyone builds their own reef, and players only meet over the tile market and the large animals. It may not suit those who prefer games with a lot of direct conflict.
What's in the box
- 70 coral tiles
- 72 small animal tiles and 15 large animal tiles
- 24 ecosystem tiles and 4 starting tiles
- sea snail token
- score pad
- rulebook
