Sanctuary – The Little Ark Nova We Didn’t Know We Needed?

Sanctuary: An Ark Nova Game is a standalone title that picks up the familiar way of choosing actions and the animal-focused engine-building from Ark Nova, but puts it into a quicker, more puzzle-like format. It feels a bit like Ark Nova decided to go on a weekend trip: still doing all the things it likes, just in a smaller space and at a faster pace. You’re still building a zoo, timing your actions, and moving your little engine along, but now everything happens on a compact grid where every placement feels a bit more immediate. It’s easy to get into and still gives you those small satisfying moments when everything lines up nicely.

👥 1-5 players, ages 12+
⌛ Playing time: 20 minutes/player
📝 Designer: Mathias Wigge
🎨 Artwork: Dennis Lohausen, Christof Tisch & Felix Wermke

🏢 Publisher: White Goblin Games (Dutch version, review copy provided) Originally published by Feuerland Spiele.

Gameplay Overview

Each player builds their own zoo map by drafting tiles, placing animals and buildings, completing projects, and supporting conservation objectives. The flow is very straightforward. You take a tile, you perform an action, and off you go. You’ll notice that half the game is simply choosing which thing to do first, because the order you take actions in can really shape your next few turns.

Your turn starts by taking one tile from the display. How far into the display you can reach depends on the position of your projects action card. If the arrow points to a low number, you can only pick from the early slots. Higher numbers give you more options. This part of your turn never moves the projects card. This range rule applies only to this moment. Any tiles gained through effects or placement bonuses ignore the restriction completely.

Once you have drafted your tile, you choose one of your four action cards and use one of the two actions printed on it. The action strength depends on where the card sits. Cards further to the right are stronger. Once you use one, it slides all the way to the left and everything to its left shifts right. If an action is upgraded, it becomes stronger and sometimes allows extra things, like playing two animals in one go.

Your action will either gain tiles or let you play them. Gaining tiles means either drawing from the pile or taking from the display, depending on the card you chose. Playing tiles allows you to add an animal or a project from your hand to your zoo map, as long as the strength of the action is at least as high as the level of the tile. Animals need to be played with the matching habitat card unless they are marked as habitat undefined. Both animals and projects can trigger one-time effects, ongoing abilities, or placement bonuses, and you can resolve them in whichever order feels best. Some tiles need extra space. For these you place face-down tiles next to them as open areas. And if you manage to place the male and female versions of the same species next to each other, you immediately gain a conservation marker.

During your turn, you may also place one building tile, as long as you meet the placement conditions. Buildings must be placed on an empty space next to your entrance or an existing tile, and they can also trigger effects or bonuses. This step is optional and completely separate from the action you chose earlier.

Once per turn, you can support a conservation objective. Five of these are revealed at the start of the game. To support one, you count the icons in your zoo and you may return conservation markers to increase that count. You then place an unused achievement marker under that objective. Each objective can only be supported once per player.

You can also upgrade your action cards. Each player has four upgrade markers and each one is linked to a specific in-game condition, like supporting an objective, having several projects, connecting multiple tiles of a habitat, or collecting different animal classes. When you meet one of these conditions, you may flip an unupgraded action card to its stronger side. This improves its strength for the rest of the game.

At the end of your turn there is a bit of administration. If you have more than six tiles in hand, you discard down to six. You slide the remaining tiles in the display down to fill the gaps and reveal new ones until there are six again. Then you check whether any endgame condition has been met. The game ends if a player has placed all four achievement markers, if someone completely fills their zoo map, or if the tile pile is empty. If any of these conditions are met, the game moves into its final round.

When the game ends, everyone adds up their points. You score the printed values on animals, buildings, projects, and open areas. Then you add the points from your achievement markers, any remaining pouch and conservation markers, and any end-game bonus markers you picked up. The player with the highest score wins.

Gameplay and Flow

Once you settle into Sanctuary, it becomes clear pretty quickly that it’s not just Ark Nova squeezed into a smaller box. Sure, it uses the same icons and the same general idea of choosing actions, but the whole thing leans much more towards a tactical puzzle. You’re reacting to what’s in front of you, not building some giant plan that spans half the game. And honestly, that’s where it finds its own identity.

The action cards cycle faster than in Ark Nova, which means you’re often planning just one or two turns ahead. Let’s face it, that’s really all the game expects from you. Your board isn’t very big, the tile market changes quickly, and you don’t get the same breathing room to prepare elaborate combos. This doesn’t make it shallow. It just means the game rewards small, sensible decisions rather than long-term plans.

Tile placement is the real backbone here. Every tile either helps you, or creates a small problem later, or sometimes both. Some animals need an open area, some want certain habitats around them, and buildings come with their own placement rules. To be fair, there’s not a lot of space to waste. One tile slightly off can force you into space problems a few turns later. Part of the fun is trying to make it all fit without giving yourself a headache.

Even though some parts might look familiar to Ark Nova players, the game has a different flow. Turns are short and the table keeps moving. Someone takes a tile, plays it, shifts a card, and suddenly it’s your turn again. It has that “oh, it’s me already” feeling, which is something I appreciate in games that still give you meaningful decisions.

Strategy and Luck

Sanctuary sits firmly in the tactical corner. You can try to aim for certain icons or synergies, but the display doesn’t always cooperate. If you wait too long for the perfect tile, you might never get it. We’ve all been there, staring at the row hoping for one symbol, and it simply doesn’t show up.

The luck is definitely noticeable, especially when you’re trying to build a scoring chain. You can stretch your reach with some effects, but you never fully control what turns up. The trick is learning when to let go of a plan and when to commit. The best turns usually come from making the most of what’s available, not from forcing something that doesn’t want to happen.

Compared to Ark Nova, Sanctuary asks you to adjust more often. You don’t have giant engines to rely on here. You have small choices that gradually add up. If you enjoy adapting on the fly, the game feels smooth. If you really prefer long-term strategy, this might feel a bit too swingy at times.

Player Interaction

Interaction is present, but let’s be honest, it’s very light. Most of what you do happens on your own board. You’re arranging tiles, lining up effects, and trying to make space for the next thing. The shared display is the main place where you bump into each other. Sometimes you pick a tile partly because you want it, and partly because you really don’t want your neighbour to get it. It’s polite, but it’s still a tiny bit evil in a friendly way.

There’s no blocking on boards, and even though the objectives are shared, they aren’t contested, so you never fight over them. If you’re looking for tension between players, Sanctuary won’t give you much of that. The main form of pressure is pacing. If someone pushes hard toward finishing their objectives or filling their map, the end can come earlier than you expect. It’s a soft form of interaction, but it’s enough to keep you looking around the table from time to time.

Theme and Atmosphere

Sanctuary keeps the conservation flavour from Ark Nova, but the tone is lighter and more relaxed. The animal photography gives your board a pleasant look as it fills up. By mid-game it starts to feel like a colourful collection of habitats and species, not just a pile of icons.

The theme mostly supports the gameplay rather than telling stories. Buildings, projects and specialists bring a bit of context, but the real visual appeal is simply watching your sanctuary fill up. It’s not an immersive adventure, but it’s cosy and it looks good as it grows.

The atmosphere mostly comes from the board turning into a patchwork of animals and habitats. It’s simple, but it works.

Components and Art

Sanctuary looks nice once everything is on the table. The boards start quite neutral, but as soon as tiles land, the game brightens up a lot. The animal tiles are clear, colourful and easy to read. They give the whole table a friendly look, almost like a photo album of animals that slowly builds up during the game.

Buildings and projects are more functional visually, which fits their role. They have lots of icons, and they’re easy to process quickly.

The tile holders are great. Nothing flashy, but they do exactly what you want them to do. They keep your tiles upright, tidy and easy to see.

The icon system is consistent and readable. Colours are used sensibly, and the boards avoid clutter. When the late game gets crowded it can look a bit busy, but never confusing.

Pacing and Replayability

The pace of Sanctuary is steady from the start. Turns are short and you rarely wait long for your next move. There are no heavy decision moments that slow the table down. It’s a game that happily keeps rolling forward.

The end can arrive faster than you expect, especially once players know what they’re doing. If someone pushes hard on objectives or map coverage, the game can close before you’ve had time to show off your perfect final combo. It’s part of the game, although I’ll admit the first time it happens you might look up and think “wait, now already?”

Replayability comes from how the tiles appear and how your map develops. The framework is always the same, but your board never grows in exactly the same way. It’s not endlessly variable, but it’s interesting enough that you can play it again without feeling like you’re repeating yourself.

Accessibility and Complexity

Despite the busy table, Sanctuary is very easy to teach. The 12-plus rating feels accurate. The rules are lighter than Ark Nova, and the turn structure is so consistent that people usually understand it after just a few turns.

Playtime is very stable. The twenty minutes per player estimate has matched our games almost perfectly. There’s not much downtime, and it’s rare that someone gets stuck thinking for ages.

The rulebook is excellent. It’s clear, full of examples, and very easy to navigate. The separate glossary is a big help, especially for icon details, and every player gets a small aid that shows the turn structure and the meaning of placement bonuses. It makes the learning process smooth and avoids constant rulebook hunts.

Final Thoughts

For us, Sanctuary has grown into one of those games where the more you understand it, the more you start noticing the little patterns. It’s not just Ark Nova light, but it has its own thing going on. You’re making small decisions, shaping your board as you go, and trying to keep up with the pace of the table.

What might surprise some players is how quickly the game expects you to adapt. The tile market doesn’t care about your long-term dreams, and if you wait too long for the perfect symbol, the game simply moves on without you. Once you accept that, the puzzle becomes really enjoyable. It’s about turning decent situations into good ones, not forcing ideal scenarios that rarely happen.

Luck plays a role, of course, but there are enough tools to make the best of what you draw. After a few games you start valuing flexible tiles much more than the flashy ones that rely on perfect timing.

Interaction stays light, and that won’t be for everyone. Sanctuary is a puzzle that happens to take place next to other people. If you need heavy tension or blocking, this won’t scratch that itch. But if you like working on your own little sanctuary while keeping half an eye on the display, it fits beautifully.

For players who enjoy tactical puzzles, spatial decisions and adapting on the go, Sanctuary might hit a sweet spot. If you like Ark Nova and want something quicker that still feels thoughtful, this is an easy recommendation. And if you’ve never touched Ark Nova at all, Sanctuary stands perfectly well on its own two feet.

📝 We received a review copy of Dierenrijk, the Dutch edition of Sanctuary, from White Goblin Games.