Dominant Species: The Global Ocean
Dominant Species: The Global Ocean — this is truly an exemplary hybrid of complex euro-strategy with a unique action selection mechanic and territory control gameplay, featuring extremely intensified and dense interaction between players on a prehistoric battlefield.
Dominant Species: The Global Ocean: a bit more about the game
More than 60 million years ago, dinosaurs still dominated the land, but in the world ocean, a full-scale struggle for a place under the sun had already unfolded among various species of animals.
Each player represents one of four prehistoric classes of animals (reptiles, fish, cephalopods, or crustaceans), for which they will choose a unique starting property. In essence, you are managing a new faction each time with its own special token that changes the rules of the game for you. Thanks to this asymmetry of sides and a wide variety of abilities, games will not be alike, and you will definitely want to experience all these properties personally.
During the game, you will manage an entire population of species, explore the planet's surface, and settle in the territory of the vast ocean in search of new food sources. But this game was released by GMT — the main publishers of war games in the world! Opponents do not sleep and also want to grab their piece of the pie. Direct confrontations between players happen constantly — the game follows the principle of "either you or me". Capture new territories, destroy opponent species, or starve them by reducing their available food sources — all means are fair in survival!
And, of course, the main strategic highlight of the game is the unusual action selection mechanic — let’s not forget that this is also a euro game with worker placement. There are a total of twelve possible actions, and the lower they are positioned on the table, the more powerful and attractive they are. The only downside is that if you start from the back, it will take you a while to return — you'll have to waste a turn to retrieve all your tokens and start over.
Think wisely about all your moves and take the tastiest actions on the principle of "the first come, the first served." But remember, the cost of an error in this game is extremely high — one careless decision can put your species on the brink of extinction!
Before the start of the game, each player takes one of the available classes of animals and chooses one of three random properties for it. All of them are unique — each has a significant impact on the gameplay and sometimes even alters the rules. Moreover, you won't be able to try all the properties even after a dozen games!
The turn structure is quite simple: the player must perform one of the available actions that are arranged in a specific order on the board, or skip their turn to retrieve all their tokens back. By placing your marker in the section of a certain action, you will not be able to choose an action located higher on the table in the next turn — either the same (if free spaces remain to the right of your marker) or an action located lower.
This system introduces a gigantic tactical layer in the game not only for planning your moves in advance but also for anticipating your opponents' moves, as often one placed marker can completely sabotage your immediate plans!
By performing actions, you will open new territories on the planet's surface and settle in them, increase the population of your species, upgrade your class of animals, add new food sources, and of course, fight for the most advantageous areas. And this is far from all the possibilities in the game! Unpredictable events and powerful evolution cards can change the balance of power on the field in an instant — you must constantly keep your finger on the pulse and watch your opponents.
The game ends with a grand shift of epochs on Earth. When an asteroid strikes the planet (by the forces of one of the players), participants finish the current round and count victory points. Throughout the game, you will earn main points for controlling territories with your species, discovering new terrain tiles and thermal springs, for the effects of evolution cards, your class property, and for various bonuses and events.
Dominant Species: The Global Ocean — is a complex, almost hardcore euro game with worker placement and territory control with direct and even aggressive interaction. A very unusual blend of mechanics that spirit resembles military conflict — only lasting millions of years of evolution!
Number of players: 2–4.
Game duration: from 90 to 150 minutes.
