Last modified February 6, 2026 by Jarjar

Overview
In SanctuaryYou will design a modern zoo. A set of 135 beautiful and unique tiles provides you with animals, buildings, and projects. In each game, you will need to find the best combination from those available to build the most successful zoological establishment. The different effects on the tiles will help you achieve your conservation goals and increase the attractiveness of your zoo.
Each player has a set of four action cards to manage their turn, and the power of an action is determined by the card's current position. One of these cards allows you to play projects, and the other three allow you to play animals from a specific habitat: forest, rock, or water.
Sanctuary is based on its predecessor Ark Nova, but elegantly modifies and simplifies many of that game's mechanics.

My first impressions
Unsurprisingly, the game features the same Ark Nova universe: the same icons, the construction of a zoo with animals, buildings, and conservation projects… But Sanctuary proves to be a more accessible, streamlined, and faster-paced game, while still appealing to experienced players. Indeed, it requires strong analytical skills to optimize choices, and identifying the most advantageous tile among those available isn't always straightforward.
Mechanically, Sanctuary remains quite simple: no resources to manage, players select their tiles and develop their zoos largely independently. The game is almost entirely solo, with very little direct interaction, aside from stealing a coveted tile from the shared river. Most often, you choose from one or two available tiles, hoping they will create interesting synergies with your existing tableau.

The tile draw is certainly random, and it will likely become repetitive in the long run (you're just placing tiles turn after turn). The action card system (strength based on position) sometimes makes you wait several turns to place a tile; ideally, you should upgrade your cards very quickly. There can be significant score differences if the tile draw isn't favorable. I was actually stuck for a few turns in my last game because nothing seemed to work with what I had in play. So there's little room for strategy; it's more of a game of opportunism., I would say.

For a very reasonable price, the game has many components, and they are all very well done—clearly an example for other publishers to follow! The tiles are large, and the symbols are easy to remember. You can play your first game and you'll remember all the symbols, especially if you've already played Ark Nova.
Some reviewers gave it low scores because they compared it to Ark Nova, but you should know that it's a different game. It's really about tile placement with optimization. To calculate the final score, you review each tile, a bit like in Cascadia, Harmonies, or Castle Combo.
We enjoyed this game here, but I'd recommend trying it before buying. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's still very well-made.

SOLO

A very simple mode, no AI to manage. At the end of each turn, before filling the shared river, you flip over a marker (18 in total) and discard the tile at the position indicated on that marker. This simulates an opponent taking tiles and also acts as a countdown timer (18 turns max).
Defeat: If you reveal the last Solo marker without triggering an end-game condition during that same turn, you lose.
Victory: If you fulfill one of the end-game conditions, you add 5 points for each unrevealed marker still face down.
Solo challenges are available for download on BGG hereThese challenges offer objectives such as "have four farm animals" or "have five buildings", adding variety beyond just scoring.
Note to publishers and authors: I love it when we see this kind of challenge; in fact, that's why I decided to buy it 😉
I started these challenges solo; they're quite quick to complete, and the challenges add extra constraints. It's a good puzzle!

TECHNICAL SHEET
Number of games played: 4 (solo, 3 and 4 players)
Best player configuration: 1-3
Price paid: CAD 77
Difficulty: Medium (BGG Complexity: 2.83/5)
My best score: 110

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I loved :
>> Satisfying tile placement puzzle: The 135 unique tiles create an interesting and unique challenge in every game.
>> Clear and well-explained rules: The manual is excellent with examples and game aids for each player.
>> Good for solo play, an interesting little twist with the challenges offered by BGG.
>> It's nice to see his tray gradually filling up with animals.
>> Abundant and good quality material, all the more remarkable considering the price.

I liked less:
>> In the long term, placing tiles to assemble symbols could become repetitive, with a slight feeling of always doing the same thing.
>> The illustration on the box looks rather dated, old-fashioned and a bit cheesy, it really doesn't catch the eye.
>> Reading the board is difficult, especially at the end of the game; you often miss an icon or an effect.
>> Very few interactions.

Sanctuary offers an enjoyable and accessible puzzle with streamlined rules, but the occasional frustrating element of randomness in tile drawing. The game provides a pleasant strategic optimization that requires thought, while remaining more accessible than Ark Nova, which some will consider a flaw or a strength depending on their expectations.

FUN FACTOR 🙂 🙂 🙂