The Best Wildlife Themed Games For Nature Lovers
There’s a lot to love about the world’s wildlife, from the megafauna of bears to glittering silver-scaled fish, the giants of the African plains to delicate and beautiful butterflies that live almost everywhere. Though not all of us have ample opportunity to get outdoors and experience nature as much as we’d like to.
If you’re an animal fan, here are some games that might appeal to you, which you can play if you’re transiting on long bus rides, stuck inside in isolation, or facing a long lock down as the result of a positive test.
Wildlife-Themed Slots
One genre of games that caters to the wildlife theme is the world of online casino slots. If you haven’t yet dipped your toe into the betting waters and want to, but dislike the idea of losing money, then these special promotions are ideal, as the best free spins bonuses enable players to try and win real cash with no deposit required. For newcomers, it’s the perfect way to explore gameplay mechanics and art styles, or even just to find out if casino slots are for you or something that doesn’t grab you.
Angling is one of the world’s top sports by participation, and wildlife fans who fancy fishy fun will want to give Big Bass Bonanza a look. This slot was developed by Pragmatic Play and features a basic 5 reel and 10 payline approach. Wild symbols are present, and these can cause retriggers with multipliers, with scatters granting free spins. Another highly popular wildlife-themed slot is Mega Moolah, by Microgaming. This game is ideal for safari enthusiasts and is most famous for its progressive jackpot slot (responsible for creating more millionaires than any other slot). If you dream of winning a life-changing sum of money, this may be the game for you.
Pragmatic Play have also created the popular Great Rhino Megaways slot, a 6 reel slot with up to 200,704 Megaways. A great feature is the Tumble mechanic, which means after any winning spin the relevant symbols vanish and new ones come in, allowing for another chance to win. This can repeat for as long as winning results occur. And when free spins are triggered players can choose whether to have 15 with a 1x multiplier, 10 with a 5x multiplier, or 5 with a 10x multiplier.
Mariposas – the Monarch Butterfly Game
One for the lepidopterists is Mariposas, a game that can take around an hour or so to play. It was created by Elizabeth Hargrave, and published by Alderac Entertainment Group. Between 2 and 5 people can play this board game at once, with the central theme being the epic migration of the monarch butterfly from central Mexico to North America. Accordingly, the game takes place over three seasons (spring in Mexico kicking things off), with differing types of flowers to feed on along the way. There are seasonal goals to satisfy, with the main aim being to get as many fourth-generation butterflies back to Mexico before the close of Autumn.
Cryptid – Zoological Mystery Game
Put together by Hal Duncan and Ruth Veevers, with illustrations by Kwanchai Moriya, Cryptid was published by Osprey Games. Designed for 3-5 players, games tend to take between half and one hour to complete. Each player is a cryptozoologist seeking the location of the eponymous Cryptid. Individual players each know something of where the beast might be found, however, they don’t know one another’s info at first. By a combination of educated guesswork and asking questions, players try to narrow down the possibilities of where their quarry might be. The first player to search for the Cryptid successfully is the victor.
Subnautica – the Underwater Computer Game
Available for multiple platforms, the Gearbox Publishing game Subnautica has proven a popular hit and sees players descend into an alien underwater world filled with beautiful caverns and exotic wildlife. Kelp forests and coral reefs provide a vibrant habitat for an array of animal life, some of which is a risk to the player, although some underwater denizens can prove helpful. It’s a game of survival and crafting, base construction, and exploration. And watch out for when night falls, and predators come out.
Salmon Run – the Fishy Life Game
Humans love fishing as do bears, and this is just one obstacle faced by the salmon during their life. Salmon Run is a game for 2-4 players as their salmon race upriver to return to their spawning grounds. Movement is the most common of cards, but players who move too far also earn themselves fatigue cards which can cost you down the line. Evading bears and leaping through waterfalls can also lead to fatigue. While playing cards to direct the bear towards rival salmon, and the eagle to rival hands, affect only one person, altering the current impacts everyone all at once. Salmon Run combines deckbuilding with a board game (hands being only 4 cards). It also rewards skill and involves little luck, but it’s not difficult to learn and is family-friendly.
That ends our little list of wildlife-themed games that are well worth a look regardless of what type of fauna is your particular favorite.
November 15, 2022
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