“Caldera Park” is an upcoming board game from the minds of the German innovator duo Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling. The pair has once again partnered with publisher Deep Print Games, a team with proven track record, known for successful titles such as “Renature” and what could be considered the game’s predecessor, “Savannah Park.”
Caldera Park’s Theme and Setting
As a spiritual successor of “Savannah Park,” players who know the original title will find themselves on somewhat familiar ground, but there is more than meets the eye. The themes of both games might be similar – a nature park, ground terrains, hexagonal boxes, animal species – but “Caldera Park” offers entirely new gameplay mechanics and a whole new setting.
“Caldera Park” takes you to the wilderness of North America, home of many species of animals and terrain types – great mountain slopes, lush prairies and vast forests. You, the player, will have to carefully choose which areas to populate and still mind the weather.
Each player has to choose an animal species and a type of terrain, in order. They must then populate the chosen terrain type as completely as they possibly can. Your overall goal is to create the largest heard. Sounds simple enough, right?
Well, not exactly. This is only half the battle. Players need to keep in mind that their animals need to have fresh water supply where the “Watering Holes” mechanic comes in. If you can’t provide water to your heard – you get no points.
Players also have another challenge to be wary of – the “Bad Weather” mechanic that will roll in nature’s elements and your animals will flee from the area, which will once again affect your overall score. The game uses weather tokens to illustrate where nature strikes. The mechanic is unpredictable and adds a fun random element to the game and ensure excitement and replayability.
Each game is bound to feel different and unique, as there are different combinations with animals and terrains players can try out. The game ends after five rounds of play. Scoring is realized by growing the most valuable herds and by populating strategically-important areas.
When Can the Game Be Expected?
At this time, there is no official release date for “Caldera Park.” If the preview of the game is any indication, though, it’s destined for success. It follows the light-hearted family-friendly tone and theme of “Savannah Park,” and features beautiful illustrations by Annika Heller, the original artist in the predecessor board game, turning it into a very suitable choice for its target audience.
The price of the game is still unknown at this point in time, but considering it is a spiritual successor to “Savannah Park,” one could expect it to be around the €30-40 price range.