Wingspan

Wingspan has recently become one of my favorite games. It's a card game about building a so-called "engine" with birds, but you're not fighting other players directly. Instead, you're each competing to build the best environment for your birds while everyone plays at the same time, vying for cards, food, and bonuses to get more points. Each bird can be placed in one or more of three habitats, woodland, grassland, and wetland, each providing a different action, like gathering food, laying eggs, or drawing cards. Food is the primary cost to play most birds, while eggs work as both bonus points and a placement cost: you need to pay one or two eggs to get a bird onto the board. I could explain the mechanics further, but honestly? You only really get this game by playing it. It sounds daunting at first, but because you technically only do one of four possible actions per turn, the game flows incredibly naturally. On the nature side of things: the birds are depicted beautifully. Straight from the original physical card game, they pop off their cards with lifelike animations, moving wings, and accurate bird calls. The boards show a wonderful variety of landscapes and it all just feels alive. I especially recommend the Oceania DLC. It speeds up the game a bit and helps smooth out situations where bad luck can slow things down, making an already great game feel even better. With a handful of different ways to play, offline against solid AI or online with other players. I really recommend Wingspan if you’re looking for a near perfect, relaxing but deep card game.