Lost Ruins of Arnak it was one of the first titles tested during the Spiel.digital 2020: it is a worker placement with different twists, designed by rookies Elwen e Min and published by CGE. The setting of the title is a kind of Indiana Jones in fantasy sauce: each player controls two archaeologists, which they will use on their turn to reach and explore hidden ruins and temples in the jungle. The two authors add a deck-building component to the mechanics of placing workers: it will be possible to enhance the deck supplied to each player (which provides the means of transport and some special actions) by purchasing new cards from the common market.
The tension is ensured thanks to the guardians: huge creatures guarding the archaeological sites, which you will need to defeat to avoid weighing down your deck with "fear" cards. Another interesting element is the track of the research, which will give access (if completed) to the main temple of the island, a source of several points but very expensive in terms of resources.
Lost Ruins of Arnak considerations after our test
Lost Ruins of Arnak we enjoyed it, the worker placement and deck-building aspects are well balanced in the game structure and make a nice combination. The interaction is always indirect but present at all times: both in the race to be the first to reach the bonuses of the research track, and in the exploration of new archaeological sites (with the attached raid of the only available gold idol) and above all in competition for the best cards available in the market.
The random component associated with the mechanics of the guardians, which can penalize or benefit the player in a way that is a little too casual, has displaced us a little. A game table is available on tabletopia, but only accessible from the spiel.digital website. The game can be pre-ordered from the website of CGE at a cost of € 59,95 directly from the publisher's website.
