{"id":82006,"date":"2024-11-15T14:00:40","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T14:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/18.134.249.59\/?p=82006"},"modified":"2025-04-03T12:08:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T11:08:50","slug":"best-board-games-with-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated: 15\/11\/2024 – Two new entries added<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Animals have always made for a popular theme in board games, but did you know that not every game about animals is designed for younger players? Whilst some certainly are, some of the most complex and thoughtful games out there are actually based on cute, loveable critters.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll continue the work we started in our <\/span>Top 14 Dungeon Crawlers<\/span><\/i><\/a> article in order to bring you a list of the best animal themed games \u2014 but this time, I\u2019m going to rank them in order of complexity, beginning with the simplest and leading up to a couple that could even give Albert Einstein brain burn!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hey, That\u2019s My Fish!<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Hey, That\u2019s My Fish!<\/span><\/i> Is arguably the simplest game I\u2019ve ever played, with each player taking just one action per turn, which must be to move one of their penguins. When the penguin reaches its destination, the player will pick up the ice floe tile on which the penguin started (not where it began) and the fish shown on it will be added to their stash.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whoever has the most fish at the end of the game will win, but collecting fish is only part of the story \u2014 the real game here is found in blocking off sections of the map from the other players so that you can potentially claim the whole lot yourself. Any penguin that can\u2019t move will simply claim the tile it is on and then be removed from the game, and if one player is left to mop up a huge swathe of the fish tiles, then so be it!<\/span><\/p>\n

We play <\/span>Hey, That\u2019s My Fish! <\/span><\/i>with the whole family \u2014 including kids from ages three years and upwards. The rules are simple enough to explain to very young children, and whilst some of the nuances of play will be lost on them, they can still participate. For older players, <\/span>Hey, That\u2019s My Fish! <\/span><\/i>often becomes a pretty intense experience – especially when played head to head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chateau Roquefort<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

In Chateau Roquefort<\/em>, each player controls coloured mice and tries to collect as much cheese as possible. On their turn, players spend their actions to put new mice into play, reveal corridors in the castle, move their mice around, or push a tile into play. This changes the maze of cheese pieces underneath and can reveal traps, pitfalls and other obstacles.<\/p>\n

Only if a player is able to manipulate the corridors and move their mice so that two mice are standing on two cheese pieces of the same colour will that player be able to claim a cheese piece of that kind. The first player to have four pieces of cheese will win the game.<\/p>\n

What makes Chateau Roquefort\u00a0<\/em>fun is how tactile it is. With a box and insert that play a fundamental role in gameplay, there is a physical aspect to Chateau Roquefort\u00a0<\/em>that you don’t often see, and whilst this isn’t quite Mousetrap<\/em> levels of fun, it really does add to the experience. There is some fiddliness to Chateau Roquefort\u00a0<\/em>and it isn’t the cleverest game ever, but for young players and lots of laughs, it’s a winner.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Aqua: Biodiversity in the Oceans<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

You can read our recent review of <\/span>Aqua: Biodiversity in the Oceans <\/span><\/i>here<\/span><\/a>, but to cut to the chase, this is one of my favourite tile-placement games of the moment. Players draft a single tile each turn and then add it to their ecosystem, matching rhomboid shapes of the same colour with the hope of making a perfect hexagon \u2014 onto which an animal of the same colour will be placed.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the ecosystem builds out and more animals are added, players will score for those \u201csmall\u201d animals, but depending on how these animals are grouped together, a large animal may then be placed on top of the smaller ones \u2014 scoring both for the small and large animals. A further set of randomised endgame scoring tiles adds more spice, and the fact that there are 24 of these which can be randomised makes for a ton of replayability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Cascadia (with Landmarks expansion)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Widely regarded as one of the best abstract strategy games of recent years, 2021’s Cascadia<\/em> is a masterpiece of simplicity. On their turn, players simply choose a pair of one habitat tile and one animal token, and then add both to their tableau in whatever way suits them. The habitat tiles score additional points for expanding existing ecosystems, and each tile shows one or more animals who might live there – the animal token is placed on either the new tile or any existing one, where the animal matches the habitat.<\/p>\n

What makes Cascadia<\/em> so clever is the scoring, which is set by five sets of cards labelled A to E. Each set contains scoring criteria for the five animals in the game – bears, salmon, elk, foxes and eagles – and by placing animals in accordance with the requirements of the card, you’ll set yourself up for a big end game score. The different sets of cards add surprising amounts of variety without ever confusing the core mechanic, and Cascadia<\/em> is simply a joy to play.<\/p>\n

Adding to the base game and expanding upon it is 2023’s Cascadia Landmarks.\u00a0<\/em>This expansion adds support for five or six players and features loads more tiles and animals. Additionally, Cascadia Landmarks\u00a0<\/em>adds the titular landmarks – small tokens that can be added to habitats once they reach a certain size. Taking a landmark allows the player to choose a special scoring card to add even more options. Finally, Cascadia Landmarks\u00a0<\/em>adds scoring cards F to H, meaning that it offers several modules for players at all counts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Harmonies<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Coming out of absolutely nowhere to become a surprise hit,\u00a0Harmonies\u00a0<\/em>is another abstract placement game about putting animals in their correct habitats. The fact that it is both a physical release and available on BoardGameArena.com means that it is easy to learn and play virtually, but unbelievably lovely and tactile to play in person.<\/p>\n

Simply put,\u00a0Harmonies\u00a0<\/em>has players choosing groups of habitat tokens and then animal cards. The aim of the game is to place your habitat tokens in such a way that they can support the animals shown on the cards. Some animals have simple requirements – like water and grass next to each other – and these are relatively easy to fulfil. Others are much more complex, and can even require that habitat tokens be placed two or three stacks levels high.<\/p>\n

Harmonies\u00a0<\/em>is intuitive to learn and teach, fast to play and gives a real “just one more game” feel, especially when played between a small group of say two or three players. The animal cards feature really nice artwork, and as I mentioned earlier, the game itself is very tactile. Placing the habitat pieces and watching your board grow gives a lovely warm feeling and creates excellent table presence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

New York Zoo<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Famous for his straightforward tile-placement games, Uwe Rosenberg is a legendary designer that has without doubt cemented his place in board game history. <\/span>New York Zoo<\/span><\/i> takes classic Rosenberg mechanics such as a simple tile selection mechanism (in this case via movement around numerous stacks of tiles) and a simple point scoring overlay \u2014 represented here by animal selection and placement.<\/span><\/p>\n

New York Zoo <\/span><\/i>isn\u2019t complex to learn or play, and it has a natural flow that makes it quick to stick in the mind. On a turn, players will either choose a new animal enclosure or take up to two animals as determined by the space they choose. Animals can only go in enclosures with other identical animals, and so sometimes you\u2019ll be choosing between picking a great enclosure or choosing two animals that you really need.<\/span><\/p>\n

New York Zoo <\/span><\/i>looks absolutely fantastic and has wonderful wooden animal components and bright colours that will charm any player. Best played at two or three players and ideally with the same group (because familiarity leads to deeper strategy), <\/span>New York Zoo <\/span><\/i>is a fairly light, absolutely gorgeous game that has real cuteness and very solid gameplay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hutan: Life in the Rainforest<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Hutan\u00a0<\/em>the players will compete to create the most amazing rainforest ecosystem. The word “Hutan” literally translates as forest in Indonesian, and that’s the setting for this beautiful game. Designed by the popular duo of Asger Harding Granerud and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Daniel Skjold Pedersen (also responsible for\u00a0HEAT\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Flamme Rouge<\/a>)\u00a0<\/em>with artwork from legendary artist Vincent Dutrait,\u00a0Hutan\u00a0<\/em>uses simple mechanics and exceptional components to create real table presence.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hutan\u00a0<\/em>generally resolves around the selection of specific cards that are then used to place flowers of four colours onto the player boards. When a particular section of the board is full of flowers, trees spring up – metaphorically demonstrating the way in which forest ecosystems are reliant on everything from the ground up to the canopy. To further reinforce this point, complete ecosystems also attract native animals like the orangutan or jaguar.<\/p>\n

Hutan\u00a0<\/em>works because it has simple, easy to learn and teach mechanics that attract players of all ages, whilst<\/em> also offering impactful decisions. It looks absolutely incredible (like the other game from The OP on this list,\u00a0Aqua)\u00a0<\/em>and as with most games from this design team, the gameplay is really smooth and competitive. Overall, a really good game and a strong contender for one of the best all rounders on the list.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Takenoko<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Whilst still relatively straightforward, <\/span>Takenoko <\/span><\/i>offers a significant step up in complexity from <\/span>Hey, That\u2019s My Fish! <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>New York Zoo<\/span><\/i>, and definitely isn\u2019t a game for three-year-olds \u2014 even though the theme here is extremely cute and kid-friendly. The aim of the game here is to manage the demands of both a shared gardener and the resident panda, as the two compete to (respectively) cultivate and then devour bamboo of three different varieties.<\/span><\/p>\n

We reviewed <\/span>Takenoko<\/a> <\/span><\/i>in full a few years ago,<\/span>\u00a0and as Jupiter said in her write up, this is a well made, fun game that attracts people to it whenever it is presented as an option. The very cute and soft theme hides a somewhat complex game in terms of learning and teaching, but once you have spent a few hours with it and gone through a game or two, things do start to click and become second nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Parks<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Parks<\/span><\/i>, the players imagine themselves as hikers who will visit beautiful forests and mountain ranges in order to make incredible memories of vistas, animals and the other wonders of nature. The game takes place over a series of seasonal hikes, with each player controlling two hikers and using them strategically to collect different resource tokens that represent what they see along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

The game takes place over four separate hikes (one for each season) and the board is made up of several tiles that are shuffled and placed to represent the path. This ensures that resources are randomised, and with limits on how many hikers can occupy a space (unless they use a campfire) there is both strategic and tactical gameplay to consider.<\/span><\/p>\n

Players ultimately spend their resources on different cards that represent actual national parks, and one of <\/span>Parks <\/span><\/i>most popular features is the beautiful artwork it uses. With an expansion (<\/span>Nightfall<\/span><\/i>) already available, <\/span>Parks <\/span><\/i>offers a lot of content, lightish to midweight gameplay and artwork that prompts discussion around the table every game.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Everdell<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Once upon time, <\/span>Everdell <\/span><\/i>was in my <\/span>top five games of all time<\/span><\/a>, and whilst it may have slipped a little, this incredibly cute, animal-themed engine-building and worker placement game is still absolutely fantastic. Now expanded with several large additional modules and even a huge collectors edition big box, there\u2019s more content here than you\u2019ll ever need.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everdell <\/span><\/i>may look cute, but the complex, highly mathematical scoring makes it a complex game. For younger players. Thankfully, there\u2019s also a younger version (<\/span>My \u2018lil Everdell<\/span><\/i>) which we also reviewed, and which I can tell you for sure has been <\/span>well tested <\/span><\/a>on players around the age of four to five.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ark Nova<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

If I only counted digital games, then <\/span>Ark Nova<\/span><\/i> is probably my most played game of recent years \u2014 with around 100 plays on BoardGameArena. There\u2019s no doubt that <\/span>Ark Nova <\/span><\/i>is at the higher end of the complexity range, with medium to heavyweight eurogame mechanics built around variable-strength actions driven by five upgradeable cards.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Ark Nova <\/span><\/i>you\u2019ll build enclosures, add animals, play sponsor cards to strengthen your income or add other benefits, and then you\u2019ll expand your contacts through associations with universities or zoos in other countries. Scoring comes from both the appeal of your zoo and the amount of conservation points you have \u2014 with the game end being triggered when these two measures (which begin at opposite ends of the same track) cross over.<\/span><\/p>\n

An excellent game for exactly two players and a very good one for three or four, <\/span>Ark Nova <\/span><\/i>has rapidly climbed the ranks of BoardGameGeek to where it currently sits at the rank of four \u2014 making it undisputedly one of the finest games ever made. With real pictures of iconic animals and a proper \u201c<\/span>Zoo Tycoon<\/span><\/i>\u201d feel, <\/span>Ark Nova <\/span><\/i>is a truly remarkable game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Root\"<\/p>\n

Root<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Although it is now almost six years old, <\/span>Root <\/span><\/i>remains a pretty fresh experience since it is not a game that you can simply play one game after another of, and because each faction (including those in several expansions) plays like a completely standalone game. We reviewed <\/span>Root<\/a> <\/span><\/i>in full <\/span>here<\/span>, and it also ranked in my Top Ten Games of 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without doubt, <\/span>Root <\/span><\/i>is quite the enigma \u2014 it\u2019s a very complex game that is more akin to a wargame than a modern board game. Players each control a race of woodland folk \u2014 including the birds of the Eyrie, or the powerful Cat Dynasty \u2014 and their win condition will vary based on their own faction. This makes <\/span>Root <\/span><\/i>a nightmare to teach to more than one new player, but a very rewarding experience for those who stick with it.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Updated: 15\/11\/2024 – Two new entries added Animals have always made for a popular theme in board games, but did you know that not every game about animals is designed for younger players? Whilst some certainly are, some of the most complex and thoughtful games out there are actually based on cute, loveable critters.\u00a0 In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":82022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2983],"tags":[10427,10426,5701,10424,10423,10428,5821,6627,10425],"class_list":["post-82006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tabletop-features","tag-aqua","tag-ark-nova","tag-everdell","tag-hey","tag-new-york-zoo","tag-parks","tag-root","tag-takenoko","tag-thats-my-fish"],"yoast_head":"\nBest Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics! – Big Boss Battle (B3)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We put together a list of the best board games, all with animal themes and a cute look to them, and ability to draw in the whole family.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics! – Big Boss Battle (B3)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We put together a list of the best board games, all with animal themes and a cute look to them, and ability to draw in the whole family.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Big Boss Battle (B3)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BigBossBattleUK\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-15T14:00:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-03T11:08:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12103852\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matthew Smail\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BigBossBattleUK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BigBossBattleUK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Matthew Smail\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Matthew Smail\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f56b1fe689ae77d428efc01c5e4f1324\"},\"headline\":\"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics!\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-15T14:00:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-03T11:08:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2380,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/12103852\\\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Aqua\",\"Ark Nova\",\"Everdell\",\"Hey\",\"New York Zoo\",\"Parks\",\"Root\",\"Takenoko\",\"That's My Fish\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Tabletop Features\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/\",\"name\":\"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics! – Big Boss Battle (B3)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/12103852\\\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-15T14:00:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-03T11:08:50+00:00\",\"description\":\"We put together a list of the best board games, all with animal themes and a cute look to them, and ability to draw in the whole family.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/12103852\\\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/12103852\\\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1440},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/best-board-games-with-animals\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Big Boss Battle (B3)\",\"description\":\"Gaming News, Reviews & Opinions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Big Boss Battle (B3)\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/26144421\\\/B3-Logo-WL.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/26144421\\\/B3-Logo-WL.png\",\"width\":250,\"height\":142,\"caption\":\"Big Boss Battle (B3)\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/BigBossBattleUK\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/BigBossBattleUK\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f56b1fe689ae77d428efc01c5e4f1324\",\"name\":\"Matthew Smail\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ca7a6b2cd6b82808962bbbaa9f708a74bc81dba77d82273923ee939c00e88d21?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ca7a6b2cd6b82808962bbbaa9f708a74bc81dba77d82273923ee939c00e88d21?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ca7a6b2cd6b82808962bbbaa9f708a74bc81dba77d82273923ee939c00e88d21?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Matthew Smail\"},\"description\":\"Matt is B3's resident Head of Board Games. As a life-long fan of all things gaming he'll also occasionally be found covering video games with the team,\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bigbossbattle.com\\\/author\\\/matthew-smail\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics! – Big Boss Battle (B3)","description":"We put together a list of the best board games, all with animal themes and a cute look to them, and ability to draw in the whole family.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics! – Big Boss Battle (B3)","og_description":"We put together a list of the best board games, all with animal themes and a cute look to them, and ability to draw in the whole family.","og_url":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/","og_site_name":"Big Boss Battle (B3)","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BigBossBattleUK\/","article_published_time":"2024-11-15T14:00:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-03T11:08:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12103852\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Matthew Smail","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BigBossBattleUK","twitter_site":"@BigBossBattleUK","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Matthew Smail","Estimated reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/"},"author":{"name":"Matthew Smail","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f56b1fe689ae77d428efc01c5e4f1324"},"headline":"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics!","datePublished":"2024-11-15T14:00:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-03T11:08:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/"},"wordCount":2380,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12103852\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg","keywords":["Aqua","Ark Nova","Everdell","Hey","New York Zoo","Parks","Root","Takenoko","That's My Fish"],"articleSection":["Tabletop Features"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/","url":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/","name":"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics! – Big Boss Battle (B3)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12103852\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg","datePublished":"2024-11-15T14:00:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-03T11:08:50+00:00","description":"We put together a list of the best board games, all with animal themes and a cute look to them, and ability to draw in the whole family.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12103852\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12103852\/thumbnail_IMG_4716-e1712914780214.jpg","width":1920,"height":1440},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/best-board-games-with-animals\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Best Board games with cute animal themes and chunky mechanics!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/","name":"Big Boss Battle (B3)","description":"Gaming News, Reviews & Opinions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#organization","name":"Big Boss Battle (B3)","url":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/26144421\/B3-Logo-WL.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/s3-b3bucket.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/26144421\/B3-Logo-WL.png","width":250,"height":142,"caption":"Big Boss Battle (B3)"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BigBossBattleUK\/","https:\/\/x.com\/BigBossBattleUK"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f56b1fe689ae77d428efc01c5e4f1324","name":"Matthew Smail","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca7a6b2cd6b82808962bbbaa9f708a74bc81dba77d82273923ee939c00e88d21?s=96&d=retro&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca7a6b2cd6b82808962bbbaa9f708a74bc81dba77d82273923ee939c00e88d21?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca7a6b2cd6b82808962bbbaa9f708a74bc81dba77d82273923ee939c00e88d21?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Matthew Smail"},"description":"Matt is B3's resident Head of Board Games. As a life-long fan of all things gaming he'll also occasionally be found covering video games with the team,","url":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/author\/matthew-smail\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82006"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82008,"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82006\/revisions\/82008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}