Cascadia

On your turn, you choose a habitat tile with an associated animal token and add it to your personal landscape. You place the tile adjacent to your existing area and place the animal on a suitable habitat. At the end of the game, you score points for large, contiguous habitats and for animals, each with its own unique scoring requirements. Nature tokens provide additional flexibility by allowing you to decouple choices when the supply isn't favorable.

Cascadia is a game that completely immerses you in its rhythm: every turn feels simple, yet demands attention and forethought. The animal puzzles are surprisingly diverse, forcing you to constantly weigh short-term and long-term choices. The game never punishes you harshly, but rewards careful planning and a good sense of balance. It's precisely this combination of accessibility, depth, and atmosphere that makes Cascadia so strong — and rightly so, it ranks first in the "abstract" category and 10th in the family games category on Boardgamegeek.