Animal Upon Animal Review: look for the perfect balance

At first glance, Animal Upon Animal seems like just a simple game... and it is: stacking small wooden animals on top of a smiling crocodile. But behind this seemingly unassuming idea lie personal stories and creative choices that helped transform the game into a classic.

Designer Klaus Miltenberger grew up on a farm in Germany, surrounded by real animals. This rural childhood left deep marks on his imagination. Furthermore, he studied education, psychology, and sociology, and when he decided to create a game, it was for children, and obviously, it wasn't by chance that he chose animals as protagonists.

On the other hand, the artist (illustrator) Michael Bayer brought life and personality to each creature. Trained in graphic design and passionate about nature, Bayer was inspired by organic shapes and simple lines that enchant children's eyes. The result is animals that not only function as game pieces, but also evoke immediate affection, making you want to play.

It's curious to think that such a minimalist game managed to last decades without losing relevance - this game is sold out everywhere! This is precisely because it has such a strong and rare combination: the simplicity of a children's idea and the depth of the personal stories of its creators.

Let's get to know Animal upon Animal!

Animal upon Animal is a game for 2 to 4 players, ages 4+, designed by Klaus Miltenberger. The art is by Michael Bayer.

Animal upon Animal was released in 2005 by HABA, and in Brazil in 2013 through Conclave. The main mechanics are dice rolling, stacking, balance, and take that.

Since its release in 2005, Animal upon Animal has accumulated nominations, recommendations, and an award:

- In 2005, it received two nominations: Best Children's Game from the Japan Boardgame Prize and Best Game for 5-9 year olds from the Children's Play Experts, the famous Kinderspielexperten;

- In the same year, 2005, came the prestigious recommendation as Children's Game of the Year, the Spiel des Jahres Kinderspiel;

- In the following two years, 2006 and 2007, it was nominated for Best Board Game for Children by the Golden Geek; And

- In 2008, another nomination and, finally, the award for Children's Game of the Year by the Vuoden Peli.

Playing the Game

You need to be skillful and careful. Animal upon Animal is an extremely simple and very fun game. Each player must stack their own set of wooden animals, and whoever manages to get rid of all their pieces first wins.

A die adds variation to the game: placing one or two animals, asking another player to place the animal for you (risking them dropping it and falling behind), other players indicating which animal to stack, increasing the "base" (which is the crocodile), and so on.

Who is the most skilled and who will be the first to finish stacking all the animals?

That's the scenario of Animal upon Animal!

The general idea is to stack all your animals before your opponents - simple as that -, but not without strategy, excitement, and penalties. Did you think it was just about piling up animals and relaxing? Animal upon Animal delivers much more than simply stacking animals!

The setup is like this:

- place the crocodile in the center of the table, it will be the "base" of the animal pyramid;

- each player takes 7 different animals and places them in front of them, this is their stock;

- leave the die within everyone's reach;

- choose the first player in any way you wish.

And that's it for the Setup!

A turn in Animal upon Animal has only 2 steps, namely:

- roll the die;

- place the animal piece(s);

The first step, rolling the die, seems simple, and it really is. It's a 6-sided die (d6) where anything can happen. The famous "good tension" starts here, because everything is possible on those 6 sides:

- a dot: place 1 of your animals on the pile;

- two dots: place 2 of your animals on the pile;

- crocodile: place 1 of your animals at the bottom of the pile;

- hand: choose 1 of your animals and give it to another player, who will have to place the animal on the pile for you;

- question mark: the other players choose which animal you will have to stack.

Wait! Why did we only mentioned 5 sides so far?... that's because the one dot sidee appears twice on the die.

Well, after rolling the die, all that remains is to place the animal piece(s) according to the die result, and this is where the game really gets going.

The one dot face is relatively the simplest and causes the least trouble, after all, you will obviously choose, from among your animals, the one that is easiest to place on the pile whose base is the crocodile.

An important detail: regardless of the face that comes up on the die, the animals must be placed with only one hand, and one cannot use both hands. It's all about dexterity and fine motor coordination.

The two-dot face is obviously very similar to the one-dot, with one exception: since there are 2 animals to be placed, try to place the "larger" one first, as this will give you a better "base" to stack the next one. It's strategy working in your favor!

If the crocodile face appears, it's actually easier; just place one of your animals adjacent to the crocodile's mouth or tail, so that the two animals touch. This has its good and bad sides:

- good side: you increase the surface area on which the animals can be stacked, HOWEVER

- bad side: your opponents, the next players, will benefit from this, and when it's your turn, it's not guaranteed that you'll have more space to help you. It's part of the game!

Now, the hand side: here's strategy at its finest. After all, you must choose one of your animals and give it to another player to place on your pile. And that's where things start to get interesting. For instance, if you have an animal that's hard to stack, maybe due to the current stacking "configuration," and everything is about to collapse, then you could give your "worst" animal to another player, and wait to see everything fall when placed on the pile.

Here's a little spoiler: whoever makes the pile collapse, or knocks down one or more animals, suffers a penalty. So, let your opponent suffer, or at least take the risk for you. This is where the game delivers everything: fun, excitement, and the famous "take that!"

Finally, the question mark side. As opposed to the hand, now your opponents decide which animal, from your stock, you should stack. Yes, what goes around comes around, and the world keeps turning. Sometimes you mess with your opponents, and other times they'll retaliate "in kind."

Okay, but is it just a matter of stacking one animal on top of another? Of course not! What we fear most can happen: a collapse. Did some animals fall during the stacking? Or did the entire stack collapse? Regardless of whether some animals fell or the entire stack collapsed, at that moment the stacking, and obviously the player's turn, ends immediately.

The penalty for knocked-down animals is as follows:

- if 1 or 2 animals fall: the player who knocked them down must pick them up and place them in their stock;

- if more than 2 animals fall: the player takes 2 of them for their stock and removes the remaining (fallen) animals from the game;

- if all the animals fall: the player must take 2 animals for their stock. The crocodile is placed back in the center of the table and all the remaining animals that fell are removed from the game;

- if all the animals fell without anyone knocking them down: in this case all the animals that fell are removed from the game.

Either way, it's now the turn of the player to your left.

That's how a turn of Animal upon Animal works!

Ending the Game

The game ends when one player runs out of animals to stack.

That player wins and is declared the most skillful at stacking animals!

Animal upon Animal is very strategic and offers several ways to get even more out of this fun game.

The idea is to manage your pieces; some are indeed easier to stack than others; they "fit" better than others, and based on this, the dice roll, and the current "scenario" of the stacking that we will devise our strategy.

Regarding "easy" and "difficult" pieces, it's quite simple: this concept is based on the shape of the pieces. Some are more regular, others have curves, others have angles, others are more irregular. So, given this combination and the stacking scenario, some are, or will become, more difficult to stack than others.

Remember: if you're going to place pieces, place the easiest ones first. It seems obvious, but some people don't follow this and end up falling into the trap of placing the "hardest" ones first to "get rid of" them, and in the end, when you have the opportunity to "screw over" an opponent with the face of your "hand," you're not actually harming them, that is, placing an animal but not putting your opponent at risk.

Obviously, it's also always good to have a "wild card" animal on hand, that is, an easier one for the grand finale of the game, the animal that most easily fits in for you to "close" the game. Always have this "card" up your sleeve.

To place one animal, just follow the previous tips. Now, placing two animals at once requires a more detailed analysis of the scenario and your animals. Don't put yourself at risk, place the "safer" one first and the second animal, if you can, in a risky location, very carefully, to leave the trap for the next player. Is that mean? Sure, but it's also part of the game!

If the crocodile face comes up and it's still the beginning of the game, place your snake on the base; it will guarantee a larger base for the rest of the game. Now, if it's from the middle of the game onwards, place a very irregular animal on the base; this won't help much, after all, you won't get much use out of this base anyway, since it's the end of the game.

The hand face is one of the most fun and strategic moments of the game; it's where you can "get rid" of one of your animals, obviously not without first analyzing the game scenario and giving your most "difficult" animal to place according to your analysis.

Finally, since not everything is perfect, the question mark acts as the moment of revenge. Time for opponents to try to harm you. All that remains is a lot of concentration, dexterity, and motor coordination to place, among your animals, what they choose and stack them. Be very careful at this point. This is actually the worst part of the game, because you'll be placing a piece you haven't prepared for, so you'll have to quickly analyze the situation and adapt.

Furthermore, pay attention to the opportunities the game presents, devise your best strategy, keep an eye on the game's environment, on your pieces and those of your opponents, use your skill and win in Animal upon Animal.

Unboxing:

Rules:

Gameplay:

If you're looking for a game to entertain children, regardless of language, with excitement at every moment, that will guarantee lots of laughs, Animal upon Animal is your game!

The secret to this game's success is the combination of:

- rolling dice: which is a guaranteed excitement;

- stacking things: which brings a "good tension" to the air;

- collapse: which is the possibility of knocking everything down.

This is what makes Animal upon Animal the success it is among adults and children alike.

The animal pieces are very special, colorful and shaped like animals, immediately capturing the attention of children. The pieces are made of reinforced wood, ensuring that nothing will "break" when dropped or collapsed.

As a bonus, the game also provides important stimuli for children, namely:

- resource management: they will manage their animals to seek victory;

- fine motor coordination: to control hands and fingers for precise movements;

- dexterity: to have skill, agility and efficiency during stacking;

- strategy: to analyze their animals, the result of the dice roll and the game scenario;

- decision-making: to make the best choice for greater success;

- logical-mathematical reasoning: to calculate the number of their animals and their opponents' animals.

From a pedagogical standpoint, Animal upon Animal addresses resource management, fine motor skills, dexterity, stimulates strategy, decision-making, logical-mathematical reasoning, and on top of that, it's incredibly fun!

I recommend Animal upon Animal for your collection!!!