Game Review: Oasis: New Life on a Distant World from The OP Games

Oasis: New Life on a Distant World from The Op Games combines stunning art with challenging gameplay that will keep players adapting as they work to have the most diverse biospheres on a world with no rain. The alien world of Oasis may seem like a desert, but it is teeming with life thanks to the cyclical flooding from underground. Subterranean creatures abound, and migrating animals above ground follow the flood for sustenance. Players must seize opportunities where they find them for the nature of the game, as in actual nature.

Setting Up a World

A game of Oasis: New Life on a Distant World begins with each player receiving a Biome player board that will track the flora and fauna they grow. Players also receive starter cards with Subterranean life that will serve as a foundation for their biomes and random Surface life that may be played if they can live on what the underground creatures offer in the food chain. More life comes from migrating creatures for all to see, while players feeling lucky will draw from the face-down decks, all in pursuit of attracting life for the most vibrant biome.

Constantly Evolving Gameplay

The mechanics of Oasis: New Life on a Distant World emulates something of a food chain. Players can readily play lesser-valued Subterranean with Imprints of Flora, Shelled, Scaled, or the wild Decay, which allow players then to play more valuable Surface creatures. With every card having different special powers, such as rearranging the cards in the biome or immediate scoring, players will have to study their options to make the best choice over three rounds, each capped by a flood that resets the board. This reset gives players a chance to lock in points while also starting afresh with new options.

Alien Art

Beyond the solid mechanics, Oasis: New Life on a Distant World is packed with incredible art for the imagined alien plants, animals, and things that cannot be classified by earthly standards. A few beasts seem close to home, like the pelibask looking much like a pelican or the rabbilisk being a named rabbit. Some may seem akin to creatures we know, such as the turtle-like slithavar, though it has crystals growing from its shell and bioluminescent illicium extending from its mouth. Others are totally out of this world, like the tall zultrine with its exoskeleton and bushy trees growing out of its head.

A Continuing Challenge

Oasis: New Life on a Distant World is a strategy game for one to five players aged ten and up. Games last around an hour, a sweet spot giving players time to develop their biomes while still keeping gameplay fresh with the three floods. Oasis also offers a single-player mode where players compete against an algorithmic phantom player that develops its biome randomly. It serves as a fun challenge to rack up points while also practicing for the next game against fellow humans to see whose space can draw in the most life.