Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
A modern, cooperative take on the classic zoo escape premise. EMERGENCY!
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Action Points
Spend a limited allowance of points across several possible actions each turn.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Cooperative Game
Players coordinate their actions toward a shared objective and win or lose together.
Trading
Exchange resources, assets, or promises with other players.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Read the full game description
A modern, cooperative take on the classic zoo escape premise. EMERGENCY! A computer malfunction at the Bedlam Zoo has short-circuited the gates for all the enclosures and the animals are escaping and making their way to the zoo exit. You will work together with your fellow zookeepers to round up all the animals and lock their enclosures before it's too late. Zoo Break is a crisis-management game that requires dynamic and cooperative problem-solving. You will spend your turn deciding how to use limited actions to move about the board, collect and trade supplies, capture animals, and lock cages, all while evading injury and coping with other challenges caused by the animals marauding through the zoo. Escape and Move cards control the animals with maximum variability, leading to endlessly different game scenarios. Success hinges on the keepers' ability to anticipate, adapt, and make strategic decisions, applying their skills and resources to regain control of the zoo. It's complex and suspenseful enough to keep adults riveted, but also playful and inviting to ambitious, game-loving kids. (Difficulty can also be regulated using a simple card selection mechanism at the start of the game.) —description from the publisher