Road to SPIEL 2026: Wildscape - Bringing the Land Back to Life

Humanity has retreated. Decades of climate pressure, drought, soil degradation and habitat loss have pushed natural systems across Africa to collapse. Communities have relocated, populations have dwindled and, in the spaces left behind, the land has finally begun to recover… and that’s where Wildscape begins.

Designed by Sebastian Bleasdale, best known as co-designer of keyflower, developed by Clans of Caledonia designer Juma Al-JouJou, and illustrated by Miguel Coimbra, Wildscape casts 1-4 players as naturalists nurturing recovering African landscapes and attempting to create the most valuable functioning ecosystem.

What is it?

Players begin with damaged land and gradually reconnect habitats, introduce wildlife and build an increasingly complex ecosystem.

There are five habitat types - River, Woodland, Wetland, Savanna and Desert - and habitat tiles can contain several different environments. Matching edges create larger connected habitats, while mountains, waterfalls and lingering oil spills complicate the landscape. Uncovered oil spills even cost victory points at the end of the game.

Collecting cards doesn’t automatically mean you can start introducing wildlife back in to the wild. Herbivroes, for instance, must be reintroduced into habitats large enough to support them. Later they can become established, increasing their value as the population becomes healthier and more secure. Desert herbivores also require oases - one oasis for every herbvore population residing there.

So the players are building habitats where the animals they’re collecting can live and prosper.

How does it play?

Every turn begins by choosing one segment of the central rondel. That choice determines three things: the habitat tile available to you, the actions you may perform and how much sun energy is available to power them. You must then either take that segment’s free habitat tile or play a Primate card instead.

Actions cost energy. Used sun energy tokens move into the centre of the rondel and, when your turn ends, are redistributed one at a time clockwise onto subsequent segments. Unused energy stays where it is. Your turn is therefore changing the strength of future action spaces, not just for you but for everyone.

Those actions let you expand your land, establish herbivores, add rivers and oases, reintroduce snakes, colelct animal cards and gain bio energy, which can be stored in your personal supply and spent alongside sun energy.

The animals then creare their own interconnected puzzles. Predators can only be introduced after their ecological requirements are met and musty be associated with suitable prey. The more valuable that prey population becomes, the more points your predators will score.

Primates require particular habitats and won’t tolerate another prinate immediately beside them. At the end of the game they score according to how well their surrounding landscape matches their preferred environments.

Build sufficently thriving animal populations and you can also attract Specialists. There are Specialists associated with each habitat type, and every time someone attracts one, the requirement rises for whoever tries to recruit that type next.

Meanwhile Bird cards sit between neighbouring players and act as competitive objectives. At bird watching intervals, whoever satisfies each birds conditions best earns bio energy, with the final round awarding victory points instead.

Why we’re watching it

Many Eurogame players will perk up with the mention of Sebastian Bleasdale, as Keyflower, which he co-designed with Richard Breese, remains one of the best regarded worker placement games of the last fifteen years.

I, personally, love the idea of Wildscape - which shouldn’t be a surprise considering it made it on to the Road to SPIEL list to cover. I really like the sound of the game, the complexiy, and everything you’ll need to think about whilst playing. It certainly sounds like a game with plenty of options and ways to explore in your hunt for victory.

Wildscape also has an interesting backstory in regards to it’s design. The original design Bleasdale submitted was called Zoo Roundel and, while Karma Games liked its central rondel they were less keen on the idea of collecting animals for captivity. This led to the game being redeveloped around recovering landscapes and reintroducing animals to the wild. It also sounds like the rules are now much deeper, with many more player options, routes to victory, and overall things to think about and consider, than in the original concept.

Certainly another game that I’ll be aiming to add to the collection and get to the table.

The Game at SPIEL Essen 2026

Wildscape will be available to both buy and demo from Karma Games in Hall 3, Stand M517.

Fairly unusually for these days, Wildscape didn’t have a crowdfunder campaign but preferred the traditional route of publishing the game. This should not only help the demand for the game at Essen this year, but should also help local game stores when the game hits retail as it’ll be the first chance many will have to get a copy. The game will be available in English, German and French editions.

SPIEL Essen runs from 22nd-25th October 2026.

Wildscape at a glance

Publisher: Karma Games

Designers: Sebastian Bleasdale

Artists: Miguel Coimbra

Players: 1-4

Ages: 14+

Playing Time: around 30 minutes per player

Type: Tile placement / dynamic rondel / Mancala-style energy distribution / ecosystem building / variable objectives

Languages: Engish, French and Germand editions.

Expected release: October 2026

SPIEL: Karma Games, Hall 3, M517

More information: Karma Games - Wildscape

Tomorrow on Road to SPIEL 2026: Greylune - Caylus designer William Attia returns to worker placement, but this time your workers don’t necessarily stay where you put them.