Comparison

Ark Nova vs Talisman

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ark Nova

Design and manage a modern zoo to support global conservation efforts. Build enclosures, house animals, and utilize unique cards for special abilities. Compete to create the most successful zoological establishment.

Highlights
  • Plan and design a modern zoo
  • Build enclosures and accommodate animals
  • Support global conservation projects
  • Utilize 255 unique cards (animals, specialists, projects)
  • Upgrade action cards for gameplay
  • Increase zoo appeal and scientific reputation
Features
Read full description

Plan and build a modern, scientifically managed zoo to support conservation projects in an acclaimed strategy board game. In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans. Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are: BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again.

About

Talisman

Experience the complete fantasy board game adventure with all expansions and characters included. This one-time purchase offers hundreds of hours of gameplay, allowing you to customize your experience with unique abilities and challenging encounters.

Highlights
  • Faithful adaptation of Revised 4th Edition
  • Includes all 16 Classic Expansions
  • 24 additional characters
  • Over 100 selectable heroes and villains
  • Eight Legendary Decks for increased challenge
  • Hundreds of hours of content
Features
Read full description

Talisman: Classic Complete Edition - The Definitive 4th Edition Experience Experience the entire Talisman adventure in one massive, complete package! Talisman: Classic Complete Edition is the definitive way to play the classic fantasy board game, including every single expansion and character ever released for the Digital Classic Edition. This is a one-off purchase that unlocks hundreds of hours of content with nothing else to buy. The Crown of Command awaits! What's Included in the Complete Edition? * A faithful adaptation of the Revised 4th Edition of the Talisman board game, this edition allows you to digitally experience this iconic fantasy board game. * All released Classic Expansions (16 in total!) to mix-and-match and create a new adventure every time you play. This includes thirteen expansions from the physical game and three digital-only expansions, offering everything the 4th Edition of Talisman can offer, and more! * All released Individual Characters to expand your roster with 24 additional characters, bringing the total number of selectable heroes and villains to over 100! Choose from a massive lineup of unique abilities and playstyles. * Eight Legendary Decks for those looking for a tougher challenge. Customise your difficulty level by swapping out certain expansion decks with 8 Legendary Decks. These decks feature tougher, more challenging versions of classic encounters to push your skills to the limit. Experience everything the Classic Talisman experience has to offer!

Screenshots

Ark Nova4 screens
Talisman4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ark Nova at $10.99 against Talisman's $24.99. Ark Nova also leads on ratings volume (1.3K vs 1) and chart position (#31 vs unranked). Talisman's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Ark Nova costs $10.99 and Talisman $24.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Talisman holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ark Nova has 1.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ark Nova ships an update every 3 weeks, Talisman weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Ark Nova versus Talisman: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArk NovaTalisman
Price$10.99 — better$24.99
Rating4.8 (1.3K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.3K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#31 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size682 MB113 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDire Wolf DigitalNomad Games

Customer experience

Ark Nova

All ratings1,262 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews134 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral10.4%
Negative16.4%

Talisman

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ark Nova

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • iPad Flash exit issue
  • Rewards screen being blocked by other UI elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to enable larger UI buttons for modal panels
  • Full screen mode
  • Option to reverse zoom direction
  • Improved card readability/zoom

Talisman

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ark Nova

No in-app purchases

None

Talisman

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ark Nova free?
Ark Nova costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Talisman free?
Talisman costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ark Nova or Talisman?
Talisman is rated higher. Ark Nova averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Talisman averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ark Nova or Talisman have ads?
Neither Ark Nova nor Talisman shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ark Nova or Talisman?
Ark Nova ships an update every 3 weeks, and Talisman weekly. Most recently, Ark Nova was updated on November 3, 2026 and Talisman on October 30, 2026.

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