Planet Unknown Review
I don’t know if there is still space in the market for intergalactic board games. They need to be good to get you to gravitate towards them these days. Does Planet Unknown shine like a star? Well I am over the moon to tell you more about it in this board game review!
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Setup
Remove the Lazy S.U.S.A.N. excitedly from the box and place it in the middle of the table. Give each player a planet board and resource track. On to which, place cubes, rovers and lifepods. Also give players a depot marker that they place next to the Lazy Susan.
Next place meteorites and biomass patches within easy reach of all players and randomly select a number of Civ Cards to match the number of players plus one for each rank. Add Objective cards between players and choose a first player. Then you are pretty much good to go.
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Gameplay
Most points wins, and points are represented by small medals throughout the game.
The first player will rotate the Lazy Susan around until they see a tile that they fancy, taking that tile and placing it on their personal board. At the same time all other players will take a tile from one of the two depots (inner and outer Lazy Susan) that is in front of their depot marker and place it on their board.
The first tile has to be on the edge of the map. All other tiles must be orthogonally adjacent thereafter. If a tile has a meteorite symbol a matching marker will need to be placed on that tile.
Each tile has symbols on it that move a cube (resource tracker) one space up the relevant track. All tracks offer points, as well as synergy boosts and other bonuses too.
Once everyone has placed a tile, the first player marker is moved to clockwise to the next player and they get to choose where the Lazy Susan spins to.
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The game end triggers when a player cannot place a tile from their depot onto their board or, when both the inner and outer tiles of any one depot are empty.
You score points for every complete row or column that does not have a meteorite on it, based on the medal value around the edge of the board. You will also score the highest value medal that your tracker has passed (or covers) on each resource track. Points are also granted for Civ cards and shared objective cards, plus points for lifepods and meteorites collected by your rover.
In terms of replayability, you can add in personal objectives that also grant points, as well as event cards to mix things up. Two player games work almost the same but with minor differences to the tile drafting and the objectives. There is also a solo mode, but you will be unsurprised that I haven’t tried that!
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What it’s like
Planet Unknown is track climbing, polyomino laying wholesome goodness. I am a big fan of cascading actions giving me the feeling I have just done a killer move. Planet Unknown’s resource tracks set this up beautifully. I often get a very satisfying turn which will just make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, proud of the move I just made!
It’s also a nice easy game to teach, you have to go through the tile placement, the tracks and the end game scoring, but it just lends itself to a smooth teach as everything just melds together very satisfyingly.
The simultaneous play, with everyone choosing tiles at the same time, allows for the game to canter along at a nice pace regardless of player count. The game can end a little abruptly if a player has been taking larger tiles, been getting lots of bonuses, or been terrible at planning. The latter is particularly frustrating if you have been playing quite optimally!
Those that want to overthink things can easily study their neighbours options as well as their own. When battling for shared objectives, what you leave the player next to you adds something else to consider when spinning the depots. Later in the game this can be a requirement if you don’t want the game to end prematurely and a player can only fit certain shapes.
There is an option to use asymmetric player boards, but from what I’ve seen and heard, they are woefully imbalanced so I have totally ignored them for that reason.
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Table Presence
If there is a board game component that will make you stare in wonderment it has to be the Lazy S.U.S.A.N. that holds the polyomino tiles. It is super satisfying and the main reason I tried to hunt down a copy after my first play, as it was suggested at that point, the retail edition would not have it. Fortunately, I found an affordable copy just before I clicked order on a very expensive copy from Romania.
It turned out the retail edition did have this rotating magnificence and all I would’ve been lacking is the plastic asteroids and lifepods and some component trays. There are a few other minor differences but nothing that would put me off owning the retail edition instead of the Deluxe edition. In fact, I think I prefer the wooden asteroids and lifepods to the poorly-inked and murky plastic ones anyway.
The game does take up a lot of table space, especially at higher player counts and players on the periphery may struggle to see the tiles in the depots and so will regularly be standing up to peer into the S.U.S.A.N.
None of the artwork is exceptional, but it is all clear and so at least form follows function, this seems to go hand-in-hand with the planetary theme so I don’t mind it. The rulebook is okay, but lacks some clarifications and certainly could have been improved on.
The first thing I did with the deluxe edition was remove the pointless insert and throw it in the bin. Without it, everything sits in the box fine and avoids the lid lift that was caused by the insert. There was a Kickstarter for an expansion with a lid for the S.U.S.A.N. but as a horizontal stacker, I wasn’t sold.
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What the kids thought
Max (10): I love it! I love playing it, I love the design of it and I love how it all works. Planet Unknown is a brilliant game!
George (14): I think Planet Unknown is a fun and strategic game. I enjoy progressing along the resource tracks and competing for the shared challenges. I also think the Lazy Susan is a very cool part of the game too.
Harrison (17): Planet Unknown is a relatively straight-forward tile placement game. I like how the tracks reward you, especially the Tech track that gives helpful bonuses. I also really like the Lazy Susan as it makes drafting that much more fun. It is a solid family-weight game and despite it not being my favourite, I can see the appeal.
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Final thoughts on Planet Unknown
Planet Unknown is an absolute banger. I ruddy love it! What the game may lack in aesthetics, it certainly makes up for in gameplay. I know I am a sucker for simultaneous play but the only thing that lets the game down is the broken asymmetry. Play without that option and it is just brilliant. This game offers everything I need and want from it.
It is a joy to teach and a joy to play. Just writing these final thoughts makes me want to stop typing and get it off the Kallax and play it. If you have the opportunity to play this one, even if the space theme isn’t for you, I whole-heartedly recommend you give it a whirl! It is a pricey game though so that may make it prohibitive to own for some.
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Key Facts
Number of players: 1 to 6
Board Game Review Recommended Age: 10+
Publisher’s Recommended Age: 10+
Playing Time: 70 minutes
Setting Up and Take Down Time: 4 minutes
Designers: Ryan Lambert and Adam Rehberg
Publisher: Adams Apples Games
RRP: £78.99
Summary
I have introduced Planet Unknown to so many people, and pretty much all of them have wanted to buy a copy, despite its price tag! That’s the best recommendation I can give. It is a cracking game!
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Artwork and Components
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Complexity
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Instructions
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Interaction
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Value for Money
Overall
Pros
- Plays well at all player counts
- Fantastic polyomino gameplay
- Combos on the resource tracks
- The S.U.S.A.N. tile holder
- Simultaneous play
Cons
- The imbalance of the asymmetric options
- Takes up a lot of table space
- Rulebook could be better
- Expensive game
Need more games?
If you already own Planet Unknown and enjoy it, or are looking for other inspiration, you might also like these similar games:
- Tenpenny Parks
- Bärenpark
- Fromage
- Wild Tiled West
Buy Planet Unknown
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Reviewer’s Note
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