The smoothest of trips, to the moon and back, with Galactic Cruise
Check out the component list and play time: those are usually a good indicator of the complexity of a game. However, stick with what might seem like an overwhelming countdown to launch, as what unfolds is a steady glide through space.
Players act as employees of Galactic Cruise, a luxury liner company pointing its cruise ships towards the stars. For a game filled with thinky strategy and crunchy mechanisms, plenty of effort has been taken to draw the theme out – in particular, the inviting welcome pack in the form of a dossier folder and new employee lanyard. Zoë, who appears as a guide in the game’s rulebook, further strengthens that already well considered set of rules. She acts as the reader’s tour guide and mentor on their first day at the Galactic Cruise company, recommending certain parts of the rulebook depending on the reader’s ability to consume the content within.
The main consideration per turn is where to place workers to take two separate actions, weighing up filling a vacant space that might require extra payment to use other action spots, or bumping other players’ workers out of filled spaces, giving them the opportunity to take a little bonus in doing so. It’s a nice conundrum that never feels overly tight and there are several different and interesting ways to go about it.
Players also have to think about matching passengers to their preferred experiences, both on board and at the destinations along the way. These are colour coordinated, which helps you focus on one or two per cruise without feeling too overwhelmed with multiple considerations. This simplicity does make the blueprints (which are then built to become the main body of these space liners) feel a little underwhelming in variety, something that might be rectified with future expansions.
Ian O’Toole isn’t given much space to show off his proven artistic temperament, but his close attention to the graphic design is flawless. There is a hefty amount of iconography in this game, but at no point are players confused by these or overwhelmed. The player aids are nonetheless a great inclusion.
To cap the inevitable long running times – a natural bi-product with games of this weight – we found three players to be the sweet spot, as four made the game feel too long. There’s also a lot of set up to tackle the one-player solo experience, so you’ll need patience for that to be worthwhile. Still, games like these aren’t meant to be rushed, gaining their depth from taking the time to find the right combination of turns, as you get as many cruises out into space as you can.
Each launch feels somewhat underwhelming and not the white-knuckle ride you might expect, but we’ll give the Galactic Cruise company the benefit of the doubt that it has perfected the art of a smooth take off. Much as these designers have with the creation of this impressive game.
Review by Henry Wyrley-Birch
Yes
Like any good cruise, this is packed with interesting places to go and fun things to do. And like a cruise, the first time might feel overwhelming. Stick with it for a well-polished, luxurious and fulfilling experience.
Although they don’t share the same mechanisms, both impress by tackling an icon-heavy and complex ruleset, while still achieving a smooth play style.
Category: Strategy Games
Designers: T.K. King, Dennis Northcott, Koltin Thompson
Publisher: Kinson Key Games
Time to Play: 2-3h
Players: 1-4 Players
Age: 14+
RRP: £100
Game board
4 Player boards
Marketing board
2 Marketing board overlays
36 Guests
4 Cruise consultants
16 Workers
6 Expert Worker tiles
9 Progress track tiles
18 Cruise tiles
12 Action tiles
8 Technology tiles
4 Starting Engine tiles
4 Starting cockpit tiles
15 Cockpit tiles
12 Engine tiles
48 Blueprint tiles
6 Company goal tiles
36 Agenda cards
48 Progress cubes
3 Neutral cubes
15 Resource trackers
3 Company goal trackers
36 Developments
3 Neutral developments
64 Money
48 Ads
First-player token
5 Guest bonus tokens
32 Upgrade Tokens
4 Reputation trackers
4 VP tokens
4 VP trackers
Reference Book
4 Player Aids
Rulebook
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