Publisher: KOSMOS
Designers: Johannes Krenner and Markus Slawitschek
Artist: Fiore GmbH
3-5 Players
Playtime: Eight 15 Minute Sessions
Space is hard. Effectively communicating with your friends while being attentive to instructions is even harder. In Noobs in Space, you better get good at both.
A Brief How To Play
This is a hard one to summarize because so much of the joy in Noobs in Space is in the discovery. There is also a lot of joy in just solving puzzles, and if I say too much, I will spoil said puzzles. What I can say though, is that the core gameplay consists of the players starting a session with hidden cards in their hands. Some of these cards are items, some are panels, and some are instructions. Players need to communicate who has what instructions and items without showing their cards to each other, hoping that they follow everything that they need to do perfectly along the way.
Basically, Noobs in Space is a cooperative puzzle game.
Pacing and Interaction
After players complete the tutorial, everything should begin to click. If they didn’t during the tutorial, they will definitely click after the first mission, whether it went well or not. Players will rush through the scenarios since their time is being tracked, and after they finish the objective they will see how they did. A fast time is a complete success, while other times are successes with threats or even outright failure. Players will also compare their end results with the manual to see if they did everything right. Failure results in time penalties.
All of this pressure leads to breakneck speeds and lots of forced cooperation. Being unable to show the cards in hand makes quarterbacking difficult, though the “smartest” person in the room can certainly take over if they feel especially bright during a specific puzzle. Still, this is a game meant to be played in quick bursts, which results in excellent pacing and interaction. Everyone has a role to play, and they need to play it well for the group to succeed.
Replayability
So Noobs in Space is a puzzle game that can really only be enjoyed once. At best, players will need to wait a decade or something before they forget all of the solutions before playing it again. With that being said though, this isn’t a legacy game, so all of the cards remain undamaged when players finish. While Noobs In Space isn’t replayable for the group that plays it, can be passed on to another loving household, which is more than can be said for legacy games like My City, even if those types of games are a lot of fun. In other words, share the love after you play it, because there is a lot to love about Noobs In Space.
Theme and Components
Noobs in Space effectively blends its silly yet immersive space theme with its gameplay. The artwork, while not outstanding, is clear and easy to interpret, which is essential for a puzzle game. The theme of new astronauts facing space-related challenges resonates well with players, adding to the immersive experience. The brief narrative elements before and after missions further enhance the theme and draw players into the space mayhem.
Noobs In Space Is Great For Fans Of…
Groups of friends who enjoy doing puzzle-based card games will enjoy Noobs in Space plenty. It was a great cooperative experience that caught our group off guard. If players enjoy games like Exit, Doctor Esker, or even The Crew, they will love Noobs in Space.
Like The Crew, I hope this gets a sequel. Noobs In Abyss or Noobs Underwater would be exciting.
Noobs In Space
Noobs in Space offers an engaging and fast-paced cooperative puzzle experience with an immersive space theme, making it a great choice for groups with a few hours to burn.
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Pacing and Interaction
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Theme and Components
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Replay Value
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Enjoyment
