Xtronaut: The Game of Solar System Exploration

When I went to read the review for this game it had 91% of it's reviews as 5-star reviews. I thought, okay, it's only got 32 so maybe that explains it. But no. This game really is worth five stars.It's true that the game is designed for kids. It's simple, and where a couple of additional elements could have added some deeper strategy to the game, the simplicity for the kids while still being incredibly educational was a wise choice.The game play is pretty basic, and much of the game depends on what sort of cards you randomly draw from the deck. But there is an elegance of strategy to picking which kind of Rocket to build.The best part of this game, in my opinion, comes from the extra educational knowledge that is featured in the back of the Instruction Manual that includes several pages of detail on what information and details goes into actually planning a space mission. The entire manual is full of extra information about rockets and plans and what they are like in the real world.If I had one complaint about this game it would be that it is too short! You build and launch a mission, but what happens when you get to the planet? The makers of this game are currently working on a second one, and I am very excited to see what comes out of it.(Note: If you are a parent getting this play with your child play at least two rounds with another adult first to make sure you understand the rules.)

Xtronaut is fantastic, it is easy to learn, and quick to play we averaged around 30 minutes per session. That said, I want to see more, the game only features US rocket manufacturers and launch sites. I would like to see an international expansion that includes rockets, and launch sites from other major space programs and companies. Additionally while the mission set in the base game is fun, it could be expanded to include things like telescope launches, and manned missions. I forsee one or two possible expansions. The only criticism I have is that there are not enough rocket parts included in the box, for example there are only enough parts in the game to make one space launch system rocket. It just needs more cards, and a bigger variety of parts. Overall an excellent game and I would like to buy more.

Although the game box arrived with a couple dented corners and dent on top, the components in the box seemed fine. The instructions are fairly simple and contain some interesting information about space crafts, space travel in general, and outer space.Some reviewers seemed to have an issue with being able to complete several actions per turn, but this was not an issue for us. Draw card, play cards if you want, trade cards if you want, place cards on your board if you want, then end turn with 5 cards (which may require discarding or drawing) doesn't seem challenging. This is a quick game that is fun for my 7 year old.Pros: This is educational if you read the additional information in the instructions booklet, and there is some information on the cards that is interesting as well. As we are interested in outer space and learning about space travel right now, this checks boxes. Cards and box have nice artwork/clear designs. This is a good example of how real world government funded projects work, as a side note.Cons: The boards are too large (they have the instructions on them as well). I would prefer something that fits on a table. Also the game pieces are very boring (Flat cylinders and cubes-which I know are less expensive to produce). Slightly boring with 2 people because it turns into a "I have or you have" game.

We weren't sure what to expect when Santa brought this for my 11 and 7 year old girls. A few days later, my 11-year old and I decided to give it a shot. We were a bit confused at first, mainly because the info about the cards is presented later in the manual, and we were just following the first few pages.Anyway, after the initial confusion/boredom, it became fun quickly. We have played several games with 2-4 players. The 7 year old caught on surprisingly well, and was able to win her first game after a couple of tries.Anyway, the whole family loves it - after the first 1-2 learning games, it becomes fun.Now, they are periods of drought when people are just drawing cards that do not help them at all, so you do have to have some patience - it's not a 'non-stop' action video game, after all.

The family loved this game! We love our 12 year old daughter playing this and using and understanding words like gravity assist and delta rockets and get excited about it! It took a round to figure it all out, but the rules are written well. The game boards and cards are well designed with great graphics! Kudos to the designer for making a great space exploration game that is entertaining for the family! Highly highly reccomend! Thank you for making this game! Great STEM topics too!