🌌 Terraform your way to victory!
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition is a streamlined card game designed for 1 to 4 players, offering a thrilling 45-60 minute gameplay experience. This Collector's Edition includes an optional cooperative mode, making it perfect for both solo and group play. Suitable for ages 14 and up, it's a must-have for any gaming enthusiast.
M**S
Terraforming Mars Lite might be a better title
For people who are intimately familiar with Terraforming Mars, this will seem like a familiar game with fewer complications. For people who have no clue what Terraforming Mars is, this is a great game that teaches people about how Mars could be terraformed in a card game with simultaneous actions. This is great as a 2-player game, though it is even better as a 4-player game. Since I only own licenses to Terraforming Mars on Steam and Google Play, having Ares Expedition on my game shelf feels right. If I could only own either Terraforming Mars (with all of its expansions and upgrades) or Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, I'd buy Ares Expedition and be very happy with it.A fun part about this game is choosing which one phase out of five to play. Since each player does this, there could be one to the number of players different options available (which is why playing with four people is better than with two people). If all players choose the same phase, not as much happens on the turn (since the phases chosen indicate the abilities of the round).The purchasing mechanic is nice since the steel and titanium accumulate over time and add discounts to the card prices (without resetting the steel or titanium amounts). This is different than in Terraforming Mars.Having a specific Action phase is great since that allows for triggering the various actions on the cards and/or on the player board (like funding an ocean or forest). I noticed we didn't play the Action phase much in the 2-player game.I'm very thankful for Branden and Lexi from All Aboard Gamer teaching us the game at Dice Tower East. They did a great job and we tried to buy the game there, but it was sold out. I look forward to receiving the three expansions that are due to be released soon.
M**.
Fabulous & Complex Board Game
This game showed up very quickly, in pristine condition. It is the "streamlined" version of the regular Terraforming Mars game, which I have not yet played. But this game is fantastic on its own merit and still incredibly complex and satisfying to play. We sunk many hours into it, so don't plan on being finished in the time frame listed on the box.I run a board game club at my office and I am always looking for streamlined games that I can play. We have a few regular board game enthusiasts as well as a few folks who join us for smaller games. This is a medium to heavy board game that requires a lot of attention to detail, and despite being "lighter" than standard Terraforming Mars it is insanely fun to play, with a focus on strategic card selection and creating a tableau of cards that work well together. It is an "engine builder" , so play starts out a little slow but quickly picks up pace.The instructions state that players should do their actions in each phase simultaneously to speed up play, but we felt it was best to go individually, as we helped each other to keep track of all of our moving parts. Despite this being a "competitive" game, we wound up playing with open hands and discussing the way cards worked to help one another learn, especially on the first playthrough. I think you could play it as cooperatively or competitively as you like.Players take the role of companies, competing to do the most to terraform Mars for human life. Winning comes down to points, and some folks may find that aspect a little uninteresting. But the cards themselves, and the way everything interacts, as well as the science and logic put in by the game developers became the most interesting aspect for us. A wonderful game for science nerds or space enthusiasts. It seems like it will have fabulous replayability.
A**R
Wow - amazing game!
We like Race for the Galaxy, and we feel like we just starting playing the game that naturally comes after that. Beautiful, well designed and made game! I am amazed. Very, very happy I purchased it. I love the 200+ cards, as this will give the game way more depth than the games before it. I also really like the timing (not over in 20 minutes, but not all night either). Our first game tonight took some effort, but we are excited about playing again. I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys card building games, and particularly Race for the Galaxy. It just feels like a better, deeper version with more purpose. I also really like that my wife and I play against each other and together at the same time. Super well done! I will definitely be checking out more games from these designers! Literally the most beautiful designed game I have ever played.
J**H
Quite Enjoyable
I have always considered myself an avid gamer. I've enjoyed video games, board games, card games, and so on. My wife grew up playing card games and some board games, and we've enjoyed playing less complicated board games and card games throughout our marriage. This was a step up in complexity for my wife and at first she was overwhelmed. After playing through a game, things started to click into place for her. After playing a few games, she felt like she had stumbled into a victory. After playing a half dozen games, she may be arguably better than me at the game.The game at first may seem complex if you aren't used to this type of game, but once you have the basic mechanics down it is quite enjoyable. I also feel like the concept that you are working toward a common goal (even if you are competing) enjoyable because even if you don't walk away with the most points at the end of the game, you've built a production line and have helped to finish the terraforming project on mars. I really find this game enjoyable, and would definitely recommend at least giving it a try.
Trustpilot
5 days ago
2 weeks ago