Review: Planet Unknown:: Polyominoes and Planeteers: Unraveling the Solo Puzzle of Planet Unknown

by fdoug64

Polyominoes have grown from a simple puzzle concept to a versatile and engaging game mechanism in modern board game design. More complex implementations integrate polyominoes with other mechanics to add tactical and strategic depth. Planet Unknown is one such game.

In Planet Unknown, players take on the role of planeteers tasked with terraforming and developing unknown planets to prepare for human settlement. The game features a unique simultaneous play mechanic using a Lazy Susan (the space station S.U.S.A.N) that allows all players to draft tiles simultaneously. Players strategically place their chosen polyomino tiles to cover their planet's landscape grid, advance various resource tracks like civ, water, tech, and biomass, and manage rovers to collect life pods and clear meteorites. The most successful planeteer is the one who earns the most points through tile placement, track advancement, and completion of various in-game objectives.

olo-ability:
Type: Class 0 (see Morten Monrad Pedersen’s Automated Opponent Classification System)
Win Condition: Beat a target score
Designer: Adam Rehberg, Ryan Lambert

The solo mode of Planet Unknown feels essentially the same as the multiplayer game. It maintains all of the core gameplay elements. However, solo requires some rule changes and component additions that result in a distinct experience. For example, the lazy Susan space station mechanism operates differently. In the multiplayer game, the players whose turn it is rotates the space station to the set of depots they desire to make available for their tile selection. In solo, the space station moves only one depot section at a time.

The solo mode also introduces event cards, drawn and resolved at the beginning of each turn. These events contain red, green, and orange alerts that can affect track progression, provide bonuses, or impose restrictions on tile placement. During setup, a deck of 20 cards is built out of a potential pool of 60 cards. Game difficulty is affected by the chosen mixture of positive and negative events.

Given that there are no bots for solo play, the solo player strives to reach scoring thresholds that provide clear benchmarks for success. A target score for winning is calculated based on the composition of the event deck. Scoring tiers above and below the target score provide a gauge for the depth of a loss or the height of a win.

📻 Click here to listen to an AI generated podcast covering Planet Unknown and this solo play review 📻

heme:

In Planet Unknown, Earth has run out of resources. Players take on the role of planeteers working for a corporation racing to develop an unknown planet to preserve the future of humanity. Efficient use of the planet's topography is essential to success.

Thematically, the game's use of polyominoes for terraforming alien worlds is a clever application of these mathematical constructs. Geometric shapes provide simplified representations of the organization and utilization of land mass. For instance, central business districts typically form a core of densely packed land uses, similar to a central polyomino shape. Surrounding zones like industrial areas, residential neighborhoods, and commercial zones often take on different polyomino shapes. When flying in a plane, it is easy to see how farmlands resemble polyominoes. This is particularly true in areas with systematic land division practices. Geographical constraints like rivers or mountains often create irregular shapes in land use patterns. The game's rules for moving up the water track are consistent with the unknown planet's structure.

rt & Components:

When it comes to components, the star of the show is the space station lazy Susan. Its ability to provide for simultaneous play helps minimize player downtime. However, as player downtime is not a concern in solo play, the space station becomes nothing more than an organization element for the polyominoes. In the version of the game that I have, there is no lid for the lazy Susan, so in vertical storage, the polyominoes spill all over the box. Other components include rovers, meteors, and life pods. Each element is crafted to enhance the space exploration theme, creating an immersive visual experience.

Along with symmetric planets boards for each player, the game also includes 6 asymmetric planets. Those worlds each have their unique landscape grid and/or polyominoes placement restrictions. The artistic look of these planets is consistent with the unique topographical characteristics of the planet. Overall, the game's art style is characterized by a minimalist approach. It uses a space-themed color scheme with blues, grays, and orange tones which effectively represents the planetary exploration theme. I do wish there was a plastic overlay for the planet's borders. I seem to have an issue with bumping the polyominoes around, especially when moving my rovers, and it would be nice to have a component that helps hold them in place.

eplayability:

The varied visual representations of the asymmetric planets contribute to the game's replayability and thematic immersion. Not only do they allow players to feel like they're truly exploring and developing unique alien worlds, but they also impact gameplay. To maximize their score, players must adapt their strategies to the specific layout and features of their chosen planet.

As with the planets, the game includes symmetric and asymmetric corporation boards. The corporations on the asymmetric side of the boards have unique rules that impact scoring and benefits the player receives. With double-sided planet grids and corporation boards offering unique constraints and rewards, players can explore 49 different asymmetric combinations, ensuring that no two games ever feel the same.

The solo mode's event cards add an extra layer of variability, ensuring that each playthrough feels unique. Events are spread across three different types of alerts, green, orange, and red. Not all cards of each alert type are included in a single game and a different mixture of alerts is also possible from one play to the next. Thus, each playthrough feels like a fresh expedition.

Set up and tear down of Planet Unknown is a breeze. Coupled with a playtime of about 30 minutes to complete a solo game, there are no real barriers to getting the game to the table. Given that all of the different setup combinations provide a fresh puzzle every game, replayability is high in this game.

timulation Factor:
Overall, I enjoy the solo play of Planet Unknown - even though I am not very good at the game. I find it extremely difficult to hit the target score, even when playing with the symmetric planet and corporation. The asymmetric planets and corporations make the game harder for me, yet there are no score adjustments for them as there are for the event cards. It seems to me that there should be.

I am also not a big fan of the civ track. The milestone bonus on that track is obtaining civ cards. There are four civ levels, each with its own card deck. Only a subset of the cards in a deck for a level are used in a given play-through. Some cards provide scoring opportunities but at lower and higher amounts. It is pure luck whether the higher-level scoring opportunities make it into the civ decks for your play-through.

There are several different ways to trigger the game end. Those triggers can be fired based on situations with event deck alerts or tile placement rules for asymmetric planets. The game rules indicate if the game end is triggered solely because of the event or placement rule just ignore the event/rule to avoid having the game end prematurely. While that works, it seems like a lazy solution.

Core Gameplay Elements Maintained: The solo mode retains the essential gameplay mechanics of the multiplayer version, allowing players to enjoy the same strategic depth and tile placement challenges.

Event Cards for Variability: Event cards in solo play add an extra layer of variability, ensuring that each playthrough feels unique. These cards can affect track progression, provide bonuses, or impose restrictions, enhancing the challenge.

Quick Setup and Playtime: Setting up and tearing down the game is straightforward, and a solo game typically takes about 30 minutes to complete, making it accessible for quick gaming sessions.

Replayability: The varied visual representations of asymmetric planets and the different combinations of event cards contribute to high replayability. Players can explore 49 different asymmetric combinations, ensuring that no two games feel the same.

Strategic Challenge: The solo mode presents a distinct challenge due to limited player choice with the lazy Susan mechanism, which can enhance the strategic depth of tile placement.

Limited Player Choice: In solo mode, the lazy Susan only moves one section at a time, restricting player choice compared to the multiplayer experience. This limitation can make the game feel more challenging but may also reduce strategic options.

Difficulty in Scoring: Many players find it difficult to reach the target score, especially when using asymmetric planets and corporations. This can lead to frustration for those who struggle to meet the scoring thresholds.

Lack of Score Adjustments: The absence of score adjustments for asymmetric planets and corporations can make the game feel unbalanced, particularly for players who are not as experienced.

Potential for Repetitiveness: While the event cards add variability, some players may still find the solo experience less dynamic than multiplayer, as there is no interaction with other players competing to score objectives.

Component Issues: There are some practical issues with the game components, such as the lack of a lid for the lazy Susan, which can lead to polyominoes spilling during vertical storage.

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