Hyperdrive Odyssey
There’s a numbing silence in space, far from home…
You didn’t come out here chasing trouble. Just distance. A chance to disappear, patch up what’s left of your ship, and maybe yourself. Make a few humble trades. Drift toward a quiet retirement.
But peace doesn’t last long on the fringe.
The distress signal hits. Faint. Unregistered. Urgent. You should ignore it. Everyone does. But something in the static sticks. And before you know it, you’ve answered.
Just like that, the quiet life is gone.
As the highly adventurous month of May comes to an end, I was greeted by one last mission: Hyperdrive Odyssey. Thanks to the Micro May campaign, I discovered eight talented game designers and their amazing print-and-play creations. After receiving the PNP files from Alex, the creator of Hyperdrive Odyssey, I braced myself for the final game I would try in this year’s Micro May. And being my first space-themed print-and-play, I was pumped!
About the game
Hyperdrive Odyssey is a solo game fusing strategy and narration that puts you in command of a trading vessel navigating the perilous edges of space, with the entire experience divided into missions. In other words, space exploration meets engine building, resource management, and taking many tough calls!
The strategy and narration label raised my eyebrows, interestingly, for the second time this month. In the Blink of a Dragon’s Eye did a great job fusing a novella with mini-games, so the bar was definitely raised. Time to see how Hyperdrive Odyssey pulled it off.
Questions that lingered my hyperdrive mind:
+ How much depth would the narrative add to the game?
+ The game has lots of moving pieces. One too many?
+ One for game nights? Or quiet evenings?
Preparing the game
There’s little to assemble in this game. You have to print map sheets, a player sheet, mission sheets, and adventure text sheets. For durability, you can laminate the player sheet, since you’ll need to write on it.
The first impression of the player and mission sheets was really strong. They gave the feel of a spaceship dashboard!
You need a decent number of dice and cubes in this game. Precisely, 12 D6 dice and 13 cubes/small tokens. I reused the small stones I had 3D printed for O.OQUO as tokens, and for the ship? I tried out my mini Darth Vader figurine! Because why not command the galaxy in style?
So after playing the first mission of the game, here are my findings.
My findings
Branching narrative is fun!
Ever since I caught wind of the narrative angle of the game, I didn’t scheme past the adventure text sheets like I usually do with my game prints. I tried to avoid any spoilers, so I skipped over reviews of Hyperdrive Odyssey on Instagram. So you can imagine my surprise when I realized the game features a branching narrative. Bandersnatch style!
What I really appreciated is that Alex didn’t overuse it and kept the loops neat. The narrations kept the flow of the game in check. Between each section, I found myself genuinely curious about when I’d get to read the next part.
I won’t be sharing any images of the adventure texts, as it might spoil your experience. You’re welcome!
Your ship, your call
You control A to Z. What to increase/decrease, what to purchase, where to allocate, when to attack, which path to take in the narrative. Everything! The only constraint you’ll have for the first mission is 5 turns to complete tasks, but other than that, it’s all on you.
Of course, luck comes into play with the dice rolls for certain actions each turn, but it’s balanced well by the many tough decisions the game asks you to make on your own. Reflect a bit before making your moves, though. The game can be punishing if you don’t plan your steps.
The Hyperdrive is sick!
Felt like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie!
At the heart of the game is the Hyperdrive, an octagonal dice track that powers your ship each turn. During the energy phase, each Hyperdie moves clockwise around the track based on its values. Each pip on a die represents one unit of energy, fueling your ship’s systems for the challenges ahead.
Since dice cannot share spaces, they leap over occupied spots, adding a strategic layer to managing your energy flow. You can increase your energy supply by the highest value shown on any active Hyperdie during the energy phase.
I’m a sucker for unique game mechanisms, and the Hyperdrive certainly stands out for me. Kudos, Alex!
A progressing game
Hyperdrive Odyssey builds well. It’s not a game that puts you right into the boiling kettle, but lets you settle in for a round or so. As you start preparing your defenses and offenses, trade materials, and head for specific planets, you can sense there’s chaos ahead. A conflict on the rise, a climax on the making.
Without giving too much away, I can say the climax certainly delivers.
Verdict
Does the narration add weight?
The narration certainly added an interesting angle to the game, and the branching paths gave it depth. There might be questions about replayability, but based on the experience I had from just one mission, and knowing I’ve only scratched the surface of the game’s universe, I’m pretty excited to keep exploring. It’s the kind of game I’ll return to from time to time to enjoy both playing and reading, which might just be my favorite kind of game lately. Thanks to Hyperdrive Odyssey and In the Blink of a Dragon’s Eye!
Too many moving parts?
At first, it felt like a lot was happening at once, with a handful of things to keep track of. But it only took a few rounds to get the hang of things. So give it a little time. What seemed overwhelming at first might turn out to be the part you enjoy most. These moving parts add real depth to the game.
Game nights or quiet evenings?
I really enjoyed playing it solo, with Star Wars soundtracks in my headphones. Still, I can easily imagine it being played with a gamemaster narrating the scenarios from the adventure text sheets, while a group of friends sit together and try to complete the missions!
Try both!
Hyperdrive engines ignited, the campaign just launched!
Just two days in, and the Kickstarter campaign for Hyperdrive Odyssey has already hit full throttle!
Into space, games, and trying out cool new adventures? Make sure to back this game.
Godspeed!
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Game Overview
Publisher: Microdot Games
Designer: Alex Cannon
Artist: Alex Cannon
Number of players: 1
Difficulty level: Easy to Medium
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn: 1 round
Game duration: 30 minutes for a mission
Available on: Kickstarter
Theme: Roll-and-Write | Narrative space adventure
Number of pages and color: Minimum 2 to 3 pages (color print)
Assembling difficulty level: Super easy. No Assembly required
Lamination: Recommended for longevity.
Additional elements required: 12 D6 dice, 13 cubes/small tokens, 1 token for your ship
Time to learn: Within 20 minutes
Travel-friendly: 8.5/10
Shelving friendly: 9/10
Rating from PnP Time: 8.5/10
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
