Star Chart Game Review

Star Chart Game Review

Are you a stargazer? Do you feel like you belong more to the cosmos than Earth?

Have you ever fantasized about crafting your own constellation in the night sky?

Then I have something special for you!

Fresh out of the oven, Star Chart is a game I got to try while it’s still running on Kickstarter; and, dare I say, it’s doing pretty well! Published by Bigger World Games and designed by Martin Brandel, this 1-8 player game is already funded but you can still Late Pledge to earn some special rewards. Perhaps this game review will help you make up your mind!

A bit on the game

Star Chart is a deep puzzle game where you use cards to form a star chart to form as many constellations as possible. The constellations that you need to form will be either in the sky (mat) or in the cards you’re holding. The game has multiple modes:
-The solo mode
-The multiplayer mode
-The puzzle mode
Having multiple modes of a game always is a green flag for me; especially the solo mode. A vast majority of PnP enthusiasts prefer solo games, based on a little survey that we did on our community group.

All you need to play Star Chart

Dear gamers, you have two options. Either to take the route of printing it out or to get the boxed version of the game.

For the PnP version, get ready to print and cut more than 100 cards! You also need card sleeves for longevity plus less friction. As you can guess from the images, I took the PnP route since I got early access to the game. You can claim the PnP copy of the game through Late Pledge.

My printer certainly did not do justice to the brilliant artwork of the game, but the boxed version surely did! The game will also be available for purchase with high-quality cards and puzzle booklets- an irresistible cherry on top!

No additional elements are required to play the game. So go ahead and give your dice and gaming tokens a well-deserved break.

I have attached a Game Tutorial video at the end of the blog, check it out to learn the game in less than 10 minutes.

Star Chart Game Review

How I played Star Chart

After getting the PnP files, I printed and cut out the cards. It took a while, but the whole aspect of playing the game kept me excited. My first go at the game was a solo one, accompanied by soundtracks of Interstellar in my headphones! That’s how the game is meant to be played, alright?

It took me a while to play the game for the first time, but once I got the hang of it, everything went pretty smoothly. What felt like a simple game of creating constellations turned out to have much more depth than I initially thought! How so?

How you set the cards in your chart is mighty important

You cannot, by any means, lay out cards just for the sake of it. Every card you put on the chart will have an instant impact on the possible constellations that you get to make from that point onwards. Your cosmic foolishness may get saved by 3 Ability Cards, but you only get to use them once!

What you discard from your hand is key!

Too often have I found myself looking back at the pile of discarded cards with regret. Don’t rush on discarding cards but you have to let one go on every round.
It’s impossible!
No, It’s necessary.

A game on the cosmos and you expect me not to quote Interstellar?!

Know when to use your Ability Cards

Be it matching constellations, reducing deficits on the chart, or sacrificing matched constellations to earn more points- make sure to use your 3 powers wisely, at the right time. Using the Ability card is also the only way to match 2 constellations in a round, so make the most of them.

Beware of the cards that you need to match

I was so indulged in the constellation cards at the Sky card at first, that I completely overlooked the cards that I had in hand. Both can be used to match constellations, so take a while on every round when fresh cards are dished out. Observe the cards you have in hand, the ones in your Star Chart, and the Sky cards. Thank me later.

Know how to arrange the cards in your hand!

You may only have 5 cards in hand on every round, but they can be divided into 3 segments: cards that can be matched as constellations, ones that will find their way to the Star Chart, and ones that may get discarded. Organizing the cards that way helped me strategize the game better, and it may help you too!

My last point perfectly demonstrates the depth the game has achieved.

Gameplay

I loved playing the solo version of Star Chart. With space-themed soundtracks ringing in my ears and being a big fan of the galaxies, I had a wonderful time matching constellations. The game gave my brain the perfect kick of challenge-not too much, and not too little- and I loved it. You can still call the game simple, it takes little to no time to learn. It’s simple, yet beautifully complex.

After having a pleasant time playing the game, 4 of my friends came over. A game that felt soothing for the soul turned into a battle for the constellations! Imperial March burst through the speakers as we fought over the galaxies. We declared the player with 15 points and the most conquered constellations as the Dark Lord of the Universe. A bit over the top, but we loved it!

The verdict!

So, Star Chart- yay or nay? A resounding yes!

To me, it’s all about green flags.
+A game that’s easy to learn yet has enough depth to make you think
+A game with multiple modes that’s perfect for both quiet evenings and lively game nights.
+A game on space. Big green flag!

If you’re sensing the game is a green flag for you and your friends, make sure to Late Pledge the game while you can.

A big shout out to Bigger Worlds Games for sponsoring the content and giving me the chance to try out this amazing game before its release!

Game Overview

Publisher: Bigger World Games
Designer: Martin Brandel
Number of players:
1 to 8
Difficulty level: Medium
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn: 1 to 2 rounds
Game duration: 15-30 minutes
Available on: Kickstarter
Theme: Deep Puzzle Game | Creating Constellations
Number of pages and color: Maximum 32 pages (color print)
Assembling difficulty level: Super easy. No Assembly required
Lamination: Not recommended. Opt for Card Sleeves
Additional elements required: Card Sleeves, unless you opt for the boxed version!
Time to learn: Within 20 minutes
Travel-friendly: 9/10
Shelving friendly: 9/10
Rating from PnP Time: 8.5/10

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