Okay, let’s get right to it. I have to admit that I really, really like this game. It really ‘floats my boat’, or maybe ‘sends my rocket into space’ is a better way to put it. I managed to play one full game and half of another one. We had to stop the first game because we ran out of time, and a week went by, so it was too late to go back to it. In the second game, Yasmin beat me badly. She understood the game much faster than I did and she won by a large margin.

So, what is Andromeda’s Edge all about?

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Well, this is not just a normal space game with a space theme stuck on top. It is a huge, open-world game set in space where every choice you make feels like it matters across the galaxy. First, you pick a faction. Every faction is different and has its own special powers. Then, you build your space station by adding different parts. These parts give you new abilities, resources, or ways to get points. It is like building an engine, but with a very powerful reactor core.

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Each round, you send your ships out to different planets or areas in space. You go there to get resources, build parts for your station, fight a little bit, or use strong special abilities. But here is the best part: when your ships are done, they go back to your station. When they return, they set off all the cool combos you have built up. It is a really satisfying cycle of planning, sending ships out, and getting the rewards from your space empire. It also has area control, different goals to aim for, and a tech tree that feels like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie. The game is very strategic and fits the theme perfectly.

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It is a complex game. In fact, it is a 4x game, which stands for Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate. That name suggests a game that is deep, complicated, and will take all day to play. Well, it is deep and complicated, but it isn’t always that long. A two-player game can actually be finished in less than two hours.

The rules take some time to learn because there is a lot you can do. It took me until halfway through our second game to really understand how all the parts work together and to make a good plan. Once I figured it out, I was impressed by how smart the game design is.

There are many ways to play and we only saw a little bit of it. You can focus on the Tech trees. You can try to control the galaxy with your buildings. You can become a strong fighting force. You can focus on building your station. And if you are feeling lucky—or maybe foolish—you can try to do all of these things at once!

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I really liked how many different things you can do in this game. I can see that you could play it many times and it would still be fun and new.

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There is so much to this game that I feel like my ‘first thoughts’ are barely scratching the surface. It feels more like ‘tentative steps’ right now.

The production quality is also very good, though the game takes up a lot of table space. There are many small pieces to manage, but it looks great when you set it all up.

I cannot wait to play Andromeda’s Edge again. I want to learn the details of each faction and figure out the many ways to develop my station to get the most out of every turn. The depth of the game will keep me interested for many long evenings to come. I think this will be a real winner!