I like a good deck building game, but they do tend to get a bit repetitive after a while, with different themes grafted on to what is essentially the same game. Most games of this type use the familiar "buy cards, use those cards to buy better cards" formula, and attempts to innovate usually involve adding additional currencies, such as with the Legendary series or Star Realms, where players need to balance the ability to buy better cards with the ability to combat villains (or other players).
Clank! In! Space! goes in a different direction entirely. The deck building mechanics are the same as with any deck building game, but this game adds a board and an additional currency in the form of movement, with players moving their pawns around the board in a press-your-luck style treasure hunt similar to games like DungeonQuest, where players can go for safer, lower-value treasure or risk it all for the big score.
On top of that, there's one more thing to keep track of: noise. The premise of the game is that players are essentially burglars sneaking around a giant space ship, and certain card plays will produce noise in the form of clank tokens. At various points during the game the clank tokens are drawn randomly from a bag, and if yours are drawn they are added to a damage track. Ten or more damage knocks you out of the game, so in addition to everything else you need to take opportunities to heal damage so you can stay in the game.
A few simple additions to the standard deck building game formula makes for a more interesting game overall, but also provides a wider variety of game effects for the cards. Buying cards isn't just a matter of "does it generate money to buy more cards, or combat to defeat monsters," they can also generate movement effects and add or remove clank tokens.
The artwork and graphic design are top notch. The theme is a light science fiction parody, with cards referencing pop culture mainstays such as Star Wars and Star Trek, which is fun but also stops it from being really compelling. It doesn't generate a unique world of its own, but not every game needs to.
Rating: 4 (out of 5) An entertaining game that brings some much-needed innovation to a game genre that may be getting a little tired.
- Clank! In! Space! official website
- Clank! In! Space! on Boardgamegeek