Looking for a cooperative brainteaser that moves a story of exploration and discovery forward over dozens of missions? Well then The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine may be the game for you!
Your first challenge as an explorer? No talking allowed. Communications have been disrupted, and the players can’t speak to each other, mime, make faces, or use hand signals. Being completely honest, it’s a difficult rule to get used to at first, and it was hard for the kids.
9yo: “Very confusing, I might get it better the more we play.”
Nevertheless, it’s an absolute blast to play with adults—it seats three to five players, but has optional rules to play with just two. It’s quick to play, and the 50 different quests and random tasks pack a lot of replayability. Think of it as a party game that you can play in five to twenty minutes rather than a hobby board game to play with the whole family.
It’s also built into the game that you won’t always win each attempt, and that’s okay! It’s difficult to plan together when you can’t speak and you have to hide most information from the other players. The key is to figure out your plan alone and then hope the other players are all on the same page as you. And when your fellow players drop just the right card? Incredibly satisfying.
Ultimately The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is not a game we’re going to reach for to play with our eleven- or nine-year-old. But! We played some rounds without them, and this is definitely something we’ll bust out on game nights with our friends. If you have older kids or kids who are brainteaser fiends, this is a great game to pick up and play.
Helpful Hints
- Colour Vision Deficiency friendly: Each colour card suit also has its own symbol for ease of identification.
- There’s a helper app that teaches the game and provides background music.