The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is a trick-taking game from KOSMOS, where players must strategically complete missions in space to progress the story. The game supports 3-5 players, but also has a modified two-player mode, where the captain assumes control of an “AI” player.

This is a surprisingly inexpensive game for the quality and volume of content. The artwork is pretty, and the theme will be very rewarding for my fellow science geeks, with a clever historical premise. The campaign also offers dozens of various missions that can be completed in a standalone or sequential way.

Setup is very easy, and the gameplay itself may not take very long, especially early on. That can seem disappointing at first. But there are far more challenging missions, preventing the game from feeling too redundant.

The freedom to pursue shorter or longer games at will is also perfect for schedules that need more flexibility. This way, you don’t have to wait for Friday night to settle down for some gaming.

The key to The Crew, which makes it so distinguishable, is the limited communication. Players must collect tricks, or help teammates win tricks, without speaking or showing their hands. The only method of communication is a single-use token. This token can be used to show and define one of your cards: the highest, lowest, or sole card of a suit.

There’s also a Distress Signal token that reaches out to Earth, so that players can pass cards to their left or right. You’ll have to note this in your Log Book, a record of your team’s activity, so that you can also compete for high scores.

The two-player mode is decent, as the Captain treats the AI player as a third player. This makes it easier for the Captain to communicate, given the decisions of the AI. However, it also puts more pressure on the Captain’s responsibilities, especially in later missions.

Final Thoughts

This low-cost card game provides a staggering amount of gameplay with very few components. It’s easy to store, learn, and play out, making it very accessible for curious gamers who aren’t familiar with board games.

The puzzles are challenging enough, and the deep sea expansion is very similar, so there’s even more to explore if you end up loving the game as much as we did.

Score: 8/10