Rescuing Aliens with Lift Off! Get Me Off This Planet!
Rescue a group of aliens from a rapidly disintegrating planet with unique platforms in Lift Off! Get Me Off This Planet!
Busy times for me, indeed, yet I finally had a chance to take advantage of my new play area. It was a little too hard to resist the appeal of the lovable aliens in Lift Off! Get Me Off This Planet! With escape methods ranging from trampolines and jet packs to elevators and rocket ships, how was I not going to have some fun with this?! Whee!
Pencil First Games Disclaimer
As of the writing of this entry, I work as the sales manager for Pencil First Games. I received this copy at no cost. Everything is written from my point of view and I was not asked to post anything, yet please keep my role in mind. I’m all about full transparency and honesty! I don’t automatically go in liking these games… They still have to work well!
Game Overview
Game Name: Lift Off! Get Me Off This Planet!
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: Eduardo Baraf
Artist: Nichole Kelley
Publisher: Pencil First Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Not the little aliens! The solo goal is to find a way to save all 10 before time runs out and the planet explodes. Time is short, actions must be carefully planned, and the types of escape methods are randomized. What’s that? Don’t forget about the ferocious Garglore who ruins plans!
First Play
November 18, 2020
Complexity
2
Latest Play
November 18, 2020
Expansions
0
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
10
Game Area
24" x 26"
Low Score
2
Into the Core
Technically, the rules call for the use of 10 aliens of the same color. So I immediately ruined the setup instructions so I could get a colorful cast in play! Look at them all!
Due to my photography skills disintegrating like the planet, I failed to capture the awesomeness of this board.
All of the lift off points are double-sided with all manner of vehicles and methods to save the aliens. If you think it’s a serious sort of game… Please look at these little faces.
Equally important is the Garglore tracker there in the middle. That monster is never pleased. Not at all!
A Well-Timed Nap
That Garglore rotates around the planet to cause problems for the aliens. Sometimes, aliens are knocked back to the core. Lift off points might even immediately change!
At the end of each round, a random action card determines what the Garglore does. To start with… Nothing!
This perfect nap gave the aliens a head start towards escape. Mechanically speaking, this turned out to be a central element that made me think through each turn.
It’s also very easy to run the solo opponent: Rotate the tracker and draw a card. Little downtime, and lots of fun.
To the Trampoline
Silly case in point right here: A trampoline! Not only are the lift off points unique in name and artwork, but the requirements change drastically for each one.
Here, a maximum of 2 aliens may jump (literally) onto the platform at no cost. Depending on the position of the moon tracker, lift off may be easy or difficult.
It cost 1 screw resource to roll the die. With the moon right overhead in a full position, this looked possible…
And so it was! This little pair bounced way up in the air to escape the planet. It worked! 2 down, 8 to go.
Stomping All Over
As I got immersed in the world, making odd “alien noises” that really didn’t make any sense, the Garglore struck.
There were ways to ignore the actions, but I had to plan these out. Besides, for my first time playing, I was just excited that the trampoline worked. Ha ha!
Slowly but steadily, the aliens were knocked off platforms and then back to the core. There went all the progress!
Although this looks like a very lighthearted game on the surface, it’s not as light as it may appear. Actions aren’t obvious and adjusting to changes is mandatory.
A Rousing Failure
I was so close to saving another 4 aliens during the final round, but you know who showed up? That Garglore!
So I ended up saving just the first pair who used the trampoline. Their expressions said it all as they vaguely looked in my direction. “How could you, Jessica?!”
I was expecting to pack things up after giving this an initial whirl. Yet I felt bad about leaving those aliens behind. And there were other lift off points to explore.
Without them knowing it, these aliens went back in a time warp so I could try to save them again. Back to the core!
Jetpack Excitement
With a new assortment of lift off points around the planet, I had to rework my strategy. The jetpack platform was an interesting one that required a few things to work out.
First, I needed to get lucky with the cards and draw a lot of fuel. As it happened, that’s precisely what happened!
Although I could only move a single alien onto the platform at once, lift off was immediate and was cheap with a half moon or new moon. I knew how to do that!
So this turned into a very lucrative lift off point. Several aliens safely escaped! But what of the others?!
The Satellite Signal
I had 7 of 10 aliens safely off in the atmosphere… Yet the final trio was stuck at the satellite. This was a guaranteed sort of lift off, though it was very costly.
A total of 6 screws were spent to get the aliens on the platform. To launch, I needed another 6 screws. So close!
As I entered the final round, the card draw was exactly what I didn’t need. I had just 5 screws and 3 useless cards. However, I could trade in 2 cards to draw a new one.
First attempt… Nothing. The planet had just moments to go. The aliens made those odd little noises. “Oh, no!”
Yelling for No One
While I still had a final attempt to trade the cards for the right one, the Garglore was having a tantrum in the core.
All that yelling, and for what?! Maybe I should have made an attempt to get this guy on board. Might I suggest a trampoline? An elevator? Or a warp portal?
Honestly, this so-called “enemy” was one of my favorite parts of the game. The unpredictable card draws added suspense, but I had the ability to plan ahead a little bit.
With any luck, the giant explosion worked as a lift off point for the Garglore… Floating away in SPAAACE!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 2 and 10 (1 Win and 1 Loss)
There they go! At the very last moment, with my final card trade, I ended up with the last screw card to launch the satellite. What a way to win! It wasn’t easy at all, and I can’t see myself being successful on a regular basis. The Garglore really can be difficult, yet in a strategic way. No extra time is needed to decide what to do: It’s a simple matter of rotating the tracker and following the rules on a card. So much fun! And I did it: All 10 aliens flew away!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
9
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- The box insert provides excellent storage for every component and features a molded place for nearly everything.
- Saving the aliens is an endearing theme that makes decisions feel important, while still maintaining humor.
- Many of the lift off points are hilarious in terms of imagining how they might work to launch the aliens.
- There are a lot of strategies that revolve around the moon tracker, Garglore, lift off points, and cards in hand.
- Most of the rules are straightforward and don’t take long to memorize, although there aren’t summary cards.
- The wooden alien meeples are wonderfully crafted with a whimsical feel and slightly different expressions.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Not all of the lift off points are usable in solo, and the blank sides sometimes make gameplay a little less smooth.
- Although the iconography is pretty easy to understand, each lift off point needs to be understood completely.
- It can be slightly tricky to keep track of how many movement and repair actions have been taken each round.
- The cards don’t feature a linen finish, which isn’t that important, but is noticeable when handling them.
Victory Conditions
Save All 10 Aliens
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Score 10 points.
Continue the Conversation
What are your thoughts about Lift Off! Get Me Off This Planet!? Do you have a favorite lift off point to use? I thought that the solo mode was going to be decent, but not anything that would stand out. Nope! I truly enjoyed making nonsensical alien noises as I moved them around and launched them into space. What a lovely gaming surprise!
A small suggestion: “Last played” in the info box might become “Latest play”. (Unless you actually plan never to play it again.) That might be en_GB vs en_US though.
This looks interesting – not really my style but if I see it at a convention I’ll give it a go.
Thanks for the suggestion! That may make more sense going forward. I’m in the midst of a lot of small cleanup things around the blog, and changing the wording certainly makes sense. I appreciate it!
This really isn’t in my style, either, but it was pleasantly surprising. I’m looking forward to the time when conventions can start back up! This one seems like it would be a lot of fun, simply for the alieneeples. They’re really something up close, and it’s hard not to laugh a little bit during play!