Looking Up and Under Falling Skies for an Alien Invasion
Protect a city from an alien invasion by battling against ships and researching deep underground in Under Falling Skies.
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! … It gets about as close to happening with Under Falling Skies, which I picked up ages ago and finally brought to my solo table. Although not too complex, there is enough going on to make fighting off the alien invasion rather difficult. The iconic play area was soon ready to go, and off I went to save the city of Roswell!
Game Overview
Game Name: Under Falling Skies
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: Tomáš Uhlíř
Artists: Petr Boháček and Kwanchai Moriya
Publisher: Czech Games Edition
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Aliens are attacking! Columns act as the lanes for ships to descend, while defenses are put in place by placing dice and controlling how far the ships travel. Research is the way towards victory, which requires a careful balance with collecting energy and defending the skies.
First Play
May 1, 2023
Complexity
2
Latest Play
May 3, 2023
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
4
Play Time
30 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
12" x 28"
Low Score
N/A
Up, Up, and Away!
This is a unique play area that feels almost vertical, rather than spreading out. It’s quite thematic, though, and only requires a little stretching during the first few rounds.
In the skies, alien ships descend in columns. The rate at which they move depends on the dice placed underground.
Such a clever set of mechanics! Higher value dice are often very useful, yet they will accelerate the alien invasion.
A lot of the strategy involves moving the ships onto spaces where they can be destroyed. But this is all about coordination and moving ahead on the research track.
Alien Invasion Dice
I started off with the introductory mode, which isn’t just a tutorial. This is a game that requires experience to do well, so working out how to move ahead is imperative!
As such, I used 5 dice for my rolls. Placing a white die allowed me to re-roll all of the unplaced dice, which was a clever decision space. Definitely helped with bad luck!
However, I’m convinced one of my white die is an alien die. Look carefully at the top left pip: That’s a face. Ha!
This underground area of rooms is pretty awesome, mainly because not all of them are available at the start.
The Mothership
Watch out! Although the alien ships are the main threat, the mothership slowly descends to act as a timer. Most movement involves a penalty, too. Not so good!
I had these ships perfectly aligned, but apparently, one of them shifted a little early. Alien dice, and now truly alien plastic ships… I’m looking at a dangerous game. Ha ha!
The beauty of this design is that the dice provide randomness, yet most moves can be carefully planned.
To have some control over these alien ships was excellent, for it was my decision… Aside from rounds with bad rolls!
Return of the Penguin
My adorable Calico Critters penguin showed up in a recent space game, so it was only fitting that this would be the leader of this alien invasion. The absolute horror!
Imagine what space penguins dressed up as ice cream cones could do… Freezing temperatures, and cities made of ice cream that no one could eat. Just a catastrophe!
Yet it was accurate that the ships kept on coming. I could destroy some, but the pink versions always returned.
There are some awesome mothership models available out there, but I believe mine shall be represented by this. Ha!
Fun with Interesting Solo Game Decisions
Perhaps the strongest element of this game is player agency, or the amount of control a player has over the game state. Dice rolls still provide random aspects that can’t always be controlled, yet placement is entirely a choice. I can plan ahead to see what moving ships in different columns looks like, and then check the available rooms.
Many solo games do a great job of offering this kind of decision making process, and it’s done very well here! I’m only relying on the luck of the dice to provide me with my baseline choices. Beyond that, I know almost exactly what can happen in every respect… The trick is finding the most optimal path forward! A wonderfully brilliant kind of design.
That’s an important aspect in solo games: Player agency. Not every game needs to offer it, yet it can be very fun to have even a little control over what happens to the opposition. I’m having a lot of fun with this game, and I know why!
A Mighty Excavator
At the start, only a handful of rooms are available to place dice in, but a little excavator can move along to uncover additional available rooms. Another clever idea!
I thought this might feel disjointed, yet it was a key part of the strategy. Some rounds involved giving up a die to make sure the excavator could move ahead a few spaces.
Such a great little meeple, too! I may have made some vehicle noises, which need some real work. Ha ha!
My excavating never reached the final space, yet some of the rooms in the bottom rows were essential.
Under Attack!
During my first play, I made a bit of a mistake with the overall strategy. Rather than focus on research, I tried to destroy ships whenever possible on the explosion spaces.
Although fun and a good idea, it soon dawned on me that the mothership was headed right for Roswell!
Actually, this was the final state as I just barely reached the highest research space before the aliens were poised to win. Goodness! At least I caught what I was doing wrong.
This is certainly a lighter game on the surface, yet I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of choices.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Play Details: Introductory Mode
Outcome: 2 Wins
After my initial close call, I balanced research a little more and managed to cut down my play time and earn another victory! This was only done with the introductory mode, too. There is a full game mode, and then an eventual campaign to try out. Just need to keep working on my skills! This is an excellent solo game that I’m glad I finally brought to my table. Watch out for space penguins!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
9
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Controlling the movement of the descending ships by choosing where to place dice offers interesting choices.
- Gameplay moves along quickly, only slowed down by the need to decide how to best utilize the available dice.
- There is a lot of variety in the different game modes, ensuring that everything stays fresh between plays.
- Although the rules are straightforward and pretty light, playing strategically and optimally takes experience.
- The theme and mechanics meld together really nicely in every aspect to create very enjoyable gameplay.
- Growing tension builds as the mothership slowly descends to create an ongoing threat in a race against time.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There is a very small table footprint in general, but the first few rounds may involve stretching far away at times.
- Most of the rules are easy to memorize, yet the only reference is on the mothership, which is often hard to see.
- It can be easy to bump some of the markers off of their tracks when moving around the ships near the city.
- Difficulty levels seem a little tricky to standardize, although there is plenty of variety and this isn’t a problem.
Victory Conditions
Reach the Top of the Research Track
- Overall Goal Progress 80%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game in the introductory mode.
Win at least 1 game in the full game mode.
Win at least 1 game with New York City.
Win at least 1 game with Roswell.
Win at least 1 game with Washington, DC.
Continue the Conversation
What are your thoughts about Under Falling Skies? The fun choices that come with placing dice and moving the ships are excellent, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the experience! Do you recommend the campaign mode? I can’t wait to dig into more content, although the full game mode looks to be a great next step. Can’t wait to play again!
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