Planet Unknown

Planet Unknown is a game about exploring a newly discovered planet to see whether it is going to be habitable by humans. This is a polyomino game in which you try to fill your own player board. Polyomino tiles are laid out on a Lazy Susan which is rotated every turn. You always have two pieces before you, and you must pick one to place on your planet. The game ends when one player is unable to place either of his options. 

A tile you pick always has two colours. These colours let you advance on the corresponding technology tracks. There are five such technology tracks. When you reach certain positions, you get some benefit. Benefits include victory points, special abilities, free advancements on another track, and so on. If there are specific tracks you want to focus on, you will tend to choose tiles with those colours. 

The different tile colours have different characteristics. Red tiles often let you move your rovers. Rovers are used to get rid of meteors. Some tiles come with meteors, and if they are not removed, they make their spaces unusable. Removed meteors give points. Blue tiles are quick in giving you points, but only if they are placed on water terrain. When advancing on the green track, one benefit you can gain is single square tiles which help tremendously in filling your planet without leaving gaps. 

At the end of the game, complete rows and columns score points. Meteors and barrels collected score points. Advancements on technology tracks as well. Although the game is mostly solitaire, there is one aspect where you will compete with other players. There are several bonus scoring criteria. If you fulfil the conditions better than your opponents, you will score bonus points. This influences how you plan in filling up your planet. You will probably choose to fulfil some and concede on others. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Those icons along the top refer to the bonus scoring criteria.

One-time benefits when you reach certain points on the black track.

I really enjoyed the experience of playing Planet ‎Unknown. I find it soothing and satisfying. You can plan a few turns ahead which tiles to take and how to fill your board leaving as few gaps as possible. What tiles and colours become available to you is subject to luck. You don’t always get what you want. However, you can still make the most out of what you are dealt. It is mostly a solitaire game, and usually I prefer games with more player interaction. Yet I find this game a joy to play. It is a rewarding experience to see all the pieces fall in place.