A Message From the Stars
- Players
- 2-8
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 2 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 45 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 11+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 2.6 / 5
- Year
- 2024
About the game
A Message From the Stars is a cooperative deduction game for two to eight players who take on the role of scientists trying to decode cryptic transmissions from an alien civilization. Players exchange numerical messages back and forth, each exchange revealing a piece of the puzzle needed to crack the alien language's underlying code. The game supports both fully cooperative play, where all scientists work together, and team play, where two groups of alien senders compete to communicate across the galaxy. Its induction and pattern-recognition core makes every session a fresh linguistic puzzle to unravel together.
Hobbli's Notes
Hobbli's team likes how this game scales - supporting up to eight players is unusual for a cooperative deduction title and makes it a strong option for larger groups. The core numerical-code puzzle is inventive, though as with many pure deduction games, the challenge can feel less fresh after repeated plays once the group settles into a shared decoding strategy. It's a nice pick for game nights looking for something different from typical word or party games.
What we like
- Scales unusually well from two players up to a full group of eight.
- Inventive numerical code-cracking core offers a fresh deduction challenge.
- Both cooperative and team-based modes add variety.
- Quick forty-five-minute playtime suits a game night rotation.
Keep in mind
- Replay value may decline once a group settles into a shared decoding approach.
- Abstract communication puzzle may not appeal to players who prefer thematic games.
- As a newer release, long-term community feedback is still limited.
Who it's for
Groups who enjoy cooperative deduction and communication puzzles; scales well from two up to eight players, ages 11 and up.
