SETI Board Game Review

Ever play a game where you feel like thematically you are working together but in actuality you are competing? Me neither, but SETI almost gives me that feel as all players are working (although not together) to find alien life. As you move around the solar system and take actions, you will eventually discover aliens, and earn points based on the actions you are taking. Let’s take a look!

If you haven’t yet, read our components overview. We are really impressed with the table presence of SETI, and while there are things we might not be crazy about, the overall table presence is really, really good.

One of the main things you will be doing in SETI is moving around the board, avoiding asteroids and such, and landing on planets to perform actions and gain some intel. Planets you arrive at can be interacted with in various ways, perhaps by launching a satellite to move around the planet, or dropping a probe down onto the planet to dig around and root out information for you. Your discovery of various things might also provide you with a positive reputation, which will come in handy throughout the game.

Those first few actions all revolve around movement and planets, but there is another action you can take which involves doing periodic scans. You can scan in various places around the board, obtaining data as you do so and replacing data discs on the central board with your own coloured pieces. The data discs will move to your board, filling up a track and unlocking a variety of bonuses. The pieces of your colour that you play out onto the central board will come into play later in the game as you work to have the majority in the various places you can perform scans. Have the majority when it matters and, you guessed it, get more stuff.

I’d love to tell you that’s all there is to SETI, but that would be one big lie. Because we haven’t talked about the card economy, the technology tiles you can purchase, rotating the central board, and so much more. There are plenty of videos online that will give you a great overview of SETI so my discourse will end here.

SETI is phenomenal, and one of my favorite games of 2024. It is NOT, however, a light or easy experience. There is a lot going on in this game, so much so that I think it will overwhelm a lot of people. But for those willing to put in the effort and unpack this massive game to play, there is so many satisfying moments. First and foremost, it always feels like something is happening on your turn. You never have that boring “Collect Your Workers” action like in worker placement games, or the “Discard and Redraw” actions in card games that feel wasted and unsatisfying. In SETI, it seems that no matter what you are doing, you are getting something cool, unlocking a new ability, finding data, finding aliens, etc. It also feels useful as well, not just getting things for the sake of getting things.

For your first number of plays at least, the most exciting part of SETI is finally discovering the aliens that have made their appearance in your game. The two you use each game are randomly selected from a pool of six, and each will interact with your game in different ways. Either providing unique ways to score points, or perhaps changing how certain aspects of the game play out. They feel like a mid-game rules modification that players will need to pivot and deal with, and I love it.

How that will feel after you’ve discovered all of the aliens is something I cannot say as we specifically played our games so that we ended up using all the available options. But even when we did get a few repeats after Game #3, the fact that you have no idea which aliens are facedown when the game starts will keep you on your toes – there is no planning for the end game here as so much is tied to the alien races you are researching.

To that end, it does mean that the first half of every game of SETI does seem to play out relatively the same, and for some people that won’t be something they love. I was always OK with it since the second half payoff was so great. Even if the first half feels the same, there are so many great options and strategies to try and use, so if you change up what planets you aim for, or what achievements you attempt to finish, I think SETI could be one that stands the test of time.

Overall, SETI is a fantastic experience that gets easier the more times you play it. While your first experience might be a bit of a let down as you try to wrap your head around the sheer number of options this game provides, the more you play it, the more you will appreciate the brilliance of the design. SETI is on my list of top games in 2024 and for good reason – it’s a damn good experience.