Age of Wonders: Planetfall Unboxing and Components Review

Arcane Wonders seems to have this unique ability to not only create fantastic games with deep strategic thoughts required, but also games that are easy to teach and minimalistic in design. With only a deck of cards, a handful of wooden pieces, and some player boards, Age of Wonders: Planetfall appears to be yet another easy to understand, hard to master game from Arcane Wonders, and I cannot wait to get this one onto the table to play.

As we do with all our board game reviews, we like to spend time unboxing the game and looking at the components included. Arcane Wonders is using a standard cardboard insert into the box to hold some of the smaller pieces, cards, and bags in place. This system works well, and while I always advocate for great inserts that hold everything in specific spots, it really is not necessary for this release.

The wooden pieces are great quality, and I’m so glad that Arcane Wonders has used unique colours to make this experience feel just a bit unique. The tired red, blue, green, and yellow is here, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, we get variations of these colours, and when everything is set out on the table, it really pops!

The player boards and other trackers are printed on cards, as opposed to thick cardboard pieces. While I would prefer to have thick pieces, I’m not sure longterm it is going to matter that much. If you plan to play Age of Wonders: Planetfall a lot, however, I would perhaps suggest laminating these player items. I did appear as if the cutting of the player boards was a bit off, as my boards had rough edges where an obvious cut had been made. It’s a minor gripe, but as you know, we like to be thorough with these unboxing articles!

The card quality is fantastic, and although I will ultimately sleeve up the cards – as I do with many of my games – I don’t think any of this is a necessity. They feel good in the hands, and look great as well. In fact, all the artwork in the game is fantastic, and translates the look of the video game to your table very well. If only the game came with a USB with the soundtrack of Age of Wonders: Planetfall! I kid, but wouldn’t that be fantastic?

There is nothing overly flashy about Age of Wonders: Planetfall, and that is perfectly OK in my opinion. The artwork and feel of the components is better than average, and while there aren’t any pieces that are going to blow your mind – I think about the wonders in World Wonders – it’s all made to be very serviceable. Sure, Arcane Wonders could have done a little something more with the small cube markers, but again, we are nitpicking something that doesn’t really matter in the long term, except with a slight price increase if done.

We cannot wait to get Age of Wonders: Planetfall onto the table, so stay tuned for our full review of the game!