I’m something of a board game purist. Sure, I can be dazzled by a slick Kickstarter full of stretch goals and deluxe upgrades, but minis? Meh. I’m here for the game, not a plastic army that takes up half my shelf. The best games don’t need gimmicks- they pull you in with their mechanics, seamlessly blending theme and gameplay until you forget you’re even following rules. That, my friends, is the good stuff.
As far as well-made games go, Rio Grande absolutely shines here. Their approach to publishing is delightfully no-nonsense. No fancy foils, no linen-finished-this-and-that, no distractions. Just games, in their purest form. Now, don’t get me wrong- deluxe components aren’t bad, but let’s not pretend some publishers aren’t slapping shiny objects in our faces to make us overlook the fact that their game is a flaming dumpster fire of bad balance and overcomplicated mechanics.
Rio doesn’t play that game. And while I won’t claim that everything they touch is perfection (I prefer stronger theme integration), I deeply respect their philosophy. I’d rather a game lean towards fun gameplay than production value. Which brings me to Beyond the Sun.
This game is lean. No fluff. No unnecessary chrome. Just a raw, strategic experience. This is a game that sheds frivolity, with tech cards shaved and honed to lethal blades, resting on that board with nothing but their intellectual merits. There’s no silly little drawing in the corner…this is science, dammit, art be damned! If you want immersion, go stare at a nebula.
Alright, alright, I’m joking. Mostly. But the point stands: Beyond the Sun is all substance, no fluff, and it starts with the rulebook. It’s shockingly easy to learn, and once you’ve played once, you almost never need to check the rules again. Yes, the graphic design is a bit bland, but it does its job. It keeps things clear so you can focus on the gameplay.
Now, I know there are people who see a text-heavy card and react like they’ve just been asked to read a tax form. But these cards are refreshingly obvious. The strong ones are clearly strong. You don’t need to be some grandmaster with 100 plays under your belt to grasp their value. How many times have I been reading a forum for some game full of people screaming “OMG this card is so OP!” …..not the way I played it :/ But not to worry, even pea-brained lil ol’ me understood the power of these cards!
So what’s the game actually about? You lead a faction racing for technological supremacy and space colonization. The game revolves around a shared tech tree. Players unlock new technologies by advancing their markers along research paths. Each turn, you take one action, which boils down to: research tech, gather resources, or explore and colonize planets. You’ve got to manage your population and economy wisely, and when a set number of achievements are completed, the game ends. Most points wins. Simple but certainly not shallow.
One of the best things about Beyond the Sun is that you’re never locked into a single dominant strategy. The techs themselves seem quite well-balanced. There’s no single “best” path. You can go deep into military, focus on economic growth, or mix and match. Some games you’ll be gunning for a high-tech engine, while in others, you’ll be a spacefaring warlord, grabbing planets left and right. The beauty is you can’t just ignore any part of the game entirely though…everything is interconnected. You can win without dominating the space board but you’ll still need to dip your toes in. Likewise, if you hyper-focus on colonization without any tech support, you’ll probably hit a wall.
That said, every time I’ve bet big on colonization, I’ve been utterly destroyed by someone who beelined for Level 4 techs. My better strategy
But hey, I’ve played half a dozen or so times. There are folks out there who have played hundreds of games, and I’m sure my so-called strategies have massive flaws. I won’t pretend to be an expert, but I will tell you this: Beyond the Sun is just satisfying. Win or lose, it feels good to play. Sure, I’ve had moments where I stalled midgame because I forgot to build a decent population engine. But overall the game flows, the decisions are rewarding, and it keeps me coming back for more. And really, what more can you ask for?
This is a game about progress, and staying true to that theme, just about every action feels like a step forward. I love that it’s a shared tech tree, rather than your own private tableau. If I research a new technology, suddenly it’s available for everyone, but I get the benefit of being first. It creates a great tension where you’re constantly weighing what to research against when to research it.
There are so many directions to go and that’s part of what makes this game compelling. It has a low barrier to entry but a high skill ceiling. The more you play, the more you realize how much more there is to master.
Beyond the Sun doesn’t need flashy miniatures, deluxe components, or foil-stamped tech cards to be great. It’s a game that trusts its mechanics to carry the experience. And you know what? It works. Every time I play, I feel immense satisfaction. It doesn’t do an amazing job integrating its theme, but I still have fun each time. It’s a game where winning is great, but playing is even better.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rethink my entire approach to tech trees. Again.
Thank you to Rio Grande for the review copy.