Review: Space Kraken

The weather has been hot here in Chicago and I was able to sit outside in the shade an open up Space Kraken. I received a preview copy and its not the full version will all of the extras that are coming with the kickstarter. Speaking of, there are only a couple of days left in the fully funded kickstarter so after reading this review I suggest you go check it out right away if you are interested. So without further delay here is Space Kraken!

Years after the events of 2025 leave the planet Earth with a collapsed biosphere and anyone with the ability to get into space is scrambling to do so. You find yourself amongst those who have escaped the now inhospitable Earth. What precipitated all this chaos that destroyed Earth? In the year 2025 scientists created a genetically modified deep-sea Kraken to consume the vast amounts of toxic waste and tons of radioactive waste that the humans have been dumping into the sea. A few wars latter and some nuclear missiles only made it stronger and eventually the Kraken left Earth leaving behind a world that was on the brink of collapse.

"the CGM provides an immersive experience that has you feeling like you and the crew are actually exploring space."

Kraken is a solo RPG (it has modes of playing for up to 4 players) that has you running a ship that has left Earth in search of the Kraken and new worlds. The heart of the game is the Crypted Game Master (CGM) a sort of paper AI that runs the game for you. As you have space battles and explore new worlds and fight the Kraken the CGM will be there to direct your experience. It takes a little bit to get used to but once you do the CGM provides an immersive experience that has you feeling like you and the crew are actually exploring space.

I Really enjoyed the portability of the game having a pencil and 3 dice are the only accessories that you needed to get this game going. The pages fold out of the book so you can have your ship, crew and the aliens including the Kraken can all be displayed at together. Just like other RPGs you can advance your characters and ships buying skills or upgrades. and they are all right there at your finger tips. The core rules are in the middle of the book but that is so the fold out pages on either side are available while you are looking at the rules, maps and CGM. This design was really unique and worked very well while I played through the initial adventure.

Space Kraken offers some game aspects that will have you thinking you are playing an immersive video game and that works very well for Space Kraken. There are weapons and upgrades for the ship and skills and attributes that can be upgraded for the crew. Traditionally in a RPG you control 1 character but in Space Kraken you control 4 crew member and the ship itself. This was really recriminate of a video game RPG like Final Fantasy. The books are also chalked full of beautiful space art and that really helps set you up for the experience that is Space Kraken.

"All in all I found the experience to be fun and engaging and would recommend it to my game group."

This game is deep and portable. This is a real interesting solo experience or it can be shared with a small group if you choose. The game is rather easy to learn but the CGM takes a little longer to get used to than traditional RPG games. All in all I found the experience to be fun and engaging and would recommend it to my game group. I recommend you check out the kickstarter before it ends.

Watch this video if only to enjoy the voice over!