MLEM: Space Agency – Board Game Review

It’s 2075. Cats rule Earth and are ready to conquer space. Becoming the best cat-stronaut will take guts and luck. Do you have what it takes to dominate the universe, or will you be left licking your wounds? 

From the minds of Reiner Knizia and Rebel Studio comes MLEM: Space Agency. This is a competitive press-your-luck game that features dice rolling, area majority, and a cast of adorable cats.

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Overview

Each round competitors load a cat onto a dice-fueled rocket to travel along the cosmic mat – a neoprene “board” filled with celestial bodies along a singular track. Each space on the track indicates its travel requirement in the form of two or three die faces. Players take turns captaining the ship, taking charge of the rocket’s movements. The captain rolls dice and if any match the travel requirements for that space, they choose which to use as fuel, then discard them. The captain must use the entire group of like dice – they cannot be divided.

As the fuel supply dwindles, players will have to decide whether to disembark or press on in hopes of more glory. But if the captain bungles the roll, the rocket explodes. Cats left on a busted rocket return to Earth to fly another day, but forgo any potential points from the mat. The game ends when the rocket has crashed 11 times, or when a player has placed their final cat onto the cosmic mat.

Review

Gameplay

This is not a game that allows for careful planning (although a few overarching strategies may emerge, especially when utilizing the included modules). MLEM: Space Agency is more about making tactical decisions in the moment. The biggest decision point is determining when to disembark versus pushing on. But there are several other points in the game where captains and passengers all have choices to make. Luck is a significant factor in the game but players still have quite a bit of agency.

The addition of unique cat astronauts fosters the first choice each round. Each of the eight felines has a unique ability that can affect scoring or the mission. Cat-stronauts can be chosen at random, but shrewd players will quickly deduce which are useful in specific situations. Being late in turn order gives more information, and allows for a bit of opportunism. 

Some of the most intriguing decisions come from the fact that the captain must choose to use or ignore entire groups of dice results, rather than being able to split them up. The more successful hits you have, the further you can move, but usually at the cost of losing all those dice for the remainder of the mission. Sometimes it makes sense to choose less fuel to conserve it for later, or to hit a juicy spot on the track (especially when the optional modules are in use). The best movement decisions aren’t always clear.

Traveling far along the track is an obvious way to score big, but other paths to victory should not be ignored. Unloading multiplier cats in the right spots, fighting for area majority on key planets, and racing to win the goal tokens all go a long way to boosting a competitive score.

Despite what Han Solo says, being a successful pilot involves knowing the odds. Each 6-sided die comes with the following faces: 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, and Afterburner (a multiplier). Depending on the space’s dice requirements, each die can offer a 33-66% chance of success. Spaces requiring a two, for example, tend to feel a bit more safe but may come at the cost of less movement potential. A more obvious indication of your odds is simply the number of available dice left in the fuel reserves. This simple visual indication gives younger players an easy way to assess their chances.

An exploding rocket results in cats that will not score, but since they land on their feet, they make it back to Earth to board a future mission. This lowers the stakes somewhat, but MLEM builds tension through races and area majority which keeps everyone invested.

Weight

MLEM: Space Agency is lightweight and incredibly accessible. The rulebook clearly explains the game but also includes a QRC code that leads the reader to a video tutorial. No matter your learning style, this game has simple rules and is easy to learn.

Replayability

MLEM comes with three modules that can be mixed and matched creating new experiences and opportunities for different choices. The Exploration and UFO modules create incentives to land on specific spaces on the board opening up new decision points for the captain, and the Secret Missions give players some initial direction. Although it might be a good way to introduce younger players to the game, I suspect the base game alone would get stale quickly. Fortunately, the included modules elevate the experience and add plenty of replayability. 

Interaction / Fun

Although missions often go south, cats return to their player to be used again later so player elimination is not a problem here. In addition, each person is involved in every turn which increases investment and eliminates virtually all downtime in the game. This decreases the stakes just enough – there is a sting from the loss of potential VPs but is not devastating to the point of ruining the fun atmosphere.

A player’s choice in cat-stronauts can help or hurt the mission. There is a “take that” cat but it doesn’t feel especially mean due to the mild consequences of busting and built-in mitigation factors. Additionally, it is outweighed by helpful cats that add value to their missions. The area control and race to goals and the best moons add plenty of interaction off of the rocket board, too.

Since the fate of the rocket comes down to dice rolls you never know what is going to happen. When somebody beats the odds and manages to limp into deep space with one die left, it’s pretty exciting. In addition, watching a captain crash a ship when they have a full tank can be pretty hilarious. This one is full of “table moment” potential.

Theme / Aesthetics

The cats in space theme is nonsensical yet amusing and lends itself to the press-your-luck element. Busting, represented by an exploding rocket, is not to be taken too seriously and the game reflects this by sending the cats back to their respective players to fly again. This keeps the atmosphere fun and emboldens players to consider pushing when the odds are not in their favor. 

The theme allows for some playful illustrations, such as the planet made of yarn and the victory point tokens shaped like cat toys. The colorful, playful style is bound to win people over. The components are great as well with the star of the show being the long, neoprene mat that acts as the game board. Overall, it’s a nice package for the price point.

Final Thoughts

Finding games that work for my very different kids that are still enjoyable for the adults is extremely tough. MLEM: Space Agency has done the seemingly impossible – everybody in my family likes it and is willing to play. 

The opinions on the game’s length have been mixed, but I have yet to experience it overstaying its welcome. My usually squirmy children are a good barometer for this and they have played multiple games without complaining or getting distracted. This is due, in large part, to them being absorbed in the action.

There are several decision points at each turn. The captain has many things to consider while managing fuel for the trip. But the passengers are not powerless – on each mission, they get to choose a specialized cat and can decide when to disembark. All these choices keep players engaged, even when they aren’t captaining the ship.

Luck in games is fantastic for smoothing out the occasional strategic error and leveling the playing field between gamers with different experience levels. Players still have plenty of agency here, which makes MLEM a more satisfying experience than games that rely on chance alone. It also works well as a good introduction to statistics, allowing parents to explain the odds in a variety of ways. It’s a fantastic choice for family game night but I would not hesitate to play this one with a table full of adults, as well. 

There’s a lot to love here. From the nice-quality materials to the goofy theme and fun artwork, it’s a show-stopper on the table. The included modules are a great way to customize the game to fit the group’s needs and are not difficult to implement. It moves quickly and is fun with virtually no downtime and high player investment each turn. Overall, this is a fantastic package at a reasonable price point, and I would recommend it to anybody who enjoys press-your-luck-style games.