Wouter & Ymke 
In Cosmoctopus, players become fervent followers of the Great Inky One, each striving to prove their devotion and earn the title of the most dedicated acolyte. Throughout the game, players employ mystical objects such as relics, scriptures, hallucinations, and constellations to gather essential knowledge and tentacles, all in the hopes of successfully conducting the summoning ritual for the formidable Cosmoctopus. The ultimate question is: who will catch the celestial entity’s elusive attention?
👥 1-4 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 60-90 minutes
📝 Designer: Henry Audubon
🎨 Artwork: George Doutsiopoulos
🏢 Publisher: Paper Fort Games (review copy provided)
Navigating the Inky Depths
The game unfolds over several rounds, the exact number of which remains uncertain until a player amasses the requisite tentacles to beckon The Great Inky. Each turn, players strategically maneuver the Cosmoctopus to an adjacent tile, thereby triggering the tile’s specific action. These actions grant players valuable resources, including ink, coins, whispers, and stars, or perhaps bestow additional cards upon them. If they choose, players can also deploy a card from their realm during their turn, using their accumulated resources for payment. The game features four distinct types of cards, each offering unique benefits. Scripture and relic cards provide lasting effects that either amplify the power of action tiles or reduce resource costs. In contrast, hallucination cards deliver immediate, one-time perks like resource boosts or an extra tentacle. The fourth card type, constellation cards, presents players with a challenge: as they acquire resources, they can opt to invest them in constructing their constellation. Completing this celestial pattern yields a coveted tentacle. Additionally, players can secure tentacles through forbidden knowledge tiles by exchanging 13 identical resources, thus gaining two tentacles simultaneously.
As each turn concludes, players must discard any surplus resources and cards that exceed a total of eight before the next player shifts the Cosmoctopus. The game reaches its end the moment a player successfully gathers their eighth tentacle.
Designed by Henry Audubon, Cosmoctopus is a thought-provoking engine-building game suitable for 1 to 4 players aged 14 and above. With an average gameplay duration of around an hour, it was brought to life by Paper Fort Games through a successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2022. The game comes with straightforward rules, making it a breeze to learn and teach. In our view, the age recommendation on the box could comfortably shift from 14+ to a more inclusive 10+.
The Aesthetic Allure of the Inky Cosmos
When it comes to production quality, Cosmoctopus impresses. It features custom wooden resource tokens in the shapes of ink, coins, whispers, and stars, complemented by a well-designed tray for tidy storage. The game includes a generous array of devotee cards, 22 for each of the four types, all exuding high quality. Clear iconography and George Doutsiopoulos’s retro-inspired artwork lend a distinctive charm to the cards, harmonizing beautifully with the game’s theme.
The gameplay revolves around eight basic Inky Realm Tiles and four special tiles, adding variability since only one special tile is used per game, resulting in a 9-tile grid. The miniatures steal the spotlight – a central head and 29 tentacles, symbolizing the victory points. Players arrange these around their summoning tiles, and the triumphant player claims the head, signifying the successful summoning of the Great Inky One.
Shaping Your Inky Universe: Complexity and Strategy
Cosmoctopus’s inky realm, initially set in a 3×3 grid, can be reconfigured for more complexity. The rulebook guides players in constructing new realms, and two cosmic bridges introduce a challenge, allowing the creation of distinct realms connected only by these bridges. For solo or cooperative play, the game introduces a private investigator character. With his own deck, the investigator competes against players to gather eight tentacles.
The game presents a straightforward yet engaging goal: be the first to collect eight tentacles. Achieving this, however, involves a variety of strategic pathways. Success hinges on the player’s ability to effectively build their engine. Balancing the construction of their realm with scripture and coin cards against the pursuit of tentacles is key. A premature shift to collecting tentacles can hinder resource accumulation while delaying this shift risks falling behind as opponents race to their eighth tentacle.
Strategic foresight in Cosmoctopus is both challenging and crucial, as each player’s decisions are influenced by the preceding player’s actions. The central figure, Cosmoctopus, moves with every turn, potentially traversing the realm rapidly. Players need to think ahead but also have to maintain flexibility, adapting to the evolving play area and anticipating rival strategies. The game scales well across various player counts, though with more players you may experience increased downtime. However, these moments provide opportunities to observe and plan for opponents’ potential moves.
Final Thoughts
Cosmoctopus offers an engaging balance between strategic depth and accessibility. The rules are easy to grasp, yet the game demands adaptive strategies as opponents’ actions can disrupt well-laid plans. Each session unveils a new optimization puzzle, providing a fresh and enjoyable experience every time. For fans of engine-building games that appreciate distinctive themes, Cosmoctopus is a must-try.
📝 Disclaimer: A review copy of Cosmoctopus was provided by Paper Fort Games.
