- Publisher(s) : Arkada Studio
- Designer(s) : Louis Clerc, Quentin Deleau
- Artist(s) : Jorge Tabanera Redondo
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 60–90 Min
- Weight BGG : 1.78
What's this?
Spark Riders 3000 is a cooperative game for 1 to 4 players combining board, miniatures and interactive voice application. You play as the crew of the Spark , a state-of-the-art spaceship guided by the AI IRIS, tasked with delivering crucial cargo across the galaxy to save humanity.
How do you play?
Each game round is divided into three distinct phases :
- IRIS Phase : Artificial intelligence informs you of the distance traveled, the effects of the space environment and the general condition of the ship .
- Enemy Phase : New pirate ships may appear in the “approach zone” . Then, enemies already in combat position attack the Spark . If a targeted room has armor, you roll dice to try to parry the shot . Without armor, the room takes damage .
- Crew Member Phase : Players act simultaneously . Each player may, in any order, move, assist, and perform a primary action .
Available Actions
- Movement : You can move up to three connected rooms .
- Helping Hand : You can leave a “helping hand” token in a room to help a teammate’s action there . The base bonus allows you to reroll a die .
- Main Action : Each player chooses one of the following three actions .
- Piloting : Must be done from the Cockpit . Speed piloting allows you to travel further , while offensive piloting is used to maneuver to move enemy ships .
- Shot : From a turret, aim at an enemy on the same side of the ship . Shots first destroy the enemy’s armor. Once unarmored, a hit enemy is incapacitated . Incapacitating pirates allows you to recover components, stored in the Nexus .
- DIY : This versatile action allows you to :
- Improve the shielding of a room to better resist attacks .
- Repair damaged rooms or thrusters .
- Build or upgrade equipment (turrets, shield generators) using components collected from enemies .
Credits and Equipment
By performing certain actions, players earn credits . When the Nexus dispenser is full of credits, players draw cards.
Prosperity . These cards can be single-use items or permanent equipment that enhances your abilitie
Is it good?
Spark Riders 3000 stands out for its enhanced thematic immersion thanks to the integration of a companion application, called IRIS , which guides players and punctuates the game with scripted events, sound effects and dialogues dubbed by actors.
Players must work together to manage the ship’s various problems, fend off alien threats, and reach their destination. Turns are dynamic because everyone plays simultaneously, and the tension remains constant thanks to unforeseen events generated by the application. It’s a cooperative game where you’ll have to resist events and attacks for as long as possible to complete the mission.
Replayability is ensured by a variety of scenarios of varying difficulty, by characters with unique abilities (even if the differences remain quite slight) and by random events.
The game is accessible to a wide audience, including families and casual gamers.
The material, meanwhile, is of quality, with detailed figurines and various modular elements.
Among the weak points, we can criticize a certain repetitiveness in the objectives and actions, which can limit the strategic depth, a choice assumed to make the game accessible. Others will regret the dependence on the application: without a smartphone or tablet, it is impossible to play. While many see it as a strength for immersion, some may be put off by the presence of a screen at the gaming table.
In short, Spark Riders 3000 is a pleasant surprise, offering an immersive and fun cooperative space adventure. Its original concept, supported by a well-integrated application and refined hardware, will appeal to a wide audience.
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Spark Riders 3000 Review
Positives
- Successful thematic immersion thanks to the IRIS application (scenario, voice, sound effects).
- Dynamic games: everyone plays simultaneously.
- Variety of scenarios and events for replayability.
- Quality material (figurines, modular elements).
- Accessible to families and casual players.
Negatives
- Sometimes repetitive objectives and actions, lack of strategic depth.
- Differences between characters are quite slight.
- Total dependency on the application (impossible to play without it).
