Plague Island Games, the company behind the glorious asymmetrical Cold War strategy board game Two Minutes to Midnight, has a brand new title on the horizon, complete with an imminent crowdfunding campaign. Earth Siege: Arrival promises an asymmetrical sci-fi experience, which has you take on the role of Earth’s last defenders or a nefarious alien invader. Its crowdfunding campaign, which will launch on Gamefound on March 10, looks extremely promising.
Playable as a two-player deathmatch or a single-player experience, Earth Siege: Arrival promises “asymmetric strategy, card-driven actions, hidden bases, [and] deck building” amid a race against the clock.
Plague Island Games promises a tight, streamlined experience with games set to take between 60 and 90 minutes. Given that many of the best board games out there live and die by their ability to avoid dragging on during play, Earth Siege: Arrival’s emphasis on sharp, concise gameplay seems promising.
More seasoned readers will recall Plague Island Games’ impressive track record when it comes to tense games fraught with political tension and subtle, layered conflict. Two Minutes to Midnight, published in 2022, offered a tense asymmetrical contest where players would take on the roles of the USA and USSR in a retelling of the Cold War.
Contrary to Earth Siege: Arrival, however, Two Minutes was a long haul. A full campaign lasts upwards of five hours, and the learning curve is steep to say the least. Those looking for a deep, gritty, and simulationist experience will find it in Two Minutes, but it isn’t for the faint of heart.
However, with Earth Siege: Arrival, Plague Island Games has the opportunity to combine its firm grasp of layered decision trees and political friction with that most elusive of board game attributes: brevity. This tantalizing combination has us watching the title with great interest.
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