Helionox: The Last Sunset (2015)

About this game

Helionox: The Last Sunset is a deck-building strategy game set in the distant future. Players compete for “influence” by obtaining powerful technology and operatives, overcoming social and environmental events, and establishing embassies on a variety of different worlds. On their turn, players purchase cards from the market with “credits” and integrate these cards into their deck for use later in the game. Players can also choose to overcome one or more of the disastrous events spreading across the human colonies by spending “defense” points gained by the cards that they purchase. Players continue building increasingly powerful combinations of cards to acquire influence points on subsequent turns. But time is limited! Once the last card of the “event deck” is played, the game is over. The player with the most influence at the end wins.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 1 to 4. It has a designed solo mode.
• Rules load. At 2.4/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 13 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.