Last year was the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that brought humans to the lunar surface for the first time. As a result of that anniversary, Buffalo Games created a game that transported players back to that time period and promoted the spirit of space and strategy.
The SpaceX’s recent missions, the announcement of Artemis, NASA’s program aimed at putting the “first woman and next man” on the moon by 2024, and adults looking for toys with an educational component have all contributed to captivating the public with the cosmos more than ever. As a result of this planetary pursuit, Buffalo Games reached out to NASA with their game idea.
The company created APOLLO — A Game inspired by the NASA Moon Missions, based on real mission data from NASA’s Apollo and Gemini missions. (Fun fact: The Gemini mission involved orbiting the Earth and the Apollo mission took astronauts to the moon.)
The game is a cooperative play game where players roll the dice to complete space experience, repair systems, and resolve flight stages. The game’s goal is to have a successful space mission to get to the moon and back. One player is Mission Control, and the other player(s) are the astronaut(s). All players have to work together to solve obstacles, complications, predicaments, and mishaps — inspiring them to work on collaboration, communication, and strategy, which are all essential skills for learning and life.
The gameplay lasts about an hour and is recommended for kids 12 and up due to the skill set required. Available exclusively at Target, the game can be played with just two players, but more game potential can have six players. There are two mission packs for basic and advanced play.
Whichever way you play, make it a fun themed night for the whole family. Serve crescent-shaped sandwiches and have moon pies for dessert. Play the game and then watch a space-themed movie like Apollo 13, 2001: A Space Odyssey, First Man, or even Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It can be an out-of-this-world space-themed Saturday night!
Whether educational or entertaining, about skills or space, this game could launch right into your favorite finds for the holiday season — and beyond!
