Hey there Modern Gamer fans! It’s another glorious Saturday amidst the lockdown and I have an amazing game for you all to try out this time. It’s called Crew 167: The Grand Block Odyssey and it’s fantastic! This game is for a real fan of easy going sci-fi. There is a good and relaxing yet slow burn to this plot, making it a must have in any science fiction and puzzler gamer’s collection.
Gliding through the stars on a spaceship towards a new civilization, you are crew 162. A man tasked with one job, to land safely on new planet called Hope. It’s taken 117 years to get to this to point all by yourself. Because of the isolation, you start hallucinating puzzles.
The puzzles make it difficult to move from one room to another on your ship. But your mind is insisting that they are real, so you have little choice but to solve them. Thankfully, you are not so insane as to believe that the puzzles are real. In fact, you at first try to make it to the sick bay for testing. Unfortunately, the computers in the med bay are not very much help. Well, they are but then again, they aren’t. What do I mean by that?
The med bay computers scans you and finds out a CALMX-039 has been implanted to help you deal with the fear and trauma of isolation. Invented during the COVID crisis on Earth (just kidding about that one) the module is supposed to help you deal with being alone. But it’s clearly malfunctioning. In fact, the doctor AI is worried for your safety, and thinks you might be subject to brain damage. However, the AI won’t treat you, and instead advises you to wait it out since you will make planetfall in two days. So good luck with that!
The gameplay is very relaxing as you kick boxes around and discover hidden doors and passages to get to your goals. This is can be frustrating as the puzzles can allow either an infinite amounts of kick or have a limited number of kicks and moves. But yes, you are kicking around boxes into their holes to gain passage and learn about what’s going on with your implant.
Also if you get it wrong don’t freak out, you can always rewind and try again. After all, it’s all in your head.
Another thing I wanted to add is that the sound track is very relaxing as well. It’s really good thinking music in my opinion and fits very well with the space theme. I might see if I can find just the soundtrack and listen to it while I draw. I would recommend this game for anyone who likes Myst or (believe it or not) Angry Birds.
We are all stuck in quarantine in some form these days. Let’s hope we don’t start hallucinating, but if we do, then our time with Crew 167: The Grand Block Odyssey should help work out those clever mind puzzles. This unique game earns 4 GiN Gems out of 5, and that’s no hallucination.
Alrighty that’s it for now! Happy gaming my friends, and see you all next week!
Curious about what the Modern Gamers does on her off time? Check out woodlingsart.com and patreon.com/Shurale for more details.