Noobs at Sea – game review, criticism and testing

New adventures for beginners! GO ON NEW ADVENTURES – After the Noobs' space mission, we're no longer beginners. We want to prove ourselves on board as well.

Newcomers to the profession are also found here – such as newbies on board. If we are not careful, there may also be “newbies out there.” The game was written by Markus Slawicek and Johannes Kreiner and published by Cosmos.

What is Noobs Overboard?

This new adventure is once again all about the fun of cooperative puzzles. Eight missions await us.

Each task lasts approximately fifteen minutes. If we want to be successful, it is important that we all work well together and combine all the information we have.

Game structure

The game structure is described in one sentence: open the current quest, find the appropriate cards and start the adventure. All important rules are explained in the tutorial.

Puzzles – collaborative, communicative and deductive

As in the first adventure, we can only solve the treasure hunt challenges and on the ship together. We need good cooperation and, above all, good communication during the match.

First, the cards are shuffled to form a task and distributed equally to all players. This means that each person starts with different information. Tasks are also described on different hand cards.

Can the crew communicate well? What tasks should be addressed wisely and in what order? How are tasks solved?

Just don't spoil it

But I won't mention here exactly what adventures and challenges await! Danger and unexpected tasks are, after all, part of the game.

All I can say is: pay attention to the details of your own cards – often the solution is hidden there. It depends on each individual. Cards may not be shown to other players, they may only be discussed.

So if I know something, others won't know about it unless I report it, share my knowledge, or describe it in detail if I see something. Noobs Overboard thrives on this element.

Typical dialogue during the game

A: “I told you that we have to solve the (*subject*) task first.”

B: “When?”

A: “Well, just when you said you could see (*subject*) on the map.”

B: “What exactly is the mission?”

A: “So we're not even looking for *submissive*, but *submissive*!”

D: “I already said it – we just need to *censor* them for the sake of the *censorship* mission.”

E: “What's the next mission? I just found *censored* here on my map.

A + B + C + D in unison: “Are you actually listening to us?”

When you read the dialogue, did you have the feeling of “we're talking past each other”? In fact, this feeling does not deceive you. Above all, this is exactly what is part of the game and will continue to improve as the game progresses. That's why communicating with each other is so important.

Conclusion: Is Noobs Overboard fun?

The first tasks help, above all, to improve communication with each other. This sense of accomplishment can be used directly in subsequent tasks. The information passed becomes more targeted. Details are noticed more easily and more difficult tasks can be mastered. In general, the tasks remain at a good family standard. However, children who can read well also have a lot of fun with Noobs in the sea.

I really like the networking element and the learning curve in networking. That's why I'm happy to play with you at any time. When the group composition changes, new players can be easily integrated.

Last but not least, no materials are destroyed with Noobs Overboard. That's why our friends are still happy with the game after the eight missions.