I was browsing Zatu one day, as I often do when I’m bored, when I came across Subatomic, and it immediately caught my eye. In a market packed full of all sorts of amazing games, all with different themes, mechanics, and designs, its unique premise – one which I had never seen before – stood out to me, and so in keeping with the conclusion of many of these browsing sessions, it quickly found a place in my basket, and three days later, on my table.
As a physicist myself, Subatomic scratched an itch I didn’t know I had (if building an atom doesn’t sound cool to you, it should do!). As well as being unlike anything I’ve played before, the care taken in creating a scientifically accurate game that is as fun to play as it is interesting really solidifies this game as a perfect homage to the scientists of the past who founded today’s understanding of the world as we know it. When you combine this with carefully crafted competition and a well-thought-out, comprehensive set of rules, what you are left with is a game that is as fundamental to anyone’s collection as the very atoms that make it up!
I was browsing Zatu one day, as I often do when I’m bored, when I came across Subatomic, and it immediately caught my eye. In a market packed full of all sorts of amazing games, all with different themes, mechanics, and designs, its unique premise – one which I had never seen before – stood out to me, and so in keeping with the conclusion of many of these browsing sessions, it quickly found a place in my basket, and three days later, on my table.
As a physicist myself, Subatomic scratched an itch I didn’t know I had (if building an atom doesn’t sound cool to you, it should do!). As well as being unlike anything I’ve played before, the care taken in creating a scientifically accurate game that is as fun to play as it is interesting really solidifies this game as a perfect homage to the scientists of the past who founded today’s understanding of the world as we know it. When you combine this with carefully crafted competition and a well-thought-out, comprehensive set of rules, what you are left with is a game that is as fundamental to anyone’s collection as the very atoms that make it up!
Playing Subatomic
If all this is starting to sound confusing, fear not! Subatomic requires no scientific knowledge, or any knowledge at all for that matter, beyond what you are taught in the rules (in fact, you may fancy yourself as something of a nuclear physicist after playing a few rounds!). The game itself is also comfortably simple, with only 4 main actions to choose from on each turn. The first is to build an atom, and this is the way in which you will accumulate points throughout the game. Choosing from the face up atoms (from helium to boron), you will spend the required number of protons, neutrons, and electrons (your subatomic particles), as well as some extra energy, to complete the atom. This allows you to gain some points, and also place down your goal markers to potentially receive other bonuses.
But how do you gain these resources? This is where your hand comes in. You begin only with quarks and photons, which you play in groups to add subatomic particles to your atom (albeit very inefficiently). As a separate action, you may also spend these to buy more powerful cards for your deck, which give you one or even two particles directly, streamlining your turns and allowing for larger plays. Balancing the tradeoff between using cards to improve your deck and continuing to build your atom is central to Subatomic‘s gameplay, and this is part of what makes it such an enjoyable and challenging game. As for energy, unwanted cards can be played facedown to generate energy tokens, or used directly to pay for whatever action you’re taking. Energy is an important commodity, and you won’t get very far without it; once again the game makes it very important to ensure you are playing cards and taking actions wisely. It is used for everything in the game, from building atoms to picking up cards, and also for actions such as annihilation, which allows you to remove cards permanently from your hand; crucial if you wish to keep a clean and useful deck. Energy can also be spent on special scientist cards (more on those below).
At the end of the game, you score points for the atoms you have built, and also based on the regions of the goal board which you control with your goal markers. The player with the most points is the winner.
Scientist Cards
I mentioned before that I found Subatomic to be a fitting homage to several important scientists, and this is why. Scientist cards provide a variety of game-long buffs to your deck, from the ability to copy another player’s cards to drawing extra cards on your turn. Each card bears the name of an influential scientist from the Subatomic Age, such as Marie Curie or Neils Bohr, and acquiring them is a really good way to gain a direct advantage over your opponents. They don’t come cheap, however, with the best cards costing 9 energy, so planning ahead and purchasing wisely really important.
As well as the scientist cards, the nice addition of a guide to the science behind the game also deserves a shout out. If a round of Subatomic leaves you itching to expand your scientific knowledge, you can have a flick through and learn about the key concepts that shape the rules. The language used is easy to understand, but just like the rest of the game, it never patronises you. You can also read about the scientists featured on the cards, as well as their achievements and contributions to the field. Extras like these make the game a must-have for any inquisitive mind!
What’s there to love?
Just like a scientific experiment, Subatomic is a game that’s all about balance, control, and knowing exactly what your goals are and how you wish to go about achieving them. Beyond making the game a satisfyingly accurate depiction of the world of physics, you’ll soon realise that these qualities are indeed the constituents of any good board game, which is testament to the excellence of its design. One thing I think all gamers find important is if (and how) a game continues to engage you between turns, and Subatomic does this perfectly; ensuring through carefully-crafted gameplay that there is always something to think about. Having said this, the game never becomes overwhelming despite the variety of different actions available to you each turn, as it encourages you to plan ahead and focus on specific goals rather than attempting to gather as many points as you can without ever developing. This goal-driven attitude is what gives the game its snappy and satisfying feel; gratification comes thick and fast instead of just at the end as each turn feels satisfying and worth the effort, making it loads of fun to play.
What could be better?
With a game as good as Subatomic, there’s really not much to complain about, however even the best games have their flaws! Subatomic’s hamartia is its theme: While a self-proclaimed nerd such as myself can think of no better way to spend an afternoon than building some atoms with their friends, some may find the premise of the game inaccessible for its complexity and nicheness, which is a valid concern. As far as the gameplay is concerned, the double-function of quarks as being used for both building your atom and buying other cards is at times as annoying as it is ingenious because it slows your progress down, and as a result you may find yourself struggling to build up your deck in the early stages of the game. For the same reason, a common gripe is that the game ‘finishes too early’ – that is, it takes so long to get your deck going, that when you eventually do it is too late to reap any of the benefits. Keen scientists may also note that some small parts of Subatomic are not entirely accurate (for example, you are building more cations than atoms), but this can of course be forgiven (after all, having to make five electrons for boron would be an absolute headache!). In fact, I should epilogue this little moan by saying that problems like these are corollary to the existence of any game this good, and don’t forget, the job of any good reviewer is to find some negatives as well as positives. In short, don’t be put-off!
To conclude, I really think this game is something very special (as if it wasn’t obvious!). An issue often associated with games of this calibre is that they become either too complex or overly impudent, but this is not the case for Subatomic. This title is a rare example of the educational sub-genre done right; the learning-elements are never too intrusive, yet you still feel smarter for playing. If you’re looking for something refreshingly different yet comfortingly simple and enjoyable, Subatomic is most certainly for you!
Zatu Review Summary
Zatu Score
78%
