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Picture this, you’re in hyper-sleep on your company’s state-of-the-art space vessel. Suddenly, you are woken up by the ship’s alarms sounding that you have 15 minutes to get to the escape pods and evacuate the ship before it explodes, killing everyone on board. And you think waking up late for work is bad… Now you must co-ordinate with your fellow travellers to get the escape routes open, organise the malfunctioning AI and get out, every moment counts and every missed roll brings you one step closer to destruction!
Now, we don’t know about you, but Dom & Andy are terrible morning people. Making a coffee within 15 minutes of waking up is a challenge, let alone preparing an escape vessel with multiple codes and puzzles. But I guess that is probably why we didn’t make it as astronauts… 15 Minutes to Self-Destruct is a co-operative game for 4 players that, as the name suggests, usually lasts about 15 minutes. The game is a spiritual successor to 15 Minute Heist, also made by Tactic and both games are based around a companion app that provides both the countdown and also the atmosphere.
Space Ship Repair 101
When looking to play a game of 15 Minutes to Self-Destruct, the first step is ensuring someone has downloaded the companion app, available for both Android and iPhone, (there is a handy QR code in the instructions). Next up is to set the board, which is very easy, simply match the letters on the back of each tile to the letters on the board, as well as the numbers on each activation switch tile with the numbers on the board. Then shuffle the action cards and place them face down within easy reach of everyone. Next, place the phone holder into the centre of the board, with a phone underneath it, and with the two dice above it. Finally, you need to put the player character models into their matching colour corner. The set up can be done by one person and takes maybe two minutes, tops.
The ship is divided into two halves, shown by a yellow line printed down the middle of the board. This represents the front and rear of your doomed ship. Once you have decided which player you want to be, take note if you are in the front or rear of the ship, and press Start on the app. You are now 15 Minutes away from the Self-Destruct of the ship, congratulations! To successfully escape the ship, all thirteen switches must be turned on and all crew members need to reach the escape pod before the time runs out. Sounds straight forward, sure. But you’re forgetting the entire ship is malfunctioning and the doors between corridors will keep randomly locking and unlocking.
Alright, What Are You Waiting For, Breakfast In Bed?
The first thing each player needs to do is get out of their sleeping quarters. One rule that will be ever-present, you can only lock & unlock doors for the area of the ship your crew member is in. This is done by rolling both dice until you match the number blocking your current path. Always roll both dice, even if the number you need is 6 or less. This is because the dice can either be added together or used separately. So, let’s say you roll both dice and get a 3 and a 4. You can open one door marked 7 OR a door marked 3 and a door marked 4. The doors you open do not need to be in front of your character, remember this is a team work game! However, it is also important to know that all dice must be resolved. So, if you roll the 3 and 4 as above, but doors three and four are already open, you will need to close them. This is how the game simulates the malfunctioning ship computer, doors will seemingly randomly lock and unlock, both helping and hindering the crew trying to escape.
Action cards are a new feature to the 15 Minutes Franchise. If you roll an “impossible combination” on your dice, meaning a number that does not appear on your side of the ship, you must draw an action card. Each action card tells you how to act, but you read the blue section during the first twelve minutes and the red section during the last three minutes.
Moving around the ship is very straightforward, you can keep moving until you reach a locked door or a switch that you can open. Each players turn ends when they either roll the dice or open a switch. The real challenge from 15 Minutes to Self-Destruct is in getting your crew members co-ordinated. Some switches require two members to be in the same place and you will need to work together and plan to get everyone where they need to be.
I Can’t Let You Do That Dave
15 Minutes to Self-Destruct mostly improves on the previous 15 Minute Heist game. The app has been updated in multiple ways, but our favourite aspect is the audio because the music has such a heavy, constant bass line that it really does build dread, which can be very difficult to do when all you’re doing is rolling dice on a board! The soundtrack also has the AI voice, reminding players that time is running out and they are going to die if they do not get a move on. Very encouraging!
Those players who do not like to rely on luck may find this game frustrating. The mechanic does allow players to choose multiple potential routes to their escape pod but, it can be extremely difficult to remain calm when you are stuck behind a locked door and simply cannot get the roll you need. Dom had a round of being stuck behind a single door which eventually opened but only after the liberal use of premium language and threats to the dice. With that said, 15 Minutes to Self-Destruct is an extremely easy game to pick up and teach, if you can master dominoes, you can master this game as well.
If we were to criticise the game, it would only be slight nit-picking things. For example, the numbers on the tiles can be tricky to read if you are in a hurry, and you are always in a hurry in this game. There’s not much too the game itself, so opening the box is not very exciting, that being said the art work is very good and the app is the real show piece of this game.
GORDON (Or Whatever Your Name Is)’S ALIVE!
15 Minutes to Self-Destruct is a great little family game, with plenty of scope for replaying with different groups. The co-operative nature of the game works really well in spreading bad/good rolls around. If one member of the team is having a hard time getting the roll they need, another player may be luckier and can help advance the group. The ease of teaching really makes this a game accessible to everyone and, despite its simplicity, you can easily find fun in this game if you look for it.
Dom’s final thoughts on 15 Minutes to Self-Destruct are regarding the theme. The board gives really great “Alien” vibes, looking both somehow futuristic yet retro at the same time. The app helps build a sense of urgency in the team, especially with the AI voice letting you know as different parts of the ship shut down and become inactive, you really feel every minute slip passed you.
Andy’s final thoughts are on the luck elements of the game, which we are usually not the biggest fans of. However, the mechanics of the game really compliment this luck. As the puzzle is fairly simple otherwise, the developers needed to make sure the 15 minute time limit would actually feel restrictive. For Andy, the frustration of unlucky rolls actually added to the experience of 15 Minutes to Self-Destruct, each failed roll was another step closer to destruction and increased the challenge. Winning a clutch game by escaping just as the timer is counting down from 10 really makes winning feel like a movie moment!
In summary, 15 Minutes to Self-Destruct is easy to learn, easy to play and easy to get slightly addicted to. If you are looking for a game that would work for a game & beer night but also for family-fun night, we can absolutely recommend this game!
