Time Stories - Vol 06: Estrella Drive

We thoroughly enjoyed this one! There's not a lot of raving reviews for Estrella Drive which surprises me because in terms of story (not puzzles) it felt most similar to Asylum which a lot of people loved. Yes, it is a dark storyline, especially as it is based on a real historical event. Is the Mature Audience label on the box needed? Probably. There isn't a lot of violence but when there is it is much more graphic and in your face than previous expansions. Maybe it 'feels' more real in this game - it certainly is a bit creepy. There is one card with some nudity on but it really isn't a big deal. Drugs feature pretty heavily so perhaps that is the main reason for the label. The Time Stories base game recommends players be from 10 years of age and I certainly wouldn't want to play it with a 10 year old. But I would imagine that these days most 15/16 year olds have played video games with just as much violence in, and they would almost certainly have been taught about drugs and their consequences. Ultimately, you are going to have to make your own judgements about whether this is right for the people you play with based on their own maturity and personality. I have been replaying some of the older scenarios with my 14 year old sister, but I would be hesitant to play this one with her just yet.I think the big thing to recognise for fans of the series is that due to the Mature Audiences only label, the designers expect that not everyone who plays Time Stories will play this expansion. As such, Estrella Drive brings nothing major or extra to the series in order to avoid younger audiences missing out, and this makes sense. I've therefore seen some people refer to this as a being a 'filler' scenario, and I suppose that they are not wrong. It is not as grandiose as say Lumen Fidei or Prophecy of Dragons, and it certainly continues the recent trend of become slightly more linear in play. But I personally don't see Estrella Drive being a 'filler' episode as a negative thing, and it took us longer to finish this one than it did Expedition Endurance. Yes, I want new game mechanics and more over-arching story, but I enjoy playing Time Stories for the ride - and this one is just as fantastic as the rest.

I love T.I.M.E. Stories and this expansion is a particular favorite of mine. The story and puzzles were well down with a number of interesting characters to choose from. This one is rated mature, so I wouldn't play it with a younger audience.