Forty years ago, Steven Spielberg’s E.T. was released in theaters. This week, we’re taking a look at E.T.: Light Years From Home, the tabletop game that adapts the iconic final act of the film. How well does the game recreate the climactic chase from the film? Let’s take a look in this week’s Funko Friday.
As with the film, the object of E.T.: Light Years From Home is to get titular extraterrestrial to the call for a ride and get them to the forest clearing to hitch a ride home. However, agents on foot and in squad cars are attempting to apprehend our bike riding players and capture the alien. Player work together in this cooperative game to build a device capable of calling the ship and get to the clearing while evading capture before E.T.’s heartlight burns out.
Included in the game box are the Game Board, 4 Kid Mats, 4 Kid Figures (which can lock together if partnering up against the agents), one Mothership figure with base, the E.T. figure, the E.T. Heartlight Dial, 5 Agent Movers with bases, 3 Cop Car Movers with bases, 21 Item Tiles, 16 E.T. Power Cards, 6 Candy Tokens, 6 Dice, the Reference Mat, and Instructions. E.T.: Light Years From Home is designed for 2 to 4 players ages 10+. Average play sessions last around 30 minutes.
First of all, there’s a lot going on in this game. A LOT. Players, agents, cop cars, and E.T. are all moving around the board all the time, so it’s a lot to keep track of. I’ve played a number of Funko tabletop games for older players that weren’t as complex as E.T.: Light Years From Home. We had to go back to the instructions multiple times just to keep everything straight, and that was with our experienced play testers ranging in ages from 16 years old on the low end to 44 years old on the high end. Based on our experiences play testing the game, I’d recommend the game for young adults and adults.
There is a lot of strategic thinking, reacting, and improvising based on the outcome of player turns required. Communication is essential. One player may have a plan to search for a device on one side of the board only to find their way blocked and needing to shake their agent, leaving the rest of the players to have to compensate accordingly. If you have a good group of experienced players that work well together as a team, then the game is a lot of fun. If you have one or more lone wolves in your group, then it can be frustrating until those players reign in their desire to do whatever they want and get them working as part of the team.
Pick up your copy of E.T.: Light Years From Home online for an MSRP of $29.99. At the time this review was typed, Target was selling E.T.: Light Years From Home for $23.99 (20% off of MSRP).
Disclaimer: A copy of E.T.: Light Years From Home was provided for review purposes. All opinions are our own. Purchasing through the links above helps support Pop Goes the Culture.
