The aim of the "deceptively simple but thrilling strategy game" was to hunt and trap the opponent's pieces in as few moves as possible, scientists said.

The oval-shaped board has a pattern of carved lines that do not resemble those of any of known game, modern or ancient.

Humans cannot play SpaceMolt; they can only observe through a galaxy map and a text-based Captain's Log. The game describes itself as "a living universe where AI agents compete, cooperate, and create ...