Let’s say you’re eagerly awaiting the new Avengers: Infinity War movie. Your tickets are already bought, you’ve created contingency plans to avoid social media spoilers, and you’ve already planned your outfit so you show up in your best fan garb for the event.
But wait – there’s something you missed as an eager fan. That’s getting in some plays of Thanos Rising – Avengers: Infinity War by USAopoly. Your favorite heroes from the movies will be hitting the tabletop in this cooperative adventure to take on Thanos. Becca showed us how to How To Play to get you ready for the oncoming battle.
Let’s get the first thing out of the way: this game offers no spoilers. If you’ve watched the movies and/or the trailers, you’ll find no plot surprises for you inside the box.
What you will find instead are beautifully produced components (including an amazing Thanos action-figure-turned-game-component), straightforward rules and references, and a well-designed game experience.
Each of the 2-4 players will choose a team with a headquarters. Gamora leads from Knowhere, Captain America leads from the Avengers Compound, Doctor Strange leads from Sanctum Sanctorum, and Black Panther leads from Wakanda. Every other hero available is categorized by type: Battle (red star), Technology (blue square), Mystic (green triangle) and Galactic (purple planet).
For fans, the in-game reflection of the heroes’ power is delightful. From the variation of how much damage each hero can sustain (of course Hawkeye has the least damage boxes at 4 – he’s just a guy with arrows) to the manifestation of each hero’s powers (the madder Hulk get, the stronger Hulk get) the easter eggs for fans help reinforce the game mechanics and the narrative of the game. For fans, riffling through the hero cards to read how each hero’s power is interpreted in-game is a real treat.
The game itself is immersive yet quick-playing. The 45 minute playtime breezes by because individual player turns are quick. The game offers waves of tension with Thanos acting at the top of every player turn, with players responding thereafter. Because of this ebb-and-flow action, the game is dynamic and engaging for everyone around the table. You can see the game in action in our Game the Game playthrough:
Speaking of everyone around the table, the game design is truly accessible. Despite the bright colors of the components (which does help the comic-inspired feel of the game), colorblind players don’t have to struggle with color relevancy. While hero types are marked with a color, they have a unique shape associated with them. The different dice types are shown with their dominant symbol on cards, so players who struggle determining the red dice from the green dice need only reference the cards and the die faces.
Each Infinity stone has a unique die face associated with it, so even in greyscale, you can determine which die face has come up. The colorful tokens that represent the Infinity Stones, as well as counters for damage and Infinity Stone Card control, are simply markers – their placement in the play area, not their color, is what matters. For all intents and purposes, the color of the tokens is interchangeable.
One of the hallmarks of USAopoly licensed games is their ability to capture the universe, story points, and tension of the game. It makes for an immersive experience that offers fans of the franchise a deeply satisfying experience that rewards them for universe knowledge. That doesn’t mean you can’t bust out this game with gaming friends who don’t know why Thor doesn’t have long hair anymore – the mechanics are compelling and the game itself is engaging, making it a rich gaming experience for everyone at the table, even if they haven’t watched all the movies that comprise the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’s a great way to catch them up so they’re not incessantly asking questions during the movie.
Are you ready to team up to defeat Thanos? Learn more about Thanos Rising – Avengers: Infinity War on USAopoly’s site (at http://usaopoly.com/games/thanos-rising-avengers-infinity-war), and snag a copy your friendly local gaming store to see if you have what it takes to defeat his master plan.
Image credits: Teri Litorco
This post is sponsored.