Publisher: AEG
Designer: Paul Peterson
Artists: Dave Allsop, Bruno Balixa, Conceptopolis, and Francisco Rico Torres
Year: 2012
Genre: Shuffle building card game of battling memes
Players: Two to four players
Ages: 12+ (Honestly, I think you can go a couple years lower depending on the child)
Playing Time: 45 Minutes or less
MSRP: $29.99
I think there may be times when the whole point of why all of us got into this hobby in the first place can become a bit muddied or even forgotten. I honestly believe this can happen to folks like Elliott and I, who review games, much easier than say the average gamer because we’re exposed to such a great number of games and we tend to look at each with a more critical eye as we focus on components, ease of rules, price point and so forth. What could get lost in that shuffle is that most basic of questions which has to be asked of any game. Is it fun?
I think we do a fairly good job of putting the fun factor ahead of anything else when we talk about titles and that’s why some of our reviews come to radically different conclusions as compared to those of other reviewers out there. This isn’t to imply other reviewers aren’t going to like AEG’s latest release though but I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t sure where AEG was going when I first saw the news of Smash Up on the horizon. Then, when I saw some of the cards, I wondered if AEG wasn’t maybe going to release something that was a lot simpler than their usual fare and I wasn’t sure how that might go over.
So is Smash Up worth your time or do my initial early impressions hold true?
Play continues until one person reaches fifteen victory points and the game immediately ends. It’s at this point in time you’ll more than likely separate all the decks and start the process all over again!
So let’s take a deeper look at Smash Up.
Upon opening the box you’ll notice a few things. First, the quality of the artwork and card stock is exceptionally high. Although I like to sleeve cards for games that’ll see a lot of play, I can see these cards holding up really well. Next you’ll notice there’re a lot of open slots in the box which will accommodate new factions which will inevitably be added to the mix. Todd Rowland told Elliott and I AEG already had twenty new factions they have in the production mix. Another item that jumps out is the rulebook. As in it’s very short, to the point, and gets the message across without a hiccup.
The factions themselves break down into the following:
Pirates – A good solid faction who’s strength is their maneuverability.
Dinosaurs – Some of the biggest and baddest minions in the game.
Tricksters – Not terribly strong (come on how strong is a leprechaun?) but full of twists that lead to mayhem on the table.
Zombies – Lots of weaker minions but they have the nasty habit of returning from the discard pile. Again, and again, and again.
Robots – not the strongest bunch either but they have a habit of showing up in numbers. Rise of the machines indeed!
Wizards – masters at deck manipulation with lots of actions which can chain together.
Aliens – probably a favorite of many as they look to blast anything and everything.
Ninjas – if you like sneaky, you’ll certainly love the ninjas.
Gameplay is easy and straight forward. Each turn you can play that action card, that minion card, and draw two more cards from the deck. When you run out of cards simply reshuffle your discards. The play of actions is key to the game because that action card you begin your turn with could allow you to play other actions or bring out more minions so cleverly chaining cards together can run you through your deck rather quickly. And create utter havoc!
You’ll be spending the greatest part of the game beating the hell out of other minions, grabbing bases, taking opponent’s actions out of play and so forth. Be prepared for loads of good natured schmack talking as the action is fast a furious and I don’t recommend Smash Up for those out there who begin to shed a tear the moment any sort of confrontation arises in a game; Smash Up is all about sticking it to your opponents.
As much as I enjoy Smash Up, it’s not perfect as three things come to mind. First, there’s no way to keep tally of your score. A pen and paper are an easy solution or you can obviously bust out colored beads or a counter from another game but I was a little surprised nothing was included in the box.
Lastly, although the game is advertised for two to four players, the sweet spot is really four. Three works well too, don’t get me wrong, but for the most enjoyment you want to shoot for four. Two player games are simply ok I suppose but the sheer beauty of the design comes nowhere near the fore if you’re just going head to head.
I’ll be the first to admit I was scratching my head a little when Smash Up was announced as I didn’t think there was a lot of meat to what I was seeing. Happily I can report my initial reaction was dead wrong as there’s loads to like about Smash Up for just about every gamer out there. You owe it to yourself and your friends to get out there and score a copy before they’re gone!
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