The first Disney Villainous game created a hybrid of RPG and boardgame whose end result was imaginative. Ravensburger is hoping to translate the most heinous villains of the Marvel Universe with the same quality in their new Marvel Villainous: Infinite Power.
Marvel Villainous: Infinite Power
Published by: Ravensburger
Number of Players: 2-4
Available: Now at select retailers and Amazon
What stood out about Disney Villainous was the collectible touches fans loved. Translucent villain movers that perfectly captured Disney characters and production value that just begged for you to admire it. Marvel Villainous follows in much of the same. While its production isn’t quite at the same level as Disney Villainous, it’s still worth the price of admission.
You open the box and everything is laid out like it was the light inside of the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Thanos, Hela, Ultron, Killmonger, and Taskmaster are the lineup of villains you can play as. They get the nice little mini mover trinket treatment. Though they aren’t the transparent style of the Disney villains they’re still pretty sweet. The villains have their own individual guides you’ll constantly reference as you get the hang of the game and individual villain boards. These boards are unique to each villain and just plain gorgeous in their depiction of Marvel locations like Stark Industries.
Villainous as a series has always had small -level of quality- touches you don’t really notice but are subconsciously glad they’re present. Between special tablets for specific characters, communal and individual fate cards, villain deck cards, there’s a ton of stuff that could have been frustrating to initially set up. Marvel Villainous is incredibly simple to get going out of the box as everything comes grouped to characters and wrapped in a way that won’t have you wishing for sharp fingernails.
Its differences from Disney Villainous are most major in the rules. In this game you’re allowed to more directly affect other players’ progress by invading their domains, the wild fate deck is now shared by everyone, and you get “event” cards to deal with that can be an overpowered pain.
So is Marvel Villainous fun to play? The answer is almost as complicated as the game itself. As one of the villains, you’ll try to achieve a unique to you goal. For example, as Taskmaster you need to have four level-5 allies in four different locations to win. As Ultron, you’re objective is to upgrade yourself enough to unleash the Age of Ultron. If you enjoy competitive games that require you to constantly think about your next move while keeping a close eye on your opponents’ goals which are completely different from yours then yeah it’s quite fun.
For the average board gamer, it could be somewhat of an acquired taste. I found the game-winning me over about 10min after getting set up and starting. The variety of ways to play can be overwhelming at first but the use of Marvel’s hero characters in the fate cards, similar to RPG ways to boost allies, and depiction of big action moments in the cards give it a hook that will win most people over. I can say without any sarcasm that after the first game, I had fun and wanted to play through again.
Marvel Villainous’ strength of strategy is also a bit of a crux in that it does require a steep learning curve. One that isn’t helped by a rulebook that needed a few more diagrams when it came to laying out complicated characters such as Thanos and Hela or a better example of how specific fate deck cards affects one character more than it would a different character.
If you loved Disney Villainous as a game then everything here will feel familiar. Ravensburger does a proper job of making its take on the Marvel Universe feel fresh and exciting. These are more than just interchanged rules, it’s a new game that makes players come up with new ways to win. The end result is a must-have for the Marvel collector in your life.
