marvelheroesboardgame

Marvel Heroes board game review

Hello and welcome to the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. My name is Nick Fury and I have invited you all here today to discuss the immediate dangers that threaten the future of our people. As most of you already know, the world has been subjected to dramatic changes since Doctor Richards’ incident. Changes that have caused both benefits and problems. That is why this agency has been established. To keep all the newly-discovered anomalies under close observation and to eliminate those who tend to abuse them.

Ever since Doctor Reed Richards and his crew were exposed to an unknown form of cosmic radiation during one of their scientific expeditions and were gifted were superhuman abilities that we once considered impossible, our understanding of the world was significantly altered. New possibilities became available and with the advancements made in science and technology, we have been recording more and more cases of superhuman activities every day. Unfortunately, not all of them have been to our favor.

A new generation of superhuman criminals have taken over the world of organized crime and are using their gifts and resources for malicious deeds. Deeds that are gradually poisoning our streets and threatening the lives of our citizens. Deeds that we are here to put an end to. These so-called villains have already spread their criminal networks worldwide and continue to endanger our planet. Just as we speak Kingpin has turned yet another warehouse in Brooklyn to a distribution center for weapons and drugs. Dr. Doom has been wreaking havoc on Queens for months. We must do what needs to be done in order to protect our planet and keep our people safe.

With new dangers however, we have also been lucky to have witnessed a rise of new heroes. The world’s finest who are willing to fulfill the purpose of their gifts and use them to help those in need. Those of you who are here today have gained my respect. Those of you who choose to stay and help me stop the reign of super villains and rid the world of their evil presence will not only earn more than just my respect, but will also have the eternal gratitude of the good folk of New York City, the base of our first major operation. We will start at the bottom and work our way to the top. One by one, New York City’s major crime bosses and villains will go down and peace will be restored.

Marvel Heroes: The Strategy Game

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The Marvel Heroes board game is a cooperative title that has you making strategic decisions and managing resources while dealing cards and moving impressively detailed miniatures around a modular map of New York City. Famous Marvel heroes have united as teams of four to fight against the superhuman threats of supervillains who have distressed the livelihood of good New Yorkers. You and up to three other players will take on the leading mantle of one of these superhero teams, as well as another team’s arch nemesis.

The game’s innovative mechanic is that all the players work cooperatively against the evil villains but the villains are also controlled by their teammates who are actively working against each other at the same time as together. It may sound a bit confusing on paper but around the gaming table, it provides tons of opportunities for unusual conversations and interesting dynamics between the players.

Featuring many beloved superheroes and supervillains from the Marvel universe, such as Spiderman, Fantastic Four and the X-Men, this game includes some of the best miniature figures I’ve ever seen in a superhero game. Despite the age of the title, which dates back to 2006, Fantasy Flight’s high-quality production has made this game a memorable one for us lifelong Marvel fans even though it’s been almost forgotten by the community.

With Great Power…

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As you and up to three of your friends lead a team of four, as well as being a villainous mastermind, Marvel Heroes’ gameplay is all about coordination of your moves and using your heroes’ abilities at the right time and place. The evil plans of the criminal masterminds will adapt to your stopping them and become harder to resolve as the game moves forward. A mechanic that means the game, while not being too hard to learn, is difficult to master. An important factor to keep in mind when you’re deciding who you want to play with.

The gameplay consists of a number of rounds that each are separated to two different phases. In the hero phase, players take turn carrying out heroic deeds that may vary from defeating a villain’s minions in combat or solving a mystery that gets you closer to putting an end to all their villainy. You may also choose to spend an action protecting an attack that’s been cast on you or your teammates beforehand. During the villain phase however, the heroes’ hands are tied. The villain is free to roam around and reveal new evil plans that get more and more complicated by the minute. They can also deploy minions to try and compromise the plans you have against them and their operation.

One of the first things you’ll notice as you set up a game of Marvel Heroes is that it provides players with a number of hero teams to choose from based on their own playstyle and each one of these heroes comes with a unique set of abilities and powers. This allows players to customize their strategy based on the special abilities that each member of their team has, allowing for a lot of variety in gameplay and an extra strategic level of depth that will test your decision-making in real time.

In addition, the game features a variety of different scenarios as well as various difficulty levels, each with its own objectives and level of challenge. This provides a decent amount of replayability because you may choose to play different scenarios with different levels of difficulty to tailor the experience to your liking, and the gameplay can take quite a while to get repetitive. Of course, I have been told that not everyone loves superheroes as much as I do but if you’re one of the cultured people who does, you’re in for a treat.

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Heroes and villains in the game are represented by detailed plastic figures and a character card, which describes the character’s unique powers and features. Power-ups can be found along the path and you can use them to enhance your characters with special upgrades to their abilities. These upgrades will have different effects depending on which hero you decide to apply them to, offering players a chance to play their favorite heroes as multiple different versions of the character through a single session.

However confusing at times, the fast-paced gameplay of Marvel Heroes the boardgame is engaging, strategic and well thought-out. The game components, such as the miniatures, various decks of cards and tokens, have all been crafted with an impressive level of attention and the game board depicts the different districts of NYC in a compact and comprehensive way.

Characters

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Quite a few of Marvel’s most iconic characters, hero and villain, are present in this game. Familiar faces that carry a sense of nostalgia as well as some superhuman badassery. For anyone who may not know these characters, we’ve provided a summarized introduction.

1. The Marvel Knights

This team consists of Daredevil, the blind hyper-sensitive ninja, Elektra, the non-blind normally sensitive ninja, Dr. Strange, the sorcerer supreme and of course, everyone’s friendly neighbor, Spiderman. The chemistry of this team is off the charts with the two ninjas being former partners and the most powerful magician alive having to deal with Peter Parker’s consistent low-effort jokes. Easily my favorite team to play as.

Their arch nemesis is the ultimate mobster and crime boss of all New York City and number one on the list of the most hated bald guys of the Marvel universe, Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin. Kingpin has a very strong network of connections, allies and paid muscle all around town and for a guy with no superhuman abilities, he’s a pain in the neck to deal with.

2. The X-Men

Charles Xavier’s life’s work has paid off and his team of young mutants are actively making the world a better place. Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm and Pheonix, the strongest of all X-Men in my opinion, are the members of this powerful team. Logan’s brutality accompanied by Scott’s sharpness and Storm’s wits is perhaps the most unfortunate sight to see for a criminal but it’s too late to run away because Pheonix won’t let them.

This team’s arch nemesis is Magneto. The terrifying mutant terrorist who’s not only a narcissist but also one of the most powerful mutants who’s ever set foot on earth. His actions are justified in his own view but if he continues to do what he does, the entirety of the mutant population as well as the common folk will be irreversibly hurt. Did I mention he used to call Professor Xavier his best friend?

3. The Fantastic Four

In the Marvel universe the Fantastic Four are the team that started it all. Their failed cosmic expedition later became their most successful one, as they realized they have been gifted with inhuman abilities which they learned to use for good. Doctor Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic and his wife, her brother and their common best friend are the members of this honorable team.

On the opposite side however, stands the fearsome Dr. Victor Von Doom. He’s said to be one of the most capable minds of the planet and he’s proven to be a force to be reckoned with more than once. Among all the villains included in this game, I believe Doom to be the most challenging one to tackle.

1. The Avengers

Earth’s mightiest heroes, Captain America, Thor, Ironman and of course, the Hulk. They have assembled under the direction of Nick Fury’s safety plans for the earth and the agenda of avenging the earth and its people even if they ever failed to protect it.

Fortunately however, the Captain’s experience in the field mixed with Ironman’s technology and Thor’s godly thunder have more than succeeded in protecting the planet so far. Let’s not forget that the Hulk is supposedly the strongest being in the universe with only one thing on his mind: to smash [bad guys].

Naturally not many people are stupid enough to challenge this group of superheroes but Red Skull has done so confidently. He’s an evil mastermind who practically controlled the world order prior to the second world war. He’s extremely intelligent, uncomfortably ruthless and very resourceful. Do not let his lack of skin fool you.

Final Thoughts

Marvel Heroes board game is an exciting, strategic cooperative title that brings the Marvel Comics universe to life right on your gaming table. With a wide range of heroes, scenarios and difficulty levels to choose from, the game offers tons of replayability and variety in terms of playstyle, which makes it accessible and fun for new players and older ones alike.

Overall, Marvel Heroes board game is a must-have for Marvel fans, gamers who enjoy cooperative play, or anyone looking for a fun and challenging crime-fighting experience set in the Marvel universe. Although not perfect, Marvel heroes could be a Marvelous experience for gamer fans of Marvel.

Don’t forget to let us hear your thoughts about this game, down in the comments!

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