Heroes already were in our world once. We remember those times with joy, but also with sadness. A lot of people lost their life, helping them in their struggle with evil. Celebrations of victory have always been stormy, but we felt, that the more we resist, the more misery we bring on ourselves. And so we drove them away. We could never been more mistaken. We need them now more than ever. We are calling up our heroes. Will you return?
Sentinels of the Multiverse is already really well known board game. We managed to look not only on the basic game, but also two expansion packs. And you are not mistaken, when you even can recall names of the authors: Christopher Badell, Adam Rebottaro and Paul Bender. Behind all this is their small company Greater Than Games and of hundred of supporters on Kickstarter.
But the original issue was far from perfect and carried a major problem with it. It was well playable only in definitive number of heroes. This meant, that when you had less people together at the table, they had to take control of multiple characters. And this was not anything to praise. It ruined atmosphere and prevented you to grow together with your hero.
That is, why they a year later gave birth of the new, revised and improved edition. It now lies in front of us in a polished larger box. Review of a reissue or an improved version of the same game is not easy. And although it seems, that Sentinels of the Multiverse already said everything, we decided to go back to them once more in a separate article. This time is much bigger box than the original one ahead of us. In its massive inside hides same fight to save the world as before, with the same cards. So how does this enhanced package compare?
Box looks really professional at first glance, as well as illustrations on the cover. Spectacular processing fits to this game much better and you’ll be glad, you have found the right place not only for more than 500 cards of base game (ten heroes by forty cards, a pile of bad guys and environments), but also for each available extension. But only, if you do not want to store them separately.
There are also new cards, that operate in the style of deck-building games and are used as a placeholder for every type. Each hero, villain, environment (not only from the basic game) has his own placeholder card, thanks to which you will never have to search for any card again. Its not some sort of breakthrough, but it is very good, that authors chose this method to organize cards.
More importantly, however, are tokens, that are punched out of sheets. There are not only small, round ones used for watching life of both heroes and villains, but also oblong pieces for marking certain modifiers, you will encounter during the game. Its will be certainly welcomed addition by the players, because at first glance, all the necessary information are always visible.
Sentinels of the Multiverse is easy to play: Players each choose their own hero and start a fight with one villain. But none of players is forced to be bad guy. Instead, there will be clever automated mechanic playing for him. Although it seems unrealistic, but thanks to the well-connected main skills and abilities card in the baddy deck, he always behaves a little differently and you have to adapt.
Each of the participants, including the villain, gets his pile of cards. Final battle will take place in a specific environment. Its influence is crucial and often affects players and their success significantly. Together, heroes are fighting with their superpowers and trying to use it to their advantage and beat the bad guy.
Heading of the game will of course not change, it only an improved edition. Most important change is wording on the cards, which can contain a new number X. It represents number of heroes involved in a match and makes the game finally balanced fun for any numbers of participants. You will then encounter old friends Baron Blade or Omnitron with real happiness and try different amounts of heroes agains them. You can now simply enjoy different battles, always as one character only and suck in the enormous atmosphere this game has. During the different numbers is changing also emphasis on the ability of some heroes. Some work better as a duo, sometimes you’ll be glad, there is four of you.
Every time you have a different story. This is place, where original Sentinels game excelled. This time, however, you can better focus on experience of the story. You need no pen and paper, just a common stock of tokens, from which you occasionally fish out something. And then you can with satisfaction take away tokens one by one from your dark enemies. A board with scroll bars might have been a bit better and clearer, but we are completely satisfied just like it is now.
The only drawback remains in a lot of computation, but that is fixed to the basic mechanism. For someone might absence of coincidence and presence of counting reduce atmosphere, but it represents element of cooperation in here. Each player should play a card from his hand secretly and decide for himself, which he uses to write his own superhero destiny.
For new fans and future players, it is worth mentioning, that new edition of Rook City (review) and Infernal Relics (review) expansion will be joined in one big box. It therefore brings an incredible mix of four heroes, eight villains and four environments. This is hard to resist.
Sentinels of the Multiverse: Enhanced Edition is converging basic version of the superhero game to perfection. When we played the original version, we forgive it a lot. If we only knew, what the experience is able to provide a full tuned box, we’d postpone saving the world for later. Now there is really no need to wait! Put on your costumes and go into the streets, crime is waiting to be punished!
Infos courtesy of boardgamegeek.com. More Infos.
