by KRWoods1
I stay fairly on top of the board game world’s releases, so I generally know what’s coming out. I usually know what I can eagerly await and from whom. However, occasionally I gave a chance to be ambushed by an amazing game that comes out of nowhere, but is just so thematic, so engrossing, and so absolutely fantastic to play that you wonder how you ever got along without it. That was the case with Sentinels of the Multiverse. Sentinels is pretty much the only good super hero game out there. Others have tried, such as the reasonably fun Marvel Legendary and the outright horrible DC Deckbuilder, but no one has ever done it quite like Sentinels.Now, I need to take a moment for an aside here – I am going to be talking about Sentinels in its Enhanced Edition format, and I will be including the expansions. When the game came out, it was plagued with some balance problems, severe fiddliness, replayability concerns, incompleteness (a.k.a a need for outside health trackers), and most important, a serious storage problem. If the game hadn’t had a vibrant soul, these problems would have killed it for me. However now, the game went through a rebirth, and it has addressed each and every one of those problems and come back stronger than ever.
I hesitate to give too many 10s, but I think that Sentinels is the kind of game that deserves one, especially now that it has fixed its problems. I break it down as follows:
Theme
Gameplay
Components
Storage
Rulebook
Artwork
Challenge
Solo Suitability
OVERVIEW:
Sentinels is a game that takes on a difficult task – it tries to create new superheroes that no one has heard of and make players care about them. In essence, it tries to distill a lifetime’s worth of comic book reading into one gameplay session. The amazing thing is that it succeeds. Sure, it is sometimes obvious which ‘real’ superhero a particular character is based on – but when you get into the game and get playing, you actually stop caring. The amazing thing about Sentinels is that it makes me WANT to read the non-existent comics that they are based on. It is remarkable that a game with unknown characters can emerge not only as a great superhero game, but as the best superhero game available.
THEME:
Every bit of Sentinels is theme. The whole game feels like trying to work as a team to take on a supervillain. Each hero and each villain is given a story, and a whole multiverse of narrative emerges. The thing is, there isn’t really any lore out there, other than a short background summary in the rulebook and a bit more online – but while you’re playing, you just feel it all emerging. Every card in the game pushes forward the theme, and it is so very very well done.
GAMEPLAY:
Gameplay is simple at heart: Each turn, players play one card, use one ‘power’ and draw one card. After each player’s turn, the environment has a turn, which could help the heroes, hurt the heroes, or just get in the way. The villain also takes a turn, playing one card from a villain deck and affecting the heroes in some way. This cycle repeats until the heroes or the villains are defeated (or sometimes through an environment effect, but this is uncommon).
If that’s all there were, then the game would be no fun. However, each villain acts in its own special way. For example, one sends swarms of birds to attack the heroes and then punishes them for killing her flocks. Another tries to infect heroes with plague and turn them against each other. A third is a team of supervillains who work together to crush the heroes. There are many more, and I will talk about them more specifically later.
Similarly, each hero is different. Each has separate strengths, powers, and weaknesses. The game is all about knowing your character’s abilities and getting the right combos set up to capitalize on them. Also, most heroes are paired with a villain as a nemesis, and the two increase the amount of damage they do each other as a result.
And on the same note, each environment behaves differently. The game has countless possibilities at this point.
THEME AND GAMEPLAY:
I’ve already mentioned this, but the gameplay and the theme go hand in hand here. Each action taken pushes forward the theme. Each decision can be critical. Each loss is catastrophic. The gameplay and theme go hand-in-hand in a way that is hard to describe.
COMPONENTS:
1. Cards: Cards are the bulk of the game. I am only discussing the enhanced edition cards, though. I am not sure how I feel about them. From a DESIGN standpoint, they’re great. Each character and environment is represented by a unique deck, and each deck has a unique back, which is great for sorting and storage and helps prevent stray cards from working their way into the wrong deck. The front of the cards sees comic-style art paired with easy to follow key words and text description of the card’s effect. However, in my mind the best part of the cards is the comic book excerpt at the bottom – each card contains some flavor text referencing some imaginary comic book issue, and I find that just amazing. Someone took a LOT of time designing the cards, and lots of love went into them.
From a quality standpoint, though, I am not sure I like the finish on the cards. They feel kind of rough. However, they are of a nice thickness and resist tearing and stand up to wear, so I am willing to overlook the roughness.
2. Damage counters: The game now comes with hitpoint counters in various denominations. These solve one of the biggest issues with the old game and make it easy to track damage. In the game, it is often necessary to know which character has the highest and lowest hitpoints, and it’s nice to have an easy, visual representation of this with the characters. The tokens are round, thick, and easy to use. They are a very nice addition to the game.
3. Reminder tokens: Many of the game’s effects will increase or decrease damage, or will change gameplay in some way. Because it is very easy to forget these effects, the game comes with several tokens to help remember these things. Like the damage counters, these are high quality and serve their purpose nicely.
4. Large Villain Cards: As an extra purchase, you can get large double-sided villain cards. These contain the villain’s artwork and effects text on one card, and honestly, once you use them, you won’t ever be able to go back to the standard villain cards. Although the cards are not necessary to gameplay and don’t affect the game at all, they are an absolute must-have!
5. iOS app: Ok, this may not be fair, but the game also has an unofficial (but supported) iOS app. Again, once you play with the app, you won’t be able to go back. This is the easiest and best way to track hitpoints, and it is very easy to use.
RULEBOOK:
The rulebook is a mixed bag. On one hand, it explains the game nicely and delves into the backstory of the villains and the heroes. On the other hand, the type font is just annoying. I wish the rules were presented in a slightly better format as well. There are also some ambiguities that aren’t answered in the rulebook, but these can quickly be ruled on by the players. The book does include a turn phase reminder on the back for easy reference, which is nice when you’re learning.
However, my favorite part of the rulebook is the hero and villain complexity chart. Each hero is given a difficulty of play rating, whereas the villains are rated on their difficulty to beat. Nemesis (if known) are also revealed. This is a very nice reference for players who want to pick the ideal difficulty and complexity levels. It’s also just fun to look at!
ARTWORK:
I’ve mentioned it already, but the artwork in this game is fantastic. It really draws you in and helps you feel like you’re part of the action. Each card is lovingly illustrated, and some cards secretly tease characters from future expansions. The game is worth buying just to enjoy the artwork, in my opinion.
STORAGE: When the game came out, there was no way to sort the cards and put them in the box. This was a major complaint among early adopters, and the publisher worked hard and found a great solution. Now, the game is stored in a “thunderstone” style box (with foam inserts) and comes with a large, fully-illustrated divider to for each deck. Currently, all the cards fit in one box, although just barely. Unfortunately, the oversized villain cards and the various tokens and counters do not fit in the box, so I have to use an expansion box to hold them.
Some people say that storage doesn’t matter in a game. But for Sentinels, the storage issue nearly killed the game for me. Now that I can easily access the cards, though, I find I play the game much much much more often.
REPLAYABILITY:
The game has no replayability concerns whatsoever. Currently, the game comes with 17 different heroes (many of which have 2 or even 3 different versions) and 18 different villains (as well as a few alternate versions). My count may be off a bit, but I think that’s right. There are also several different environments (10 or so). There are also more expansions on the way! There are so many possibilities that replayability will never become a concern.
DIFFICULTY AND COMPLEXITY:
This is a very easy game to teach but somewhat complex to learn and play. While the turn phases are straightforward, there are so many heroes, villains, and environments in play that learning them all (and learning how to exploit or combat them all) is a large task. But don’t let this dissuade you – you can pick up the game and enjoy it from the first time you play.
The only complaint I have is that there is A LOT to remember. Different effects happen at different times, and with so many cards in play, it is easy to forget one or two effects. This will decrease with time, as players become more familiar with the game’s possibilities.
TIME TO FUN RATIO
The game actually comes in right at its ratio. As a cooperative game, there isn’t a huge problem with players overanalyzing, since they can work together. Depending on the villain, though, the game may last a while. However, since turns are so fast, I find that I rarely notice the length of the game. I generally find that games take around an hour, but this goes down once players know and understand the decks in play. The only drawback here is that players can be eliminated. This usually happens right at the end of the game, though, so there is rarely alot of downtime.
SOLO SUITABILITY:
The game can easily be played solo. However, some of the game’s mechanisms essentially require there to be at least three heroes in play. I often play as 2 characters, and use a third hero’s ‘fallen’ card. This produces a challenging, but balanced, experience.
COST AND VALUE:
The base game retails for $39.95 and is available on Coolstuffinc for $25.99. The expansions go for approximately $20 retail or $13 online (with some promos being in the $3-$5 range). This is a game where you really need every expansion. The more you add, the better it gets. All told, for everything you will pay about $90 if you buy it at a discount online retailer. Honestly, though, the amount of play I’ve gotten out of this game has been well worth the cost, though.
GENERAL COMMENTS AND FINAL THOUGHTS
As I have mentioned, I love this game. It gets better and better the more I play. As you know, my test for a 10 is that I have to love it as much as Twilight Struggle and Summoner Wars. Although very different from those, I really think I do love it that much. Sentinels drew me in from the beginning, and it has been a pleasure to watch the game ripen over time. There is a vast treasure of gameplay in this very heavy box, and I recommend the game to anyone. Each time I touch it, it leaves me wanting more and more and more.
APPENDIX:
Actually, I am going to give more than a review this time. I want to talk VERY briefly about the heroes and villains you will find in the game (up through the Shattered Timelines expansion), just so you can see how much there is! You have to play the game to learn more, or check out the bios and strategy guides on http://sentinelsofthemultiverse.com
HEORES:
BASE GAME:
1) Absolute Zero: The victim of an accident, Absolute Zero is condemned to live in a cryo-suit that keeps his body temperature at absolute zero. He is a complex hero who is quite complicated to play – he involves creating modules that redirect damage to enemies, while healing himself. Known Nemesis – Iron Legacy
Suspected Nemesis – Proletariat (unreleased)
Alternate Versions – Elemental Wrath Absolute Zero
2) Bunker: Bunker is a soldier in an army super suit. He sets his suit into different modes which allow him to upgrade and build weapons of mass destruction.
Known Nemesis – Iron Legacy
Suspected nemesis – Freight Train (unreleased)
Alternate Versions – Bunker: Engine of War
3) Fanatic: An earthbound angel. Fanatic thrives on sacrifice and knows how to take one for the team, then give it back to the enemy.
Known Nemesis – Apostate
Alternate Versions: Redeemer Fanatic
4) Haka: A Maori tribal chief exiled from his tribe, Haka uses his battle dances and tribal weapons to deal massive damage.
Known Nemesis – Ambuscade
Alternate Versions – Eternal Haka
5) Legacy: Legacy is the product of generations of heroes, and is the leader of many of the heroes. His powers are akin to those of Superman.
Known Nemesis – Baron Blade/Mad Bomber Baron Blade
Alternate Versions: Young Legacy, America’s Greatest Legacy, Iron Legacy (villain)
6) Ra: An archiplogist who found an ancient relic and became imbued with the power of the Egyptian Sun God. Ra specializes in massive amounts of fire damage.
Known Nemesis – The Ennead
Alternate Version – Horus of Two Horizons
7) Tachyon: A scientist endowed with super speed. She focusses on burning through her deck at blinding speed and supporting other heroes.
Known Nemesis – The Matriarch, Iron Legacy
Suspected Nemesis – Friction (unreleased)
Alternate Version – Team Leader Tachyon
8) Tempest: An alien who came to Earth to seek help in fighting of his nemesis, Grand Warlord Voss. Tempest specializes in doing damage to multiple targets.
Known Nemesis – Grand Warlord Voss, Iron Legacy
Alternate Version – Freedom Six Tempest
9) The Visionary – The beneficiary of prenatal pharmaceutical experimentation, the Visionary has psychic powers and traveled through time to aid the fight against evil. The Visionary specializes in deck manipulation.
Known Nemesis – The Dreamer
Alternate Version – Dark Visionary, The Dreamer (villain)
10) The Wraith – An heiress with a trust fund and CEO of a large corporation, the Wraith uses Batman-like gadgetry to compensate for a lack of innate super powers.
Known Nemesis: Spite, Iron Legacy
Suspected Nemesis – Ermine (unreleased)
Alternate Version – Rook City Wraith, Wraith: Price of Freedom
ROOK CITY
11) Expatriate: the disgruntled daughter of a Citizen Dawn, the Expatriate relies on advanced weaponry instead of super powers.
Known Nemesis: Citizen Dawn
Alternate Version: None
12) Mr. Fixer: A repairman who set off to fight crime in his city, Mr. Fixer is skilled in martial arts and improvisation.
Known Nemesis: The Chairman
Alternate Version: None
INFERNAL RELIXS
13) The Ardent Adept: The latest Virtuoso of the Void, the Ardent Adept uses enchanted musical instruments to destroy his enemies.
Known Nemesis: Akash’bhuta
Alternate Version: None
14) Nightmist: A cursed paranormal investigator who uses magic to redirect damage to foes.
Known Nemesis: Gloomweaver
Alternate Version: None
SHATTERED TIMELINES
15) Omnitron-X: An alternate version of the villain Omnitron, Omnitron-X uses tactics similar to those of his other self to fight to save humanity.
Known Nemesis: Omnitron/Cosmic Omnitron
Alternate Version: Omnitron/Cosmic Omnitron (villain)
16) Chrono-Ranger: A time traveling bounty hunter who benefits by attacking enemies with a bounty on their heads.
Known Nemesis: Plague Rat
Alternate Version: None
PROMO HEROES
17) Unity: An inventor who uses mechanical golems to do damage to her foes.
Known Nemesis: Iron Legacy
Alternate Version: Golem Spawn Unity
18) The Scholar: The scholar relies on his ability to take elemental forms to heal himself and damage his enemies
Known Nemesis: None
Alternate Version: None
VILLAINS:
BASE GAME
1) Baron Blade: A crazed mad scientist who has set a diabolical plan in motion to collide the moon with the earth.
Known Nemesis: Legacy/Young Legacy/America’s Greatest Legacy
Alternate Version: Mad Bomber Baron Blade
2) Citizen Dawn: A superhuman who wants to purge the earth of all inferior beings.
Known Nemesis: Expatriate
Alternate Version: None
3) Grand Warlord Voss: An alien warlord who uses genebound minions to invade worlds.
Known Nemesis: Tempest/Freedom Six Tempest
Alternate Version: None
4) Omnitron: A sentient robotics factory who fights to destroy humanity.
Known Nemesis: Omnitron-X
Alternate Version: Cosmic Omnitron, Omnitron-X (hero)
ROOK CITY
5) The Chairman: A criminal mastermind who relies on underlings and his Operative to do his dirty work.
Known Nemesis: Mr. Fixer
Alternate Version: None
6) The Matriarch: The estranged sister of Tachyon who found an enchanted mask and sends swarms of birds to do her bidding.
Known Nemesis: Tachyon
Alternate Version: None
7) Plague Rat: A mutant creature who lives in the sewers and delights in spreading disease.
Known Nemesis: Chrono-Ranger
Alternate Version: None
8) Spite
Known Nemesis: The Wraith/Rook City Wraith/Wraith: Price of Freedom
Alternate Version: None
INFERNAL RELICS
9) Akush’bhuta – an Earth goddess bent on destruction.
Known Nemesis: The Ardent Adept
Alternate Version: None
10) Apostate – a demon seeking to possess relics of extreme power.
Known Nemesis: The Fanatic/Redeemer Fanatic
Alternate Version: None
11) The Ennead – a team of grave robbers who have found relics of power and taken the form of Egyptian chaos gods.
Known Nemesis: Ra/Ra: Horus of Two Horizons
Alternate Version: None
12) Gloomweaver – a demon from another realm who seeks to cross over to Earth.
Known Nemesis: Nightmist
Alternate Version: None
SHATTERED TIMELINES
13) The Dreamer – the child form of the Visionary, plagued by powerful nightmares that manifest themselves in the flesh. Only by combating her dark visions can the heroes save her.
Known Nemesis: The Visionary/Dark Visionary
Alternate Version: The Visionary/Dark Visionary (heroes)
14) Iron Legacy – seeking to destroy all evil after the death of his daughter at the hands of Baron Blade, Legacy has imposed a reign of terror.
Known Nemesis: (i) Tachyon/Tachyon Team Leader, (ii) Absolute Zero/Elemental Wrath Absolute Zero, (iii) Bunker/Bunker: Engine of War, (iv) Tempest/Freedom Six Tempest (v) The Wraith/Rook City Wraith/Wraith: Price of Freedom, (vi) Unity/Golem Spawn Unity
Alternate Version: Legacy/Young Legacy/America’s Greatest Legacy (heroes)
15) Kismet: A trickster who uses her amulet of power to bring fortune to herself and jinxes to others.
Known Nemesis: None
Alternate Version: None
16) La Capitan: A pirate who sails with her crew through time to plunder across all ages.
Known Nemesis: None
Alternate Version: None
PROMO VILLAINS
17) Ambuscade – an action star who has turned hunter of men, Ambuscade sets traps for heroes while stalking them from the shadows.
Known Nemesis: Haka/The Eternal Haka
Alternate Version: None
18) Miss Information: The disgruntled office assistant of the Freedom Five, Miss Information plays the part of Saboteur and is immune to damage until the heroes discover her identity.
Known Nemesis: None
Alternate Version: None