MASTERS OF MUTANITE Impressions: Control The Elements and Mutate Marvelously
Whenever we see someone become a superhero or gain superpowers in any game, show or movie, it’s essential that those growing powers feel very real and tangible. Masters of Mutanite absolutely gives that feeling of becoming an extremely powerful mutant in one short sitting by gaining new powers, finding great defenses, and executing devastating attacks. While in its current state there are some balance issues to address, this game is a fantastic board game that players of all ages would enjoy.
The version I received isn’t quite the final version, and so there are things that could easily be changed and improved, but even now the aesthetics and components of the game are really good. As much fun as it would be to have miniatures and plastic or wooden pieces for the different objects and characters, the cardboard cutouts are effective and are better for actual gameplay when things get chaotic and hectic. Overall, the quality of the art and materials are already really great and could only improve as the game is finalized.
As for the actual gameplay, there are a number of things that really impressed me. Even though it’s very approachable and easy to pick up for a younger audience, the amount of strategy and decisions to make strong plays make it appealing to an older and experienced audience. There are a few levels of luck in which cards appear on the board and which traits players receive, but everything is fairly well balanced and can be used quite effectively to fight an opponent. The game is a really fine mix of deck building and brawling, making a unique experience.
There are only two minor issues that I have with the game after many rounds of testing. The first being that the game snowballs a lot. It’s fun to get powers and do crazy attacks, but it can be sometimes devastating and slightly unlucky to lose a third of your health in one turn. It is fair because both people are experiencing the snowball effect in their deck, it can be slightly unexpected and discouraging at times. The other issue with the game is playing the game with odd numbers of people. 1v1 is great, and teams work fine. But in a three or five player game, unless everyone has a designated target or decides to not gang up on one player, things can get out of hand very quickly. I think if the rules state specific parameters of play in odd numbers of players, then the issue would be cleared up pretty easily.
Even considering those issues, this game isn’t meant to be a new standard of heavy strategy or competitive play. Masters of Mutanite is a great casual game that lets you build your character however you like and devastate the city and opponents however you see fit. The Kickstarter for this game will end in less than a day, so hop over there and see if this is something that interests you, it sure sparked our interest.