Review: MUNCHKIN: CRITICAL ROLE is the Same Fun Game Perfect for Critters
Munchkin is not a new game, but it just got a new release with Munchkin: Critical Role. The Op was kind enough to provide me with a copy of the game to review, but all the thoughts below are my own. I also want to preface the review saying that I haven’t played Munchkin in probably about a decade, so there were a few new things for me to learn.
Calling all Critters! The powerhouse role-playing franchise Critical Role meets its match in Steve Jackson Games’ treasure-seeking hit role-playing card game Munchkin. Join The Mighty Nein, the adventuring party of Critical Role’s second campaign, at the tabletop in their first officially licensed card game. 160 custom pieces of art create an immersive experience for fans who want to play as Fjord Stone, Yasha Nydoorin, Caduceus Clay, Caleb Widogast, Beauregard Lionett, Jester Lavorre, and Nott the Brave and arm themselves with Items and Allies to defeat monsters, team up, and race their way to Level 10 victory!
At its core, Munchkin: Critical Role is just the classic game with a Critical Role skin slapped on top. This makes it perfect for any Critters out there. You’re still trying to get to level 10 first by slaying monsters and you still have all the need for diplomacy and backstabbing. There were some new aspects for me though like the character cards. In Munchkin: Critical Role, each player has a character (in this case, one of the Mighty Nein), each with a unique special ability. Some of these abilities definitely seem really good, but my group found that we almost never actually used them. This may have just been our playstyle or the mere fact that some of the people were learning Munchkin for the first time, but I can still see some players would really use them to their fullest and how others would stop them.
The actual gameplay is just like Munchkin, so if you enjoy it, you’ll enjoy Munchkin: Critical Role. One big difference though is the art. The art is very different and is very beautiful. Just looking at the cards is so much fun because of the gorgeous art. I also appreciate how each side of the character cards has different art. Also, on Nott’s card, one side is Veth! That little detail is pretty awesome in my opinion.
There is one aspect of Munchkin: Critical Role that some may see as a complaint, while others will see it as me being nitpicky. One of the charms of the original Munchkin titles is the amount of parody involved. There are so many jokes and puns made in the cards that it led to a lot of laughs as you played cards. You don’t have that in licensed versions including Munchkin: Critical Role. There are still fun moments and funny cards, but it’s not the same.
If you’re a Critter, you’ll love Munchkin: Critical Role. There are so many fan-favorite characters to enjoy including my favorite Pumat Sol or Kiri. Even if you don’t know what Critical Role is, you can find fun in it, even if I would recommend a different set instead to suit your tastes. Yes, some of the charm of Munchkin is gone, but the core gameplay is there and the gorgeous art help make up for that.
