Boil 'em, (s)mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!
Now here is a game that takes me back: Smash Up! When I first got this game, my friends and family played it all the time. This game has a little something for everyone. Each player selects two different decks that revolve around a theme or faction, shuffles them together, and then battles it out. Players will take actions and place minions on bases, competing to have the most power!
The base game has eight factions to choose from, from pirates and dinosaurs to robots and aliens! Aside from that, there are 14 expansions with four new factions each, a Marvel version, a Disney version, a Munchkin version, and four solo faction packs! Whatever theme you enjoy, there is probably a faction for it. This makes for a great game, blending light strategy with fun and humorous cards.
Mechanics & Categories: Card, Family, Humor, Hand Management, Take-That, Area Control
ART: 7/10
Smash Up uses a variety of design studios for each of its factions, but all of them follow a semi-realism style. Since there is so much variety, there is bound to be artwork that appeals to some more than others. The branding with capitalized font and bold blue and green colors feels very comic-book-esque, which is precisely what I envision for this game if you told me what it was about.
They do an excellent job with fonts, colors, and backgrounds that blend with the theme for each faction. Each faction has a unique icon to keep them stored together in case one accidentally gets stuck in another faction deck.
STORYTELLING: 6/10
Feels like Endgame, MTG’s latest set: March of the Machine, or any battle involving every territory. I imagine all these random characters charging into battle, vying for control. It’s quite funny if you think about it. It’s a pretty generic plot, but I think the card’s mechanics behind each faction are eloquently designed.
For example, the other night, I just played with Bear Cavalry, and the mechanics boiled down to this: bears chase other characters away or eat them when they approach you. Very fitting, wouldn’t you say?
COMPONENTS: 4/10
For just a card game, I would have liked the cards to be of better quality since you often have to shuffle your factions together and shuffle your deck throughout the game. If you do end up playing a lot and love it, invest in sleeves, and then you won’t have to worry.
The insert is excellent since grooves are cut out for each faction deck. Even better, the entire insert has these grooves, allowing you room to add a few other factions from other expansions. I can fit two expansions and the base game in the base game’s box. That being said, there is a “Big Box” to hold everything if you choose.
COMPLEXITY: 5/10
Feels like the middle of the road for this category. The mechanics written on the cards are extremely clear. The base’s abilities are clear. All you have to do is math to add up the total minion value compared to the base’s value, then score. Playing with like-minded players, it is anyone’s game.
As with many card games, players that can optimize how and when they play cards or see interesting lines of play will have an advantage over others. Playing with my husband, who plays Magic with me constantly, is always challenging. We always try to think through the most optimal play every time.
Some plays are much more straightforward since we might not have minions to play or actions that do anything. But most of the time, we want to make sure we are playing our cards right, and this always adds a lot of time to an otherwise quick game.
TRAVEL-FRIENDLY: 7/10
I mentioned before that you can fit two expansions and the base game in the original box. Pick your favorite 16 factions and bring them with you. The box is average-sized and not horrible to pack in a suitcase if you want to. Since it is like a TCG game, you could bring a couple of factions and play your favorites.
Playing with two players, there are only three bases that minions need to be played on. Though it could get cramped, you could play on airplane trays. Yes, the game state is more readable on a table, but if you like this game and want to play it in a small space, you can. With more players, I suggest playing on a table.
UNIQUENESS: 4/10
Area control and “deck building” are not new, but Smash Up simplifies this by grabbing two “pre-constructed decks” and shuffling them together. For all you Magic players out there, this game is basically Jumpstart.
Many games use cards to fight each other, but not many I am aware of that vie for territory. However, the mechanics of the cards in each faction are pretty simple and used in many games as well: draw x cards, search for a card(s), destroy a minion, etc.
The most unique thing here is the factions I hardly see in other games, like the Bear Cavalry or Killer Plants. There are others that I don’t own, like Cyborg Apes and Tornado Sharks, that I swear no other game has used before.
I enjoy card games like this because they have abilities that work well with one another, and you have to see those patterns to succeed. Being a competitive Magic player, this is a friendly, toned-down card game that I can play with new gamers nervous about taking on Magic.
It is interesting because I often go for the most unique games, but here is one that feels comfortably familiar that I can play and still enjoy if I want to give my brain a break from all the deep thinking that other games I love require.
Innovation:
Smash Up nicely blends TCG with board games. Having this extreme variety of factions available for purchase is a great marketing strategy and allows for varying gameplay every time you play. Any faction you purchase can be played together. No requirements at all. I love that I can pick the themes or mechanics I enjoy most and play this game years later and still have fun playing.
Final Comments
Are the factions interesting? Yes. Are the game mechanics overly creative? No. Is this game my favorite game? Also no. But I find the varying mechanics quite fun to try and figure out and optimize. I haven’t played this game in a year or so, yet I had a great time trying out Bear Cavalry and Petey Piranha-type plants! The object of the game remains the same, but how your cards can interact with each other is the beauty of the puzzle.
This game is great for families: kids definitely will get a kick out of the factions, and the gameplay is simple enough for new gamers to learn. The only challenge is finding the synergy between cards, but sometimes that won’t matter based on the luck of the draw.
My biggest nit about Smash Up is that it can feel like you have no options (at least in my experience in two-player games). Whether you don’t play your cards well or it is just what you draw, it can feel like you have no power to shift the game. Some factions feel extremely overpowered (Robots and Dinosaurs, in my opinion), making games a little one-sided.
Ultimately, this is a must-have in your collection for a lightweight-strategy, fast game. You might only get this to the table sometimes, but it feels like a nice refresh playing again with a new theme. My advice is don’t buy the game and play every faction right away. Or at least all in the same sitting! Half the joy is experimenting.
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Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group
Game(s) Pictured: Smash Up base game, The Obligatory Cthulhu Set, Awesome Level 9000
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