Restoration Games continue to expand on their Unmatched IP when they announced three new upcoming sets at GenCon, which has Unmatched fans like myself eagerly awaiting their arrival.
The brilliant 2-4 player card dueller continues to pump out new and varied characters to play as, with each new set building on the last to create fantastical and amazing matchups.
Whether it’s putting on your best deerstalker as Sherlock Holmes or popping out in your red clock with your little wicker basket as Red Riding Hood, Unmatched has characters and different IPs to suit a huge variety of different fans and tastes, and as the years go by the roster only continues to grow.
So with this announcement of a massive THREE new sets to choose from, there is sure to be something here for experienced Unmatched players to expand their collection, or even potentially for first time players to join in on the card battling fun.
Unmatched: Slay the Spire
Potentially the biggest of the three announcements was Restoration Games working with the IP for Unmatched: Slay the Spire, the board and video game phenomenon that feels like a perfect fit for the Unmatched series.
While not a huge amount of details have been provided regarding this, the four new fighters are set to be The Ironclad, The Silent, The Watcher and The Defect. So any fans of Slay the Spire will know there is bound to be really interesting and unique ways for these characters to play, especially within the confines of the Unmatched rules.
Unmatched has a great history at using existing IPs with its gameplay. The marvel sets proved hugely popular but are sadly out of print and the collaboration over, as well as somehow making a Jurassic Park crossover work. So I can see them getting a huge amount of success with a Slay the Spire collab.
I haven’t had a chance sadly to play the board game Slay the Spire but I know how beloved it is. And as someone that put well over 100+ hours into the video game, I find this a really interesting announcement, even if its just to see what an incredible job will be done on the artwork of the cards when Slay the Spire meets Unmatched.
No confirmed release date has been given, but you can sign up for more details on Restoration Games website.
Unmatched: Once Upon a Time
The set I was possibly most excited to see announced was Unmatched: Once Upon a Time, perhaps the most, shall we say traditional, of the newest Unmatched sets.
Announced as potentially a good entry point for any newbies to the series, Once Upon a Time will feature classic fairytale characters Mulan, Snow White, Pinnochio and even the Big Bad Wolf, (Red Riding Hood will get to face her nemesis!).
All four of these characters just feel like classic Unmatched, and I am super excited to see the art for them, the figurines, and most importantly how they will play. Nothing has been announced for them, but I am thinking Pinnochio’s will involve lying in some fashion, Snow White might have seven different sidekicks! It could be really interesting dynamics and gameplay, and is the kind of set that will have me convincing my wife there is still some room in the cupboard for another board game.
After I was less interested in sets like Stars and Stripes and TMNT, Once Upon a Time feels like its back to its best, at least for my tastes. A 2027 release was announced, and I’m hoping that’s earlier in the year rather than later!
Unmatched Adventures: A Study in Terror
Lastly, Restoration Games announced the third in their co-operative spin on Unmatched. Following on from 2023’s Tales to Amaze and last years Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Unmatched Adventures: A Study in Terror will feature more co-operative Unmatched play.
Like their predecessors, Unmatched Adventures: A Study in Terror will have you actually working together rather than against each other, trying to defeat one of the two villains that come in the box. But like the other Adventures series, you can still use the heroes in the box like any other Unmatched fighter for some competitive head to head card battles.
Other than a 2027 release not much was announced about this game, with no mention of which heroes and villains will be in the box. It states you will join forces to stop their evil plan, but sadly, this could sum up many a story or character!
A Study in Terror gives off Sherlock Holmes vibes, but as he’s already a character from Cobble & Fog, I am doubtful he’ll be reused. So we will all just have to wait and see for more updates.
With all three of these announcements Restoration Games are ensuring Unmatched fans have got plenty to be excited about over the next year. While I sadly don’t have the room or the money to get every single set, every time I’ve played Unmatched I have loved exploring the new characters and the ways they play, so three new sets to choose from is really cool.
And with more news still to come with A Study in Terror, maybe this will be the set in the Unmatched Adventures series to finally make me see what all the fuss is about. People keep telling me Unmatched works as a co-op experience, I just need to see it!
