So, I was having a good browse on Zatu (cheeky little plug there) and my peepers landed on a game called Evil Corp. “Ooh,” I thought to myself, “I’ve definitely got a spare nook on a shelf somewhere amidst the mountain of games I own but rarely get to play. So, why the heck not give it a go?”
The premise is dead simple. You’re a manager at a company that throws a yearly bash to see who can terrorise two towns the quickest and nab the coveted title of next boss. To do this, you’ve got to send in your loyal bunch of demons and make sure they are scarier than your opponent’s little horrors. You get a dinky little bag (and who doesn’t love a bit of bag building, eh?) and that’ll be your demonic crew for the round.
Slap-bang in the middle of the table are (in our case, seeing as there were just the two of us) two towns, each with different spots, including some fancy-pants special ones we’ll chat about later. If your demon’s scariness outweighs your opponent’s, you can shuffle up the terror track. If theirs is higher, they can boot your marker back towards the middle. Each town has two sides, and once a town’s been utterly traumatised by one of you, it’s flipped over, and you bag one of the two victory tokens needed to win the whole shebang.
The Nitty-Gritty
Right, let’s get down to brass tacks. We’ll start with the demons, your very own mini-army of mischief-makers. There are three different colours – blue, red, and green – all available for you to ‘draft’ into your bag.
Red demons are your typical bruisers, all brawn and a bit of brain. Some even have special powers, like offing an enemy demon. They’re your go-to for a good old offensive push. These lads can also be popped into the fortifications.
Blue demons are the clever clogs of the demonic world. They’re more about buffs and debuffs, as well as being the ones you’d send off to the demonic portals. Bit of brainpower goes a long way, eh?
Then you’ve got the green demons. These chaps tend to have abilities like moving after they’ve been placed or nabbing you some extra gold. Handy for a bit of tactical shuffling.
There’s a fourth type of demon, mind you, but you can’t draft these. They’re the special sorts you can ‘summon’ using the summoning circles. One use per round for everyone, so choose wisely!
The gold can be splashed out to draft bigger and better demons from a communal ‘shop’ that everyone can dip into. If a demon gets bought, all the others slide down a spot, making them cheaper until they eventually reach the “ta-ta, you’re not needed” section and are removed from play. Bit brutal, but that’s corporate life for you.
On the board, you’ve got some special spots. There’s the ‘fortification’, a place where you can plonk a red demon that’ll stick around, spreading its terror and its power, until you can’t afford to keep paying it off. Then there are the dock spaces that’ll net you some lovely, shiny gold to spend. And finally, the summoning circle. This is where you can stick those nifty blue demons to get the special demons on the blower once a round. Obviously, you’ve got to cough up some dosh for their services, and the more you pay, the better the results you’ll get. It’s a corporation, after all – nothing for free!
The final thing to keep your peepers peeled for is that the first blue and red demon played on a town each turn gets a matching token. These can be a lifesaver for breaking ties in the terror stakes in a town.
Evil Corp is a bit of a funny one, to be honest. It plays massively differently with two players compared to three (and apparently four is two teams of two if you’ve got that many mates).
Tips and Tricks (From a Not-So-Expert Expert)
Right, full disclosure, I haven’t got a shedload of groundbreaking tips and tricks for this one. It’s a pretty much “see it and do it” kind of game. However, I’ll have a good old stab at it for you.
Keep a beady eye on the shop! Some seriously powerful demons will pop up, and it’s well worth snapping them up before your opponent does. Don’t be a mug!
You CAN’T keep gold over the rounds unless you get special gold, so don’t be a tightwad and hoard it. Spend it to win, mate!
Watch the tracker in the towns like a hawk. In a rare turn of events, this is a game I actually beat the missus at the first time we played. I mean, she might have lost focus and I may have ruthlessly exploited that, but still, a win’s a win, eh?
You can lose a few skirmishes in this game and still come out on top. It’s all about working out which battles you can afford to lose right now and which ones you absolutely HAVE to win. Bit like real life.
Evil Corp plays really well with two players. The rounds are snappy and get straight to the point. But it also plays equally well with three. Can’t say about four yet as we haven’t had a crack at it with that many. But I am rather intrigued to see how the team aspect works.
Likes
· I absolutely love the art style of the game. It’s really well done and has a helluva charm to it.
· The bits and bobs (components) are well-made and feel nice and sturdy. No flimsy rubbish here!
· It’s got a decent playtime – not so long you’re reaching for the biscuits and a kip, but not so short you feel ripped off.
· Easy to pick up and learn. (Our third game, we taught someone from scratch, and they got the hang of it no bother.)
· The bags are nice. They feel nice, they look nice, they… well, I’m assuming they smell nice too, but I haven’t gone full method actor on it.
· It can be simple enough, but if you’re up against some strategic brainboxes, it can be a real challenge. Keeps you on your toes!
Dislikes
· It comes in another one of those ‘trench’ boxes (a minor annoyance).
· The potential for your opponents to get all shifty and make some underhanded deal where they both gang up on the towns you’re focusing on and completely ignore each other for a round or two, meaning your terror takes a nosedive. Not that I’m bitter or anything, why do you ask?
Right then, that’s my two pennies’ worth on Evil Corp. If you fancy a bit of villainous fun with a mate (or a few!), this one’s definitely worth a look-in. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some world domination plans to… erm… manage. Cheers!
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