Bundle of madness
Usually when I play a board game and decide to write a review it’s because I have a very clear opinion about that game and I want to shout from the rooftops just how I feel and why you should feel that way too. But my thoughts on this game are a little more akin to the title of this review. Simply put, it’s a bundle of madness.
So what I’m going to do is try and unpack just what I’m feeling about the game so you can decide which of those feelings most reflects your play style and whether or not Monstrocity is right for you.
First things first, what the hell is Monstrocity ? In Monstrocity , players are monsters (the good guys, not like King of Toyko) who are trying to destroy the city in order to defeat the evil genius Dr. Spotnik. The game lasts a series of rounds wherein the players all continuously roll a series of dice and complete the actions rolled. Each round lasts two minutes and players can roll the dice as many times as they want as long as they complete each action on each dice before rolling again.
Bundle of madness
Usually when I play a board game and decide to write a review it’s because I have a very clear opinion about that game and I want to shout from the rooftops just how I feel and why you should feel that way too. But my thoughts on this game are a little more akin to the title of this review. Simply put, it’s a bundle of madness.
So what I’m going to do is try and unpack just what I’m feeling about the game so you can decide which of those feelings most reflects your play style and whether or not Monstrocity is right for you.
First things first, what the hell is Monstrocity ? In Monstrocity , players are monsters (the good guys, not like King of Toyko) who are trying to destroy the city in order to defeat the evil genius Dr. Spotnik. The game lasts a series of rounds wherein the players all continuously roll a series of dice and complete the actions rolled. Each round lasts two minutes and players can roll the dice as many times as they want as long as they complete each action on each dice before rolling again.
And when I say the object of the game is to destroy the city I’m not kidding. Built up on a 3D board with plastic buildings, blockades, and police cars, the monsters move around and smash whatever they want. Once a building has a certain amount of damage it is destroyed. More destruction equals more points.
I should say too that this is a cooperative game… sort of. Because of the two minute timeframe of each round and the frantic desire to roll as many dice as possible, you never really find yourself talking to your fellow players. What’s more, you often find yourself starting on different sides of the board making any real cooperation quite challenging.
In between each round, the evil genius sends more police cars and more hazards to try and slow you down.
Oh, and there isn’t really a specific win condition. More like three different semi-win conditions and if you complete any of these you technically do win, with the game encouraging you to get better and try and complete all three.
For the record, I have never come close to completing all three win conditions.
That’s the game.
Now what do we think? Well firstly, if you like strategy games, click this link here to go back to Zatu’s homepage because this is not the game for you. This game is sort of what happens when someone makes a boardgame version of that Uno game you play with your family that has all the crazy rules that nobody other than your family understands. ‘Wait, does a 1 mean I put my hand in the air or on the table?’
And I realise that sounds like a dig at the game but it’s really not. I had fun when I played it.
I liked the madness. It was different to what I was used to and having to think on your feet with the timer ticking down just added to that madness. What’s more, your turns change as you’re having them. Because each roll is different and you may not get to do what you’re wanting to do. You might not find yourself near the building you want. Your monster might die! (Don’t worry, you come back to life). You might find yourself blocked by an annoying helicopter intent on thwarting your every move. ‘Can’t you tell we’re the good guys?!’
Basically what I’m saying is if you like chaotic games, you’ll probably like this one. And it’s easy to go again when you do crash and burn because the game is only five rounds consisting of two minutes a round. That’s not long.
There is a bit of set up in between rounds as you pile onto the board everything that’s trying to kill you, but that doesn’t take too long. And it can be quite fun as you and your friends look on in horror as you all come to the growing realisation that you maybe, probably, maybe won’t be able to pull this off.
Ok, that’s probably the final point about Monstrocity that I’m going to make. You shouldn’t treat it as a game you have to win. Treat it like the Kobayashi Maru training simulation (#startrekreference) where no matter how hard you try, things just keep getting worse.
Although unlike the Kobayashi Maru, you can actually win. Maybe that’s not the best metaphor…
You get my point. Know walking in that this game is chaos and you’ll be fine. Embrace that chaos. Dive into the madness. Lean toward insanity. That’s how you’ll find yourself enjoying this game.
Am I being dramatic? Maybe. Is it true?
… also maybe.
