“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
William Shakespeare’s iconic line conveys the different stages of life, but it could just as easily describe Unmatched: Slings & Arrows.
This literary-themed entry into Restoration Games’ sprawling franchise brings together an eclectic selection of characters from the Bard of Avon’s work, along with an innovative combination of mechanics that help bring them to life and challenge your playstyle.
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
William Shakespeare’s iconic line conveys the different stages of life, but it could just as easily describe Unmatched: Slings & Arrows.
This literary-themed entry into Restoration Games’ sprawling franchise brings together an eclectic selection of characters from the Bard of Avon’s work, along with an innovative combination of mechanics that help bring them to life and challenge your playstyle.
While references to Hamlet and the Three Witches might conjure memories of turgid English lessons, the battle royale versions of these characters deliver hours of fun, whether you stick to this version or use them with other Unmatched sets.
Evolution of the Unmatched formula
If you’ve played any of the Unmatched series before, you might be wondering why you should spend your hard-earned coin on this version of the game.
In Unmatched: Slings & Arrows, you have the choice to play as William Shakespeare himself, Hamlet, the Wayward Sisters (AKA the Three Witches) and Titania. Each character comes with unique abilities and allies to help turn the tide of battle.
Whether in teams or as a free for all, your goal is to be the last one standing, with other players’ hit points reduced to zero.
So far, so Unmatched. While Unmatched: Slings & Arrows maintains the features that have made the franchise a roaring success; attacking, defending, manoeuvring and scheming. However, three characters’ special abilities add a meta element to this iteration:
● Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter: Each Shakespeare card is numbered according to the number of syllables in the title, as well as featuring an extra effect. Rather than discarding played cards, they go into a line. If the syllable number in this line reaches 10 exactly, you can activate the special effect on the final card in the sequence.
● Titania’s glamour cards: Titania has a deck of six extra cards; with a single of them active at any one time. Each card provides a buff to Titania’s manoeuvres, schemes and attacks.
● The Wayward Sisters’ bubbling brew: Each Wayward Sisters card is marked with a significant potion ingredient: snake, bat or lizard’s leg. When played, these cards enter a cauldron rather than the discard pile. When players have the right combination of card symbols in the cauldron, they can cast a spell that aids the sisters or harms other players.
A game within a game
Suddenly, you’re not just playing a card because it’s the best one for the immediate situation. You have to consider how that card impacts the game within a game.
The interaction of these abilities create multiple pathways to winning with each character. Do you play as Shakespeare following traditional Unmatched tactics and play the best card at the best time? Or do you sacrifice playing the ideal card now for the payoff of hitting your iambic pentameter line later?
It’s ironic that Hamlet’s ‘to be or not to be’ flip token ability is the most vanilla in this version, given that the flip token mechanic has been one of the more complex play styles in previous Unmatched iterations.
This is both a strength and a weakness. For returning players, Unmatched: Slings & Arrows adds another layer to the game, freshening up the formula for players well adjusted to the game’s rules. However, this extra level of complexity could be off putting for new players who are simply trying to adjust to the game’s base rules.
Design captures theatrical look and feel
Unmatched games have never disappointed design wise, with high-quality artwork featured on the board, box and action cards. Unmatched: Slings & Arrows takes this to the next level.
The detail and vividity of each players’ action cards bring the Shakespearian theme to life, while the inclusion of shiny cards to denote each character’s signature actions is a great touch.
The board design exemplifies the theatre theme. It’s a nice touch with the importance of the stage, as players who make it to this area of the board are less vulnerable to melee attacks.
With 11 characters and sidekicks active at the start of the game, the 32-space board can feel a little claustrophobic, especially in battle royale mode when every other character is an enemy. This requires quick thinking to prevent being overwhelmed early, but also helps players get straight into the action.
Unmatched: Slings & Arrows — final thoughts
The concept of a Shakespeare-themed battle royale might seem an odd one, but Unmatched: Slings & Arrows has executed it well.
Each character’s distinct abilities and playstyle infuses the tried-and-tested Unmatched formula with more than a flavour of the Bard’s works. The game’s design and artwork is impeccable as ever, while the increased number of characters on the board gets the game closer to its estimated 30-minute playtime (but still expect to exceed this).
For returning players, new styles of special abilities help to bring a freshness to the game, plus offer a great variety for gamers who like to mix and match characters from different game versions. However, this added complexity means there is a greater learning curve than usual for new players.
For a series that’s generated a multitude of games, Unmatched: Slings & Arrows brings a differentiation that makes it much more than the same game with a new skin.
If ‘to buy or not to buy’ is the question, then the former is definitely the answer.
Zatu Review Summary
Zatu Score
87%
