Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Marvel Universe is a fictional world filled with aliens and superhumans. For those of you living above-ground, you may or may not have heard of Fluxx, a game about constant change. Do these two ideas work well together?
Marvel: Fluxx is a quick-playing card game published by Looney Labs for 2-6 players.
Game Overview:
At the beginning of the game, players follow the rules of the Basic Rules card, that will determine how many cards you will draw, and how many cards you will play on your turn. However, players can play New Rule cards to change these Basic Rules, which might affect the overall gameplay. New Rule cards can also give the players actions to use during their turn or limits to cards in hand or play.
After drawing cards, players will gather 4 types of cards. Keeper Cards, Goal Cards, Action Cards, and New Rule Cards. Keeper Cards are what help the players fulfill what is printed on the current Goal card. At any time during your turn, if your Keeper cards in play match the current Goal card, you instantly win. For example, a goal card might ask for Spiderman and Iron Man. If you have Spiderman in play, playing Iron Man would win you the game.
Goal Cards are constantly changing as more players cancel the current goal with a new one. In addition, Players can play action cards that have useful abilities that will help the players win by letting them draw more cards or cause a “take that” effect, targeting other players. (For Example, an action card might tell you to Draw 3 cards, and then play 2 of them).
Game Experience:
Marvel Fluxx is a game for people who enjoy games that have character; the Marvel theme brings the game together with references and art that fans of the series will enjoy. One instance of this is the Action Card “Thanos Snaps His Fingers” which discards half of the cards in play at random.
However, some of the cards are repetitive with the same abilities, and most action cards revolve around drawing and playing cards. This leads to a game in which players have a hard time creating strategies.
Finally, the new rule cards lead to playstyles that promote an almost never-ending game. Rule cards that force players to play large amounts of cards create a constantly swapping Goal Card that makes the game hard to progress. For example, some rule cards will require players to play their whole hand, leaving no room for keeping cards to strategize for a future turn. The game becomes mostly tactics at that point.
Final Thoughts:
Marvel Fluxx is a game for players that enjoy building upon their gameplay to create an experience that can be specifically ‘Your Playthrough’ of the game. However, some parts of the game will feel like they never change, and those parts heavily decrease the replay value, leading to a less played game. Games of Marvel Fluxx can also feel like they go on forever, leading players away from the fun of a quick, light game.
Final Score: 2.5 Stars – Marvel Fluxx is a good game but could use some changes (ironically) to make it different every time.
Hits:
• Marvel brand adds to the fun
• Good for new gamers
Misses:
• Repetitive Gameplay
• The game can sometimes be never-ending
