I reviewed Restoration Games and Mondo’s Unmatched back in January. You can read my full thoughts here, but the short version is this game checks off a lot of boxes for me. It’s beautiful, it’s based around strategic combat, it utilizes cool themes, and it is two-player (though it doesn’t necessarily have to be).
Unmatched is also a game where every character is both deeply individual while remaining balanced with all the other characters. This means new editions, with new characters, are much more exciting than typical board game expansions. Being able to get a new character offers a whole new angle for gameplay. You don’t just want to get Bruce Lee because he’s cool (he is). You want to see how he plays with each and every other character you have.
So this is very cool: Mondo has released a new Jurassic Park edition of the game: InGen vs Raptors:
I actually got to see this one first hand and it’s pretty cool. As the InGen game warden, your main deal is setting traps all over the board. With Raptors, you have three, each with equal health. They are stronger the more of them survive. You have to kill all three to win. A lot of characters have sidekicks, but the raptors are more like three medium-characters. You would think that gives them a ridiculous edge, but when I tried them out, the InGen fella drew some lucky cards and killed me almost as soon as we started. Do not underestimate those traps!
But how do the raptors fare against Robin Hood and his Merry Men? How will the InGen Game Warden’s traps affect Medusa’s long-range attacks? That’s the real fun of Unmatched, and I can’t wait to get this set for myself to find out. Check it out here!