So everyone loves Batman, right? What am I saying? Of course everyone loves Batman! Batman is awesome in every way, shape and form, except for his ability to keep Robins safe. But that aside, Batman rules; and what helps make him awesome? The villains he fights. So logically, a game about Batman villains should be great! There’s a Batman board game where you can play the role of Two-Face, Penguin, Killer Croc, and the Joker! So it has to be awesome! Right?
Wrong!
Batman: Gotham City Strategy Game came out in 2013 and plays two to four players. It’s a strategy game that plays like the lovechild of Risk and HeroClix but carries very little of the fun the two parents provide. Wizkids Games published it, which makes sense because they’re the same minds behind Heroclix. The point of the game is to gather your power by expanding your gang and taking over each and every section of Gotham. All the while you have to hope Batman doesn’t come to put the smack down on your evil plans. On paper it sounds fun. It sounds like a game that would be a hit with any comic book fan. It sounds like a sure win! But it’s not.
The main problem with the game is the small board size. In Risk you have the whole world to conquer and more options when you want to move your pieces, but in Batman: GCSG, you have only 12 possible places. Even other strategy games provide a bigger game board and those who don’t have a game system built specially for a small board. In my experience with the game the limited board space cause a mix of a lot of camping and small quarrels where territory was lost, then gained back again in the next turn.
Another big problem with the game is the fact that it’s difficult to pick up. Each player gets a little fold out screen to place in front of them that has all the information they need to play the game. It sounds like a great idea, but it just doesn’t work. The rules are convoluted and there’s so much you have to keep in mind with each move that it’s easy to get lost. Can you get an extra goon to put on the board? Well what’s your villains level? How many goons do you have on the board? How many goons do you have in that particular space? And so on.
I played this game with two of my best friends who are seasoned board game players and we all basically came to the same conclusion. What little fun we found with the game was not enough to offset the bad. The best part is getting to send Batman to destroy your opponents, but that gets old after a while.
Batman: Gotham City Strategy Guide is a great example of a great idea that was executed poorly. If there was a bigger board with more room to play and some easier to follow rules, then I’d be singing its praises. As it stands, this is a game you’re going to have to pass on. If you like Batman then visit your local comic book store or watch the movies or some of the cartoons.
If you’re just dying to play a super hero based game then pick up Sentinels of the Multiverse. It’s a fun cooperative card game which I’ll review later. But for now, and I can’t believe I’m typing this, pass on Batman. This game gets a 3 out of 11.
