Again in 2019, Tony reviewed a fantastic-looking cube chucker known as Cube Throne Season 2. Then in 2022, he reviewed Marvel Cube Throne. In case you missed these critiques or the advertising and marketing blitz that seems in my social media feeds, Cube Throne is a dueling recreation that may have you ever taking management of certainly one of a handful of distinctive characters, hoping to take out your opponent. The gameplay was participating, streamlined, and a ton of enjoyable.
Immediately, we’re going to be trying on the latest providing within the Cube Throne line. The oldsters at Roxley have returned to the Marvel Universe with X-MEN, though this model was printed by The OP video games. Whereas I used to be not a comic book ebook reader rising up, for me, X-Males is what the Avengers are to my youngsters: The best, most fascinating group of tremendous heroes. I spent many hours watching X-Males cartoons (and am glad they made X-Males ’97 for me to have an opportunity to revisit with my youngsters), taking part in with my X-Males motion figures, and spending my quarters taking part in the 4 participant X-Males arcade recreation at Galaxy World (RIP) and in each arcade on trip. So to say I used to be excited to play as Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Psylocke, and Iceman, or Cyclops, Jean Grey, Gambit, and Rogue, could be an understatement. Did it stay as much as the hype? Learn on to seek out out.
Gameplay Overview:
If you wish to know the ins and outs of the best way to play Marvel Cube Throne, then begin by studying Tony’s evaluation of Cube Throne Season 2. The core gameplay in Marvel Cube Throne X-Males is an identical to the unique Cube Throne and unique Marvel Cube Throne. So an identical that The OP merely added an X-Males cowl to the Marvel Cube throne rulebook and Black Panther continues to be the star of the rule ebook. The one issues new listed here are the characters.
However for the uninitiated, the fast of it’s that you simply select your character, and in a 1vs1 battle you begin with 50 hit factors, and a pair of fight factors. Every flip you may play some playing cards by spending fight factors, roll your six cube (with 2 re-rolls), and try to get some runs or units to activate your character’s powers to assault your opponent. Scale back your opponent to zero HP and also you win on this recreation of combative Yahtzee.
There are multiplayer variants for King of the Hill with 3 or 4 gamers 1v1v1(v1) and 4 participant crew 2v2. There are even 5 and 6 participant variants that seem to have an excessive amount of down time for my enjoyment.
Recreation Expertise:
Total, I agree with Tony’s ideas on the gameplay of Cube Throne in his Season 2 evaluation, so I’m not going to rehash what he stated there as nothing concerning the gameplay has modified. However, I do need to spend a second on three and 4 participant video games. Whereas I agree with Tony’s evaluation that the sport is greatest at 1v1, I believe the King of the Hill recreation play and Crew recreation play are enjoyable video games, however they play otherwise due to the lower in whole variety of turns every participant makes. This makes it more durable for characters which have talents that have to “cost up” or combo to achieve their full potential. So taking part in with fast hitting characters makes these variations extra enjoyable. Or home rule it so that you simply begin with extra well being, however know this makes the sport take longer.
So on to the brand new characters:
In Field one we’ve got:
Wolverine: Complexity degree 2. Not surprisingly, Wolverine is a straight-forward brawler who does extra injury the angrier he will get. When he’s attacked, he doesn’t attempt to defend towards injury, he solely assaults again, or will get full of Rage. Every Rage token can ship a further 3 injury in future assaults.
Storm: Complexity degree 4. Storm is extra sophisticated and he or she takes time to cost her assaults together with her lightning companion that makes the assaults extra highly effective. In 1v1 duels, she may be very highly effective. She additionally has a Wind Shear token which redirects 2 injury again at opponents and a Twister token that provides her the distinctive capacity to make use of opponents’ cube throughout her Offensive Roll Section.
Iceman: Complexity degree 4. Bobby Drake is a fairly cool character, however he excels with extra turns within the 1v1 duel as he has a really highly effective capacity to Glide from one assault to a different assault in the identical Offensive Roll Section. The downside is that it requires that you’ve got collected 5 Ice Shard tokens previous to incomes the Glide token, there simply doesn’t appear to be sufficient time to carry out this in something however a 1v1 Duel.
Psylocke: Complexity degree 3. At all times exhausting to play video games of probability towards a psychic. Her talents give her a sixth cube, known as the Manifest cube, which can be utilized to exchange one of many cube you rolled to activate certainly one of your Offensive Talents or can be utilized as an assault modifier (half the die roll rounded up.) She can also use these tokens: Paralyze (Stop a personality from gaining/inflicting standing impacts), Agility (keep away from half of incoming injury with a die roll 1-3), and Infiltration (pressure a re-roll of a defensive die)
In Field two, aka the {couples} field, we’ve got:
Cyclops: Complexity degree 4. Love or hate Scott Summers, he’s the chief of the X-Males and if you play a management card you get bonuses. He additionally has highly effective standing results, Battle Plan lets him study opponent’s hand, put management playing cards into his hand, or inflict Focus Hearth, a unfavourable standing impact that completely (except eliminated by a card) causes further injury when anybody assaults the participant with this token. Characteristically, Cyclops also can help his teammates with a token that provides a Fight Level, permits further re-rolls, or draw playing cards. That is why he is a wonderful alternative in 2v2 crew battles and King of the Hill.
Jean Gray: Complexity degree 6. Consistent with the X-Males theme, probably the most sophisticated character, Jean Gray, is… sophisticated. She alternates each flip between being Jean Gray and Darkish Phoenix. Whereas she is Jean Gray, she beneficial properties further playing cards and is a superb teammate with Acuity tokens performing just like Scott’s Battle Plan token. She will additionally stop injury. When she is Darkish Phoenix she doesn’t achieve additional playing cards, can’t stop injury, however she will pack a critical punch with additional injury being added. Flame Blast is a Darkish Phoenix particular token that’s an assault modifier. Phoenix Burn is a token that damages folks throughout their repairs part. She performs greatest in 1v1 Duel, however does have talents that may assist her teammates. Sadly, with fewer particular person turns in 2v2 crew battles, there are fewer alternatives to make use of her tokens.
Rogue: Complexity degree 3. Rogue sucks… opponent’s energy and well being. She has an all the time lively passive energy that when she takes injury she absorbs it and beneficial properties Ionic Power, a token that may be spent as an assault modifier. She will additionally steal the opponent’s energy by taking part in her Affect token which might restrict the opponent’s Offensive Rolls. Her Skyward token is one other energy that permits her to dam injury or assault the unique attacker again. Rogue doesn’t require time to construct her assaults, so she is a superb participant within the video games with fewer particular person turns, 2v2 and King of the Hill.
Gambit: Complexity degree 6. Rogue’s boyfriend has all the time been distinctive, whether or not within the comics or cartoons, throwing taking part in playing cards that explode or within the MCU with Channing Tatum’s wonderful efficiency. The deck of Aces of every go well with makes up a singular play fashion that requires charging to blow up the playing cards as an assault modifier, and a few have further powers. Gambit also can heal or take away standing results together with his Dissolution tokens, or together with his Disruption tokens he can steal Fight Factors or trigger 2 injury in a participant’s repairs part. Gambit has a passive capacity that accelerates the charging of the Aces and entails just a little playing. Gambit, like all the greater complexity characters, is best in 1v1 duels. I’ve liked taking part in with him. Geaux Gambit.
Closing Ideas:
I loved the unique Cube Throne Seasons with distinctive characters that had been unique IP, I loved once they skinned the sport as Marvel (Black Panther, Loki, Thor, Scarlett Witch, Miles Morales, and Captain Marvel), so in fact I liked it when the selected my favourite Marvel IP, The X-Males.
If you have already got earlier incarnations of Cube Throne and don’t love X-Males, no want to purchase this. However if you’d like extra characters otherwise you want to soar into Cube Throne, I believe X-Males is the perfect place to begin with a pleasant number of complexity with characters that stick with their theme rather well. With Cube Throne Missions obtainable, a co-op recreation that I’ve not but performed, having extra characters to make use of on this recreation looks as if a further motive to select up X-Males.
Now for the primary negatives of the evaluation. As of this writing, the one model obtainable in retail is the model I reviewed. It was launched by The OP video games and it makes use of an old style 10.25 in x 16 in x 2 in field that actually doesn’t match properly on a shelf with fashionable video games. Though it does match with the 80’s-90’s look of the characters. Roxley has an upgraded model that they all the time name “battle chest” for pre-order and for practically the identical worth, so I’d personally pre-order that model as Roxley’s card inventory and foldable participant mats are higher than The OP playing cards and strong participant mats. The one unfavourable concerning the gameplay is steadily, particularly in crew or king of the hill, it may be extra advantageous to focus on straight injury versus utilizing the character’s particular powers, which is the place a number of the enjoyable lies.
Closing Rating: 4.5 Stars – As Cube Throne is all the time enjoyable and that is my favourite themed model and is suitable with all earlier variations. That being stated, it’s the very same recreation as earlier variations.
Hits:
• Glorious selection within the Characters—each in complexity and distinctive powers
• Offers further characters for Cube Throne Missions
• X-Males theme is carried via every character
Misses:
• It’s precisely the identical recreation because it has been since Cube Throne.
• The standard of The OP recreation is inferior to the Roxley variations.
• Within the King of the Hill codecs and 1v1v1(v1) modes the discount in well being decreases the quantity of turns every participant takes and limits the extra complicated characters. (we home rule extra well being, which will increase the play time however is price it)
