Board Game Review: King of Tokyo and Shadow Hunters

Introduction?

One of my biggest hobbies are gaming (next to fapping probably heh), and I research games like no tomorrow. In fact it's just to the point where I can't decide whether I should buy the games because I read too much negative reviews and just be confused with it. In fact, this review might as well become one of them to you, I might be biased, my opinion is not absolute. However, I am very critical of games and I'm sure some of my reviews are insightful.

I bought a few games that I have played in a board game cafe (BEST way to know what game you like, can't go wrong with this). Namely King of Tokyo (KoT) and Lords of Waterdeep (LoW). They both are awesome in their own way and of course has some faults.

Wait then why are you reviewing Shadow Hunters instead?

I am reviewing LoW for another day since I haven't got the chance to play it yet because of some other game I particularly dislike, Shadow Hunters (SH).

We have this gathering for games which consists of like 8 people, and KoT and LoW has a max of 6 and 5 people respectively, so SH is obviously the best pick because it's max is 8.

Board game review - Shadow hunters

First impression:

If you've heard of either Town of Salem (ToS) or Mafia game, this board game is extremely similar  to it. In Mafia and ToS everyone only has one life on default, on this game they have different life points depending on whether you're the Hunter, shadow or neutral.

First time I saw the character cards, I was cringing internally pretty hard due to the shitty art on some of the cards. In a dark themed game, the character you expect the least would be a big-boobed anime nurse, carrying a shotgun, winking at you (Fuka, the middle girl in this pic).

Board looks like this:

Game mechanics TL;DR

• You're given a random character, check and put it face down, fulfill whatever the win condition the character has and win
• When you lose all your HP, you're eliminated from the game.
• Activate special ability anytime, which reveals your character too.
• During your turn: roll die, and move to a designated card that has the total sum of both dice you rolled, if you roll to the same card/place, roll again. get 7 to go anywhere you want.
• After you go to a specific place, you can do some certain things, mostly choosing between 3 cards:
• Hermit/green card: Get to know a player of your choice, card will say something like "if you're either hunter or neutral, you lose one point of health". If condition applies, they lose one health (which is a visible move because everyone's LP gets recorded on the board).
• White card: Recovery equipments (easily stolen) and usables
• Black card: Offensive equipments (easily stolen) and usables
• Usables doesn't have to be used on the same turn, but must be used during your turn
• Ending turn: you may choose to attack someone in the same square (neighbouring) or card as you, the damage would be the absolute difference of two dice you roll (so 0-5).

The Good Shit

1. Surprising your friends when they think they killed you first and turns out that's your winning conditions is to die first is pretty fun. Being a neutral and having a unique winning condition is fun.
2. Compared to ToS lynching system, I think this game is more balanced and has less random killing.
3. up to 8 players
4. Pretty simple

Why this game is boring as fuck

1. Aside from some unique neutrals, everyone else (hunter and shadow included) has a pretty standard winning condition. Being a neutral that has winning condition of "dont die till game ends" is the lamest shit.
2. 8 PEOPLE, just imagine waiting around 2-3 minutes a turn because someone decides to think very thoroughly and take their time while we wait for shit. If you like fucking waiting for at average 15 minutes just to move again feel free to buy this shit.
3. Shit game when there's <6 people.
4. Some shit artworks (see: First impression)
5. Late game (everyone is revealed) is shit and becomes a dice rolling contest, Early game is alot of random attacking.
6. Player elimination, this wouldn't be an issue for me, EXCEPT THIS GAME GOES FOR A LONG TIME
7. Has the potential to trigger some people. This may sound absurd, but targeted attacks really ticks people off sometimes

Would I recommend this game?

No, I would get a better game. At best, with the correct group of people, this game is slightly fun with unique winning conditions. There is SO MUCH waiting in this game and it's frustrating. Play it with the right and less number people, right? Well the game doesn't offer its full experience with less than 6 people , so go figure. The fun pay off is just super lame compared to the trouble and all the bad aspects of the game.

Board game review - King of Tokyo

No first impressions because I played this game first a long time ago and I forgot how I thought about it the first time, but it made me bought the game so there's that.

Game mechanics TL;DR

• You get a character, no distinct abilities (unless you buy the expansion pack), 10 health and 0 Victory Points (VP).
• Win by getting 20 VPs or be the last one standing. 0 health and you're out.
• 2 Play area, outside and inside Tokyo. Anyone outside will attack anyone inside, vice versa. Can't heal inside of Tokyo. Tokyo can fit 2 people if there's 5-6 people remaining in the game. If people alive goes to 4, the guy that is in tokyo bay has to gtfo.
• Everyone starts outisde Tokyo
• Turn order:
• Roll 6 dice, you get two rerolls and can set aside or reroll any dice each roll, yathzee style.
• 
• Lightning = energy/money to buy power cards/activate them
• Claw = attack, YOU MUST ATTACK if you roll them once the dice is resolved
• Heart = Heal, can't heal when you're inside Tokyo
• 1,2,3 = VPs, get 3 of same number and get that much of the number's VP, get four and the extra one counts as +1, etc.
• Gain your energies, VP, health and resolve attacks:
• If youre outside: Attack everyone in Tokyo, the receiver gets to choose to leave, if they do, you must enter. Entering gets you +1 VP.
• Buy cards (power up) if you have money or scrap all choices to get 3 new ones for 2 energy.
• End turn
• 2 type of Power up cards
• Keep cards = passive abilities added
• Use card = use it when you buy it immediately.

Minor flaws of the game:

1. Some cards are either way too powerful or too weak. Easy fix: remove some of the cards from play like I did.
2. A bit of ambiguity with the card descriptions, some of which is resolved in the 2nd edition remaster of the game. This can be easily debated upon with your friends when you play
3. It's a bit rough to play with new people the first round, but it's alot smoother on the second round.
4. Player elimination, but this is really a small problem here due to the fast rounds this game has. ALSO that in order for you to get eliminated, you most likely have to do a rash decision and put yourself in danger.
5. Very luck oriented, if you are looking for a meatier game, this is not it.

Why this game is so fun

1. Rolling 6 massive dices is satisfying as fuck
2. Almost zero possibility (except cards) to single people out. You can't really target them unless they allow you to.
3. Surprisingly quite strategic, you have to think ahead on some occasions.
4. Power cards really enhance the game's fun factor, some of them really change the dynamics of the game.
5. Great balance of passive and offensiveness. A player cant keep racking all VP when someone is on the offense or you'll freaking die (and that would be your fault). I read reviews of the pacifist route being the best, but I beg to disagree.
6. Simple yet has a bit of complexity to it.
7. 4-6 players to maximize the fun, 3 is still alright and board games of 2 is for crazy people lol.
8. Card artwork is beautiful and the whole card is coloured. Seriously, try comparing this to SH's booby female characters.