King of New York
Skin in the Board Games - Review
King of New York by iello
Summary: In King of New York, you play as a King Kong/ Godzilla sized monster with a soul set on destruction of the city of New York, while battling other monsters with the same purpose.
How it’s played: This game is relentless aggression anyway you play it.
Objective: Be the 1st to gain 20 Victory Points (VP) to win the game.
VP are gained in these ways:
Destroying property in NY (buildings or military units)
Powerfully positioning your monster in Manhattan
Becoming the Superstar
By buying power cards with energy cubes
This game quickly becomes a brutal battle between everything.
On your turn: You roll 6 dice up to 3 times that result in a combination of different actions.
Building icon: Gives power to smash building or military units
Smack icon: Gives power to attack other monsters
Heart icon: Regains health
Energy icon: Gains energy cubes to buy power cards
Star Icon: Gives Superstar status with 3 Stars to gain instant VP
Ouch icon: Sends the military to attack the monsters
After your 1st roll of the 6 dice you can keep all or none of them to reroll up to 2 more times. Usually, you have a general idea of what you are going for, but that 3rd roll can leave you in a serious risk/reward dilemma.
It takes 3 stars to become the Superstar (instantly gaining a VP w/ an additional VP for each extra star). So, if you are sitting on 2 stars, that 3rd roll can complete the task or leave you wasting dice.
If there are many military units in your borough, each 1 will attack you if you roll an ouch icon if you don’t destroy them 1st.
Do you see a competing monster low on health? You can roll for a high Smack count to take it out.
After your final roll: Resolve all dice possible. Then consider moving boroughs if possible, ideally to upper Manhattan which has the largest start of turn bonus. Then you can buy power cards if you can afford them that give VP, health, or special abilities.
Satisfaction Summary:
This is a high-conflict contest with a press your luck & ‘take that’ attitude. Either way you are aggressively going after something; the city, other monsters, or straight for Superstar VP status to win the game.
The personal player boards used to track VP & health are my favorite part of the game. They are firm & sturdy, not flimsy as a lot of games tend to skimp on quality with the accessories.
The point-by-point progress feels good as you roll the VP 1 by 1, getting closer & closer to that win at 20. It does feel agonizing though when you take damage & roll your health incrementally down to death.
The artwork reminds of a better time of entertainment: The 90’s.
It feels like you are playing the classic Rampage video game while watching Street Sharks or TMNT, for those of us blessed enough to grow up in that era.
You will feel like King Kong himself (or Denzel from Training Day) when you achieve domination over NY & all other monsters. Be warned that you can feel like a pummeled victim upon defeat if other monsters &/or the military wipe you out.
