Monsters in the city – review of the game “Monster City”

Monster City is a game that was awarded in the “Best Card Game” category in 2007-2008. Our Bookshop refreshed Michael Schacht’s proposition, enriching it, among others with illustrations by the phenomenal Mariusz Gandzel. Get ready for a visit of monsters in your metropolises!

Inconspicuous box

In a small box, enriched with atmospheric Godzilla graphics, there are 103 cards, i.e. 30 monster cards, 40 building cards, 10 starting cards (2 for each player, marked with various flying objects on the back), 14 event cards, 5 cards “STOP” and 4 scoring cards. In addition, there are also banknotes (10) with the image of the game’s author, a notebook, a pencil (contrary to appearances, they are very functional elements of the game!) And instructions *. Shapes and colors appear on the cards to indicate to the participants of the game what actions they should take (described below). All elements of the game have been prepared with the greatest care – they are solidly made, fantastically illustrated and will certainly withstand many hours of great games. In addition, in order to make the game easier for color-blinders, the developers decided to mark the colors of the buildings with symbols:

Not only cookies …

At least three players enter a game with the primary goal of building great cities. However, it is not that simple, because metropolises are constantly haunted by monsters (Cookies, Godzilla, King Kong …). Fortunately, players are entitled to compensation for losses suffered, which helps them develop further. Four times during the game, participants have the opportunity to score points; however, they have to choose the categories most suited to the chosen strategy: the lowest buildings, the highest buildings, buildings in the selected color, all buildings. The winner is the person with the most points for their city.

… but also Godzilla!

Each turn, the player performs one of the following actions: erect a building from the project office (return one banknote to the bank), attack a monster from a monster planet, or stop (a one-time card). During the game, you can have a maximum of two banknotes, which makes it impossible to expand the metropolis multiple times without incurring losses. Buildings are divided into single and collective buildings, e.g. a monster can destroy three buildings of the same color, only those indicated on the card, all of them with the indicated values, or any buildings. Regardless of the damage (or lack thereof), the player always receives one banknote (compensation for losses, including moral damages). In addition to the basic variant of the game, there is also the possibility of playing with event cards: chicory, rejected project, reconstruction, counterattack, detour and subsidy.

Summary

Monster City is a very interesting game that fans of card games and monsters will surely like. The rules are very simple, but you have to do well to win! There is no time to get bored during the game, because monsters constantly attack metropolises. The cards are always arranged differently, and the event card variant allows even more fun, so you don’t have to worry about replayability of the title. Additionally, four times during the game, each player decides what he will get points for, which is the originality of the title. Monster Cityis dedicated to players from the age of eight; However, I have the impression that such a young player may feel discomfort due to the negative interaction. The reviewed game will certainly prove to be a light and pleasant proposition when meeting with friends, because the game usually lasts about 25 minutes.

* It is also available on the publisher’s website: www.gry.nk.com.pl.