Funkoverse Strategy Game: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 100 by Funko Games
Price: ~$40.00
Players: 2 to 4
Playtime: 20 to 60 minutes
Perfect for: Teams and small groups who enjoy direct strategic competition with asymmetrical abilities based on Tim Burton’s beloved characters.
Funkoverse Strategy Game: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 100 is a game of spooky head-to-head combat and goal achievement. Players assume the roles of the Halloween (or is it Christmas?) classic including Jack Skellington, Sally, Oogie Boogie, and Dr. Finkelstein. Each character must use their unique abilities to outwit, outsmart, and outplay their opponents by collecting points through a variety of means as quickly and efficiently as possible.
To begin this (or any) Funkoverse Strategy Game, two to four players select their character along with corresponding mats, ability tokens, cooldown tracks, an ally of their choosing, and any other items unique to them. Next, the players agree on a scenario from one of the four included. The scenario will determine which board to use and the various ways the characters can score points such as interacting with tokens on the maps or by knocking out opponents (which is typically a way to gain VP in any scenario). Any scenario-specific tokens are placed on the board, the dice put within reach of all players, and the game is ready to go.
On a turn, a player first chooses either their primary character or their ally to activate (assuming they are not exhausted and available to use). That person then performs two actions from their available options such as move, interact, challenge, or use a special ability. A challenge is essentially a direct attack on an opponent—each person rolls a number of dice and if the aggressor has the higher result, the other player is either knocked down or out. To activate a special ability, the player places a colored token on their cooldown track which allows to perform an enhanced action such as moving more spaces or challenging/attacking with more dice. The more powerful the ability, the higher up the token will go on the cool down track (more on that in a moment).
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Once the character completes their action, they are exhausted and gameplay shifts to the next person. When all characters are exhausted, the round concludes and moves into the cleanup phase where everything on the cooldown track moves down by one number, closer to off the board and being returned. For example, a special ability token might move from 4 to 3 putting it one step closer to the player so that they may use it again. When a character is knocked off, they go into the “1” spot on the cooldown track so they will be available in the subsequent round. Next, all characters are refreshed (unexhausted) and the first player marker shifts. Play continues until one person has acquired the total amount of points required to win the scenario.
What works in Funkoverse Strategy Game: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 100 is the joyful adaptation of the film’s character and spirit into engaging, strategic, and competitive asymmetrical gameplay. The design really drives the experience with a beautiful double-sided board and gorgeous medium-sized Funko Pop! figures which serve as player-movers. The special abilities are well-suited to each character thematically, giving the game more distinct personality. For example, Sally can maneuver a detachable arm token across the board and swap places with it when challenged. Finally, the Funkoverse Strategy Game has multiple paths to victory: players could try to race to fulfill objectives before their opponents, attack head-on in the hopes of overpowering them, or some combination of the two. In any case, the interaction level is incredibly high and the multitude of variables—including characters, items, scenarios, and items—giving the game strong replay value.
Players who prefer cooperation over competition, or games that have a bit less luck, may not enjoy Funkoverse Strategy Game as much as others. Funkoverse Strategy Game at its core leverages the mechanic of head-to-head combat and requires players to be sly and tricky against their opponents. But also, many of the outcomes are dependent on dice rolls, even if the probabilities can be enhanced through a special ability—a well laid plan can easily become waylaid based upon a random result. Also, players may want to play through Funkoverse Strategy Game: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 100 a few times to become familiar with all the characters, as knowing opponents’ strengths and weaknesses definitely enhances the experience (i.e. get ready for “oh wow, I didn’t know you could do that on your turn” a few times during the first play).
Funkoverse Strategy Game: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 100 is a very enjoyable adaptation of the popular film for fans looking to lovingly go at it with their friends and family. The aesthetic and thoughtfulness shines through and the interplay will keep everyone attentive as they plot and defend. Note too that the Funkoverse game system has a multitude of entries and iterations featuring tons of characters from various franchises so you can mix and match Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 100 with other expansions to create some really unique matchups!
Recommended if you like: Unmatched, Heroscape
Final Grade: A
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