Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains Review

While crossovers are bordering on the ridiculous as of late, Monopoly and Star Wars were among the first to ever do it. In fact, the first official Star Wars crossover Monopoly game – the Star Wars Collectors Edition – hit the scene in 1996!

While “everything X everything” has been done to oblivion, Ubisoft‘s Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains crossover most certainly got our attention…

Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains Review

Who knew Monopoly could ever look this good?

And it’s a great little game!

Featuring a barrage of nostalgia throughout the history of the Star Wars IP, Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains combines this throwback love with easy-to-learn mechanics in what amounts to an accessible pick-and-play title perfectly suited for family game nights.

Offering an interesting take on the iconic Monopoly formula, Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains does keep a number of Monopoly’s core concepts.

However, the victory condition here has changed, creating a faster-paced, more ability-focused experience better suited for the world of gaming.

R2-D2 and C3PO narrate the experience

On that note, Victory in Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains is achieved via Influence Points that are earned through various actions. While purchasing and upgrading properties still serves as the backbone, the real swing in victory comes from Go Events.

Each time a player reaches – or passes – Go, a Go Event is triggered.

From there, players will complete random, dice-based challenges in the hopes of netting victory in that particular event. These events all take place throughout the Star Wars universe, featuring scenarios and encounters from the series’ vast library of movies and TV shows.

The Go Event cut-scenes are sure to bring cheers and boos from all players

Victory not only rewards some of the highest Influence Points available, but also delivers thrilling cutscenes that serve as a title highlight.

Seeing Anakin blow up the droid control ship or Yoda pulling Luke’s X-Wing from the swamps of Dagoba never gets old, offering a sweet nostalgia hit anybody can appreciate.

Do note that these Go Events will not be for everyone…

Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains limits the maximum total number of Go Events to eight, which takes around 40-80 minutes of play. As a result, players will only get to go around the board a few times.

Players can engage in 2v2 or 3v3 games against both human and AI opponents

Players will rarely find victory through board or financial dominance – although sending the opposing team into minus Credits is always a satisfying way of achieving victory.

On our end, it took about five games before the enemy team actually landed on one of our outposts (with outposts and bases replace houses and hotels, respectively).

While functioning similar to Monopoly proper as players increase rental charges when opponents land on an upgraded space, they can also be destroyed and conquered by the opposing team.

With these rules in play, they act as protections for the Influence Points gained from the location as well.

Character abilities also play a huge part in Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains, although not all abilities are created equal.

There are 28 characters total – 14 Heroes and 14 Villains. Each has an ability that is mirrored by a character on the opposing side.

From there, players can freely choose any combination of aligned characters in either 2v2 or 3v3 game modes, with the game rewarding complementary skills and abilities.

I’m not sure what’s more iconic. This scene from the movies, or from Shadows of the Empire on Nintendo 64

For example, every few turns Chewbacca can use the powerful Wookie Rampage ability that advances him to the next available opponent location and initiates combat. Meanwhile, Mace Windu’s ability provides an extra die in combat for all allied players.

Working together, these abilities allow Chewbacca to speed around the board at an alarming pace, unlocking more Go Events and Influence Points, while increasing the chance of combat victory, stealing valuable resources and locations from enemy players.

Some abilities are more exciting and useful than others, but each provides a fun and rewarding addition to the Monopoly formula.

Skins provide players the opportunity to play as characters from different stages of the timeline

Players can also complete missions during matches to unlock new characters, spaceships, and skins.

While purely cosmetic and featured in brief cutscenes following combat with enemy players, spaceships are just one of many subtle touches that really do the Star Wars experience justice.

Each character also features unique entrances and walking animations, featuring fantastically rendered 3D representation of locations in the center of each board.

For something that often takes place on the kitchen table, it all provides an impressive level of immersion.

Even during space combat, when the cutscene plays, each background is dependent on what planet or location the fight takes place.

The 3D environments of each location are impressively detailed

Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains provides a fantastic casual gaming experience perfect for fans of all ages. Between its online, couch, and crossplay modes, this release brings us all together for a game we all know and love.

The post Monopoly Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.