by Deathfrog
This is not the first game that I’ve helped play test, but it is the first game I’ve written a preview for (which means it’s definitely the first game that I reached out to the developer to ask permission and double check that I’m not breaking NDA or anything). I decided to do this for two reasons. First, I’m experiencing rather acute FOMO (fear of missing out) as I see pictures of Unmatched on social media at different conventions while I am at home playing with my proxy version. The second, larger reason is the fact that this game is fantastic and if I can send my voice out into the ether to help someone on the fence try it out or buy it whenever it’s on sale, I’d be doing that person and industry a significant favor.To begin, some background on how I am coming in at this preview and my reason for its format: I’m currently play testing the core set, the first two player expansion, the Bruce Lee character, and two other expansions (the last two I obviously won’t be talking about). I was driven to apply as a play tester by my strong passion for Star Wars Epic Duels, the game this is based upon. In nearly every way, I find Unmatched a superior gaming experience to Epic Duels, but I’ll get into the reasons why in a bit. I’ll divide my thoughts into three sections to discuss the most important aspects of not only how this differs from its source material (which I feel is a useful conversation), but more importantly, how the game plays and identifies its own DNA (because in the end, it doesn’t matter how Unmatched compares, it only matters how it plays).
THE CHARACTERS
A major departure from Epic Duels is the fact that Unmatched is not tethered to any one setting, fandom, or genre. With the core set containing Alice, King Arthur, Medusa, and Sinbad, matchups are already more vibrant than anything I saw in Epic Duels. A significant and obvious caveat to my viewpoint is if Star Wars is a major interest to a player, the greater variety of characters found in Unmatched will pale in comparison to being able to inhabit various characters from the Star Wars universe. Personally, I loved playing (and to a limited extent role-playing) the different characters found in Epic Duels, but the promise of adding characters into the Unmatched universe from so many different IP’s not only maintains the novelty and excitement of the variety of matchups, but a far greater variety of players will feel like their personal tastes are represented in the game.
Another sizable caveat to all of this would be the fact that for some people, the hodgepodge of characters coming from English literature, myths, real life, and beyond will surely rub them the wrong way. Personally, the potential for Medusa to turn Bruce Lee into a statue mid-punch while Bigfoot hides from a pursuing Jabberwock sounds amazing, but I recognize that I’m just one opinion. While it’s definitely a selling point for me, it will surely be a divisive --yet central-- aspect of the game. Without betraying the trust of the developers, I can unequivocally say that the expansions that I’ve had the pleasure of play testing should absolutely find widespread support from the players, and have absolutely shaken up the game in a major way for me and my game groups.
THE CARDS
Dovetailing off of the fantastic characters is the fantastic use and presentation of the cards. Nearly every card in each of the decks contains not only mind-blowing artwork that evokes the character incredibly well, but titles which are often titles that represent the character and work as amazing battle cries to shout as you play them. This is a major change from Epic Duels, where the majority of each character’s deck contained nameless cards with a picture and values for attack and defense. Seriously, if you haven’t given Oliver Barrett’s card art a look yet, you owe it to yourself.
Beyond the thematic brilliance of the cards, the mechanical nature of them shines through. In Epic Duels, each character had a few special cards that would reflect the nature and notable abilities of the character, while the rest were simply used for their attack and defensive values. In Epic Duels, these cards had both attack and defense values, requiring the player to choose how they would use the card (sometimes having to forgo a strong attack for a measly defense, or vice versa). This meant that players rarely found themselves in situations where they didn’t have at least a bad way to attack or defend. In Unmatched, the cards are either an attack, a defense, a versatile attack/defense, or a lightning bolt (a “scheme” card). Every character’s deck is unique, so some characters have a great deal of attacks, but few defenses, or a lot of flexibility with the attack/defense cards, but at the cost of lower values. This means certain characters are more prone to find themselves in situations where they genuinely may not have the attack or defense they need, which to me always felt like a reflection of the characters’ nature (which was awesome).
The special ability cards (scheme) are just as evocative as those in Epic Duels, representing noncombat effects ranging from card draw, extra movement to reanimation of minions. Adding to these scheme cards, each character has a special ability on their main card, further differentiating the characters without even needing to draw your first hand. It would have been easy for Restoration games to lean on the aesthetic differences of the host of characters to make them seem different, but the thoughtful construction of the decks, the unique abilities of the characters and the evocative art serve to truly make the characters *feel* different. It’s awesome.
THE PLACES
Finally, and it feels silly to me even now to say this, but as great as the character design is, I might be equally excited about the maps. Gone are the days boring grids laid over a Star Wars-y backdrop and long live the days of color-coded, interconnected spaces. The 10-cent explanation of how Restoration Games’ new version of the battlefields work is that melee attacks can reach any space connected to your character by a line, while ranged attacks can reach any space that shares the same color as your own. Each battlefield is made up of 6-8 different colored zones, each thematically representing distinct places on the map while mechanically showing what characters you can and cannot attack from a distance. This would explain the Technicolor explosion that many people may not have been expecting from a modernized version of Epic Duels, but I implore those people to wait to judge the book until after they’ve cracked the cover and given it a try. Not only is the graphical design masterfully tied in the theme and texture of the different maps, but from the gameplay perspective, it’s a paradigm shift.
First of all, on the connectivity of grid-less spaces, without the limitations of a grid, the designers had a massive opportunity to make interesting alleyways, corners, and boxing rings in their wide variety of maps. Moving around the battlefields is just as interesting as playing your cards, requiring thought and cunning to get the most out of every situation. Coming from simple orthogonal movement, this is a sea change, and it feels great.
Second of all, on the handling of ranged attacks through color-coded segments of the map, the thematic basis of each battlefield is given equal footing with the mechanical complexity. Are you running through a path in the woods? Then naturally nobody can shoot you, but neither can you shoot them. Are you standing on top of castle’s parapet? Then you have a great vantage point to attack many different spaces, but that leaves you vulnerable to just as many. It’s an elegant solution that both simplifies the implementation of ranged attacks while also making them both more interesting and surprisingly thematic.
The reason I’m so in love with the maps is because Restoration Games has figured out a way to elevate them from a basic necessity to be an equally important supporting character in the game. If you ask someone who's spent a significant amount of time playing first person shooters, real time strategy games, or MOBAs, they’ll undoubtedly be able to tell you their favorite spot to snipe their opponents, favorite blind corners to ambush someone, or different lanes they would take in different strategic situations. I couldn’t tell you a single interesting thing about the four maps in Epic Duels, honestly even going so far as to say they could almost be replaced with a chessboard and the game could go on largely unaffected. But because of the way Unmatched’s maps are created, whenever I got a new play test kit, I was just as excited to pour over the details of the new maps as I was to flip through the new cards for different characters. I love the maps like I love the unique layout and theme of every level of Mario --the epitome of which being Super Mario Galaxy-- where each is meticulously crafted to highlight its identity.
OVERALL
Unmatched has quickly become one of my favorite games, and that’s without being able to play with the figures, the cards with artwork, or any of the quality of life improving bits like spin down life dials. It was an immediate hit with my game groups who used to play Epic Duels, but it was just as successful with my friends who never played that at all. Some people were drawn in by the vast array of characters, some by the frantic nature of the combat, but all left satisfied by the solid gameplay that made for all manner of shouts and laughter while playing, and long conversations about the game and its possibilities after the winner was decided. I will absolutely be buying everything that I am able to talk about in this preview as soon as it’s available, happily replacing my proxies with the real deal. If I’m being honest, one of the two expansions that I’ve play tested (but not allowed to talk about here) may not be my cup of tea; but also if I am being truly honest, I might *still* buy the set because a) the characters are still mechanically interesting even if the theme doesn’t resonate, b) friends that I play with might appreciate the theme and having access to those characters, and c) the maps (seriously, one of my favorite maps overall is in that expansion, so...).
And that truly is the most magical aspect of Unmatched: Restoration Games has taken a game that lived and died on its IP, salvaged and improved the engine, and pulled in so many different source materials that it’s almost inevitable that every player should be intrigued by at least a couple of the characters. I can’t wait to hold the real components in my hand, and seeing everyone at the conventions able to do what I’m not led me to share my thoughts with you. Sorry I waxed poetic there, but maybe if the quality of my words doesn’t convey how much I think of this game, the quantity of them will.