Note: This preview uses pre-release components and rules. What you see here may be different from the final, published game. This post was a paid preview, you can find out more information here.
It’s 2182 and unfortunately the evil serpent race: the Zillian have taken over the galaxy and their leader Twisted foOk has transformed the Earth into a Deathrace course. Heroes of Earth driving almost supernatural cars have stepped up to battle Twisted foOk and his powerful minions. But these heroes are not allies and might work together to fight the Zillian but in the end there can only be one winner.
This brings us to today’s preview the adventure card game Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro that pits 1-4 players against Twisted foOk and his minions. It plays in about 20-30 minutes and is for players 8 and up.
Gameplay Overview:
Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro begins with players each randomly receiving 1 of the 6 unique Hero cards with its matching cube and each sets their health track to 20. Each player then receives 1 Magic Monkey Wrench power card, the remaining power cards are shuffled and each player receives 1 randomly. Lastly, players will receive 1 of each the 4 weapon drop tokens.
Players will shuffle the event deck and remove the Start & Twisted foOk road tiles and shuffle the rest. The Twisted foOk road tile is then placed to the bottom of shuffled road tiles. The 2-sided Boss Health tracker is to the highest number for the Death Turret and OMG 1 & 2 side.
On a player’s turn they can do the following:
- The first player will draw a D4 card (1-4) and draw as many tiles as the number on the card. The player can move their cube forward or backward as the number indicated on the D4 card.
- The player may perform the following actions during or after their move: play one weapon drop, play one power card, trade in 1 power card, perform a Drive-By if you move past another player, and perform a Battle-It-Out if you share a space with another player.
There are a variety of road tiles and all do different things when heroes land on them. The road tile with the 82 icon has the player draws an Event card. Hazard tiles have heroes stop moving and can give them random HP damage. Nitro-Nos tiles move heroes +1 tile. Fire tiles deal 2 HP damage if heroes move through or land on. If a hero lands on the Death Turret, OMG-Zilla, or Twisted foOk tile then they enter a Boss Battle (or Final with foOk).
It’s important to note that if any hero enters a Boss Battle or final Boss Battle they cannot move until the Boss is defeated. Also, the boss will deliver a first strike before the heroes act. Players will receive 3 actions: draw a D4 Roll card to deal damage, use a weapon drop, or use or trade a power card. Players will receive 1 weapon drop and power card if the Boss is defeated.
End Game: once the Death Turret and OMG-Zilla bosses are defeated then players can enter and have a Final Boss Battle on the Twisted foOk tile. If foOk is defeated, then the remaining heroes must battle until only 1 is left and they are the winner.
Gameplay Impressions:
I hope it’s easy to see that the rules are straight forward for Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro. So, expect players to quickly master them which means it should be fast to the table. Also, it’s important to note that there was a QR code on the box lid. This allows the rules to be accessed from any device and referenced digitally as to not take up space in the game box. You can also have every player access and reference the rules individually instead of passing a rulebook around the table which is a great time saver and adds more eyes to be sure you’re not missing anything.
I loved that Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro is as advertised: “it’s so micro.” It comes in a metal container that is about the size of a mint tin. So, for most, it can seriously fit into your pocket, purse, satchel, etc… This makes it incredibly portable and takes up very little shelf space. Plus, it has a smaller table presence so you cannot only take the game almost anywhere but you can also play it on most or smaller surfaces such as a bar top, bench, and tv tray, to name a few.
Now, Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro might come in a small container but it has huge player interaction and engagement. Players have the chance each turn to possibly battle each other or gang up on a boss. Players should mostly work together to beat on the bosses instead of each other but even if it goes against logic it’s still fun to mess with others. The gameplay will also keep players engaged as they watch other player’s turns looking for possible advantages or waiting to strike the killing blow on another boss or hero.
It’s important to note that since Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro is a card-driven game and it’s influenced by the luck, but not ruled by it. By giving players multiple weapon drops, unique hero powers, and opportunities to trade power cards these all allow players to influence their damage and defenses. This should give players a good sense of control. Players at times will suffer through the luck of the draw but overall players should not feel it heavily influences the game.
While there are many racing games on the market, Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro is not one of them. So, don’t let the title fool you. This one has instead a dungeon crawler feel as players randomly place road tiles which will create a unique track in every play. Now, that said it’s not a bad thing but just be aware—there are no points for first but you will win if you’re the last one standing.
Final Thoughts:
Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro is fun and fast for players of all ages. It’s not a racing game but instead gives an interactive dungeon crawl experience. The straightforward rules are easy for most players to master and gets it to the table quickly. Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro has high player interaction and engagement where players will be battling each other or boss each round. Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro is driven by random tiles and cards but it off-sets randomness with game elements that allow players to manipulate damage and defenses so luck does not solely drive the gameplay.
Escape Deathrace 2182: Micro is launching tomorrow on Kickstarter, so head over to their campaign page to find out more information or to become a backer.
As always, we don’t post ratings for preview copies as the components and rules may change from the final game. Check back with us after the game is produced for a full review. This post was a paid preview, you can find out more information here.
