King of Tokyo (2016 Version)
Publisher: IELLO
Release Date: June 2016
Price: $39.99
Game Designer: Richard Garfield
Format: Board/Card game
Number of players: 2-6
Game Length: 30 minutes
Age Rating: 8 and up
Product #: 51314
ICv2 Rating: 4.5 stars out of five

Five years ago, I heard about a new game by Richard Garfield, and I thought something along the lines of "That’s cute.  Somebody made another giant monster fighting game."  And then I didn’t give it another thought.  Truth be told, I’m sorry it went down that way, because the last five years have shown that King of Tokyo actually is a pretty big deal.  And now IELLO has released a new version of the game that’s even better.

Summary:  In King of Tokyo, if you somehow missed it all this time, each player assumes the role of a giant monster, along the lines of a Godzilla or King Kong, but of course Garfield created his own monster personas (though if you squint a little bit, they’ll look really familiar…).  On your turn, you roll a set of special dice, and you can reroll any of them you don’t like twice.  The symbols on the dice can then be used to attack other monsters, heal your own monster, earn victory points, or collect "energy" that you can use to buy power ups during the game.

The gameplay in this updated version hasn’t changed.  What has changed is the artwork, which was designed to better match the artwork in the up-coming King of Tokyo app, and the rulebook, which has been clarified and streamlined to help players learn the game and get started quickly.

Originality:  While the inspiration for the monsters in the game is pretty clear, the idea of pairing the mechanics of what is probably the world’s most famous dice game to the theme of giant monsters fighting for control of Tokyo a la King of the Hill is pretty clever.  Comparing the new version to the original, there is very little in the way of new material.  Really, it’s just a new presentation.

Presentation:  The box is bright and colorful, similar to the original version, with updated artwork and a bold, easy to read title, all of which works to draw in the viewer and entice them to pick up the box and see what’s going on.  The components all feature the bright, cartoony, and just slightly over-the-top silly artwork that captures the feel of the game brilliantly and clearly communicates that this game should not be taken super-seriously.  It’s meant to be fun, and everything about the graphics reinforces this idea.

Quality:  The game components are quite excellent, as we have come to expect from the fine folks at IELLO.  The game board is sturdy and solid, and no bigger than it needs to be.  The cards are good, flexible and well-designed so they are easy to read.  Each monster’s scoreboard has cleverly designed dials for recording health and victory points, eliminating the need for scoring tracks or tokens.  The dice are large and easy to read, with nice deeply-molded symbols that will stand up well to heavy use.  The new rulebook is excellent, easy to read, and lavishly illustrated.  It is a great improvement over the original rulebook, though it could have benefited from more examples.

One small complaint, though:  The monsters are represented by cardboard standups with plastic bases, but there is no room in the otherwise well-designed box tray to put the standups with the bases on them.  So, you have to remove them after each game, which will damage your standups over repeated play.

MarketabilityKing of Tokyo already has a proven track record.  Between the name power of the designer and the well-earned reputation of IELLO, it had a great starting point, and it has been well-supported in terms of both marketing and support through expansions.  Add the quality of the components and the reasonable price, and it’s easy to see why the game has had such a positive reaction in the marketplace.

But the real advantage it has is the game’s accessibility.  Particularly with the updated rulebook, this game is easy to learn even for non-gamers.  The theme is easy for them to grasp, the strategic options are narrow enough that playing the game does not require a lot of experience with strategy games, yet there is still enough tactical depth that even experienced gamers can enjoy King of Tokyo as an excellent filler game or light game.  Now that there will soon be an app version, the potential market for the game is going to expand tremendously.

OverallKing of Tokyo is a lot of fun to play.  It’s a little bit silly, a little bit blind luck, a little bit strategy game.  It plays quick and easy, and is accessible to a broad audience thanks to its theme and the excellent updated rulebook.  It’s short enough that it won’t strain anybody’s attention span, and for those who can’t get enough of a good thing it’s compelling enough that playing two (or three or more) games back to back is not an insane concept.

This game delivers on its promise of quick fun for everybody, and it is a good choice as a "gateway" game or for mixed groups of gamers and non-gamers looking for a fun activity to enjoy together.  I believe that it has all the requirements to become an evergreen title.  I can easily give this game 4.5 out of 5.

--William Niebling