Krosmaster Arena (Board Game)Publisher: Ankama / Japanime Games
Release Date: May, 2013
MSRP: $80.00
Designer: Nicolas Degouy
Number of Players: 2 (or 2 teams)
Playing Time: 45 minutes
Product #: KA002
Age Rating: 14 and up
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
I am always hesitant when confronted by a board game that is based on a computer game. It has been done well, but only on rare occasions. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down to try out Krosmaster Arena. For here I found a delightful little tactical board game that just happens to be based on a computer game.
Summary: Krosmaster Arena is at least loosely based on two online games: a MMORPG called Dofus, and a multi-player strategy game called Wakfu. Before I played Arena, I had never heard of either online game and I have played neither one to date, so I cannot comment on what the games have in common, aside from a host of wacky little characters that apparently spend a lot of time beating on each other. Which is pretty much what Arena is all about: You control a team of "Krosmasters" who move around the arena, taking advantage of cover, and trying to eliminate the opposition by taking away all of their "Gallons of Glory." The Krosmasters are represented by adorable little plastic figurines with really big heads, and really tiny bodies. The terrain is cleverly represented by cardboard stand-ups, giving the game a 3D feel. The Krosmasters can attack each other, or compete to collect the "Kama" coins, which can be used to buy power-ups or take Gallons of Glory from your opponent.
Originality: Arena games are almost as old as arena fighting (well, okay, maybe not… but you get the idea). But Krosmaster Arena can be forgiven that as it has put together a number of familiar mechanics in a creative way, and included some excellent ideas to prevent the most common problems that most arena games suffer from. Players are strongly discouraged from "playing turtle," since it is possible to win the game without ever attacking your opponent directly. But, aggressive action is also rewarded, as it can be the quickest route to victory. Add in a neat little "timer" mechanic to keep the game from bogging down, and viola: you have a great new approach to the arena fighter genre.
Quality: The quality of the components in the game are top-notch (aside from the crates mentioned above…). The double-sided board is thick and sturdy. The tokens and tiles are as good as any German-published game, all with nice artwork and easy-to-read icons. The rulebook is lavishly illustrated, full-color and glossy throughout. The figurines show excellent sculpting and detail, and are all pre-painted. The custom dice are excellent molded quality with large, clear, and easy to read symbols.
Marketability: While I have yet to meet anyone who is familiar with the online games that inspired Krosmaster Arena, I do not believe that is any obstacle for this delightful game. The presentation is excellent and the box is full of goodies to justify the somewhat hefty price-tag (it is worth pointing out, though, that the game components are light, so the box does not have as much "heft" as we have come to expect from a box of this size). The game comes with what might be the best play-to-learn tutorial that I have ever seen printed right into the rulebook, making the game a snap to learn and teach. Gameplay is fast-paced and fun, and doesn't bog down in complicated rules. Add on tremendous potential for expansions (at least eight are already in the works), and this game could easily build a loyal fan base quite quickly. It is also worth mentioning, at this point, that Krosmaster Arena received well over $300,000 worth of pledged support on Kickstarter, implying that the loyal fanbase may already exist.
Overall: Despite its association with an (unknown-to-me) computer game and its familiar theme, Krosmaster Arena has a lot to offer. It is simple to learn, thanks to the excellent tutorial, plays fast, and is a ton of fun. My playtesters and I had such a blast when we sat down to it that we actually played no less than six times in a row (apologies to the other games we neglected that day). And we are looking forward to having another opportunity to play it again.
There are, however, some flaws: the game is heavily luck dependent. You will make a lot of dice rolls during the game, and the power-ups that are available may or may not be suitable for the characters and strategy that you have chosen. I am not convinced that all of the characters in the game are balanced, and this could be a problem that will grow as new characters are added through expansions. Some of the character abilities are not very clearly defined, as well.
It is these problems that hold the game back from being perfect, and that is why I give this game 4 out of 5.
--William Niebling