Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
The Unmatched system is approaching such a critical mass of expansions that we can likely start referring to the series as a whole as “storied.” There are currently 18 different boxes available in the main series, though in saying that I am perhaps stretching the definition of “available.” Bruce Lee will cost you a few hundred dollars, if you can even find him.
The sets fall broadly into two categories: those based on contemporary, licensed intellectual property, and those that are based on works in the public domain. The majority fall under the former umbrella, with Marvel characters alone accounting for a full quarter of all releases. Jurassic Park and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, along with the late Mr. Lee, make up the rest of those.
Those sets are, in my opinion, largely fine. I mean, look, they play as well as any other set, I just don’t get my kicks from playing as Spider-man anymore. I’m all webbed out. The Jurassic Park sets feature three of my favorite characters, but that’s nothing to do with the source material.
My heart sings for the public domain characters. The Invisible Man? Sun Wukong?? Bloody Mary??? Call me Chen Shih-yuan, cos I am ready to go!
To Draw or Not to Draw
Suffice it to say, my heart skipped a beat when Slings and Arrows was announced. A set comprised entirely of Shakespearean characters, including the man himself? Easy sell. I’m in. Let’s go. He which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart, but I am sticking around.
In this box, players are gifted with sculpts for Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Hamlet (Hamlet), the Wayward Sisters (Macbeth, and also my favorite close-harmony trio), and Shakespeare himself (Shakespeare in Love). I’ve said before that the Unmatched series is essentially a riff on the schoolyard argument of “Who Would Win in a Fight,” but I can’t remember the last time anyone asked who would win in a fight, She-Hulk or Hamlet. Nevertheless, now you get your answer.
What matters most to me with this set, as with any set of Unmatched, is the feeling that the designers themselves had fun, and I think they did. Shakespeare’s gimmick is centered around iambic pentameter; every card you play is kept in front of you until you hit or exceed ten syllables. If you nail the count, you trigger a bonus. The Wayward Sisters discard their cards—each marked with one of three ingredient icons—to a cauldron, where they concoct spells that lead to extra actions. Titania and her (uh, incredibly sexy?) hubby Oberon wield influence over their opponents. Hamlet, delightfully, comes with Rosencrantz & Guildenstern as a single sidekick, and, more delightful still, a To Be or Not to Be token.
Look, if that doesn’t do it for you, I don’t know what will. This is fun, thematic, and silly, everything I want from a game that basically boils down to “Who drew better cards at the right time?” That I get to announce “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead” is fantastic.
Doubt Thou the Sculpts Are Fire
It says something about the Unmatched system, a system that is good without being great (as all three Meeple Mountain reviewers have agreed across time), that I can’t get myself beyond a 3.5 out of 5 for even this set, which tickles me thoroughly. Why? The game isn’t that interesting, you know? To be fair, that’s part of why it’s popular. It’s easy to get into, it’s quick, and then it’s over, and you don’t feel your brain melting. The downside is, when you’re really looking at it, there’s not much to distinguish it outside of the concept (which is good).
Practically speaking, all four characters in this box are good. They’re strong, none of them seem either overly advantaged or disadvantaged, and their gimmicks are supported by the source texts. That’s what you’re looking for.
Shakespeare and the Wayward Sisters raise an interesting question: does Unmatched benefit from adding a tertiary concern to the card play? I’m not sure it does. Playing sub-optimal cards to get just the right syllable count, or just the right potion ingredient, doesn’t feel fun. You would think that you’d feel like you’re getting away with something. If that were the emotion invoked, I’d like the idea a lot more. As it is, it just feels, I dunno, it feels kinda bleh. The bonuses you get are worth paying attention to, but card play in Unmatched is already restricted enough that adding this extra concern on top of what is already largely the luck of the draw may be a bit much.
The sculpts look great, the art on the cards is typical of the high standards this series has established for itself, and I remain absolutely delighted by the existence of a To Be or Not to Be token. If you love Unmatched, you’ll love Slings and Arrows. It is a rock solid entry in the series. If you love Shakespeare, you’ll probably get more enjoyment out of the concept of the box than actually interacting with it. But maybe it’s worth a try. Once more unto the breach, yeah?
Unmatched: Slings and Arrows details
- Designer: Brian Neff, Jason Hager, Jonathan Guberman, Justin D. Jacobson, Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau
- Artists: Nastya Lehn, Zoë van Dijk
- Publishers: GaGa Games, Geekach Games, IELLO, Reflexshop, Restoration Games, Tcg Factory, White Goblin Games
- Release Date: 2024
- Player count : 2 - 4
- Age range : 9+
- Time range : 20 - 40 minutes
- Mechanism(s): Action Points, Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Hand Management, Line of Sight, Point to Point Movement, Team-Based Game, Variable Player Powers
- BGG Geek Rating: 8.76698 - converted to Meeple Mountain scale: 4.5.
- More articles about Unmatched: Slings and Arrows.
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