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It's like Splendor...only with Marvel Characters.
“Gentlemen, I think we have our game title.”
Splendor: the venerable game of collecting some chips, spending those chips on cards, reserving cards to screw other players over...I mean, to buy later. All to earn mythical points. The thing is, the Infinity Stone theme kinda just works if you squint a bit. You are assembling heroes (and villains) to prevent Thanos from collecting the infinity stones (not really), scoring enough Infinity Points (not a thing in the Marvel Multiverse) to claim the Infinity Gauntlet (which, I guess, you can pick up the Infinity Gauntlet tile and wave it around once you win). Yea, just squint and go with it
Splendor: Marvel has those oh-so-tactile, and pleasing, heavy chips that allow you to do the Casino Royale Lachiffe chip flip, knuckle rolls and chip twirls. Anyone? Anyone? Just me, huh? I just kinda wish they had ridges on edges to make the chip tricks easier...err...I mean, so they would be easier to grasp.
As I mentioned, all the cards you buy are Marvel Heroes or Villains. I have never said, when playing original Splendor “Ah, Yes, the Mine with the camels in the background, I must have it!” But if Squirrel Girl comes out in Splendor: Marvel, you know I'm going for Squirrel Girl.
The Noble cards have been replaced with various locations that you can claim. Of course, they are all something like have “Four Red Gem and Four Blue Gem” cards. With the new requirement that you need one of every card color in order to win, it is likely to be something you stumble into instead of something you are specifically aiming for. Once you claim them, they are yours for the rest of the game. More interesting is the Avengers Tile, which is worth three points and is claimed by the player with the most Avenger's Symbols on their cards. This tile is passed around to whoever currently has the most symbols (if there is a tie, it stays with the person who originally claimed it), so you can usually see if someone is making a play for it.
This is an X-menless Marvel Game. I know about the weird movie license thing that kept the X-men out of the Greater Marvel Multiverse for a long time but I'm not sure why that carried over to Marvel Splendor...sorry, Splendor Marvel. Or maybe it was just Scarlet Witch wishing really hard and saying "No More Mutants." Yea folks, the Avengers are the only team allowed here.And, yes, we have a Hulk.*cringes* You will also find most of the Spiderverse. When Spider Ham makes an appearance, you know they are going deep.
This doesn't feel like the proverbial cash grab. I've seen plenty of pasted on themes in games but it's obvious they didn't just slap characters on old cards. Everything feels balanced and super smooth. The points required to win have moved up to sixteen “Infinity Points”. The fifth color (the Green of the Time Stone) isn't used to purchase cards, instead you simply have to have one green stone/chip, which is earned from buying a level three card, to win (Must...Squint...Harder). The wild color that you get from reserving a card has been changed to a S.H.I.E.L.D token. They have, sort of, neutered the “Dominate with One Color” strategy with the inclusion of needing one card of every color in order to win.
Okay, I get it. Marvel fatigue is real. If you are adverse to all things Marvel or revel in the all or nothing gambit of Color domination in the original, keep your old copy of Splendor. Personally, after a few months of this is my collection, I sold my base copy of Splendor. This does exactly what I want from a light-weight, family-style game. You have the “Oh, I would have won next turn!” moments when you end the game and it has ultra quick turns so that even playing with four players never seems to drag it out too long.
This is the point where I put in the obligatory Marvel Movie quote that sort of applies to my feelings on the game. I'm going to go deep with one that only appeared in the Infinity War trailer.
“Fun isn’t something one considers when balancing the universe, but this…does put a smile on my face”.
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