I'm a pretty big fan of card games. I also happen to be quite a big fan of super heroes. When I first learned of the Sentinels of the Multiverse card game, I was intrigued. After all, it combined the two things I really love, but the heroes weren't the ones I knew, instead they were completely original ones imagined by the folks who made the card game. The card game ended up being extremely well made, giving players the choice of many heroes, villains and environment cards that change up the game drastically each time they play.
Likewise, the digital game provides this same customization, allowing you to choose from the base set of 10 heroes, 4 villains and 4 environment cards. Depending on how you combine those, the outcome of the gameplay is always different. For instance, one villain relies on constantly summoning minions, while another may block any incoming damage through robotics that must be destroyed first. Likewise, the heroes all play differently from one another. Legacy is your 'Superman' type character with strong melee damage and the ability to bolster his companions with increased damage. Tachyon on the other hand is all about speed, her quick jabs don't do much damage but she has a lot of chances to play multiple cards each round as well as drawing and discaring new cards, giving her better deck control. Then you have the robotic Hulk character, Bunker, who specializes in various Mode switching, which boosts some attributes while sacrificing others. Then lastly, Environment cards are equivalent to wrenches in the gears. Most of the time they're not beneficial, but not just to your heroes, but also the villains, and it's up to you how to deal with them and how fast. Mixing up heroes, villains and environments will give you a new experience each time.
The flow of the game is relatively easy, and thankfully since it's the digial version, everything is tracked by the game instead of manually. The turn order always goes; villain, heroes and environment. The villain usually tends to deal damage as well as use his support cards which could be minions or some sort of equipment. Heroes then utilize their specialties and powers in order to try and defeat the villain while simultaneously dealing with the villains minions. The environment then comes along and erupts a volcano, or perhaps derails a train. The card game very well simulates a battle of super powers in a non-flashy way.
With that said, the visuals are actually pretty great, and portray the feel of the comic book world. The battles are actually played out inside a comic book, with each new turn actually taking place on a different comic book page. Depending on the environment that gets picked, that background will then be on every panel of the comic. It's a neat little touch.
Each character, villain and environment also come with their own bios, further enhancing the lore behind this multiverse of characters. And it makes sense considering certain characters have rivalries between one another. It's worth diving into, especially since they're all original characters.
There doesn't seem to be any online play, which is sort of a bummer, as I'd love to have teamed up with a friend or two to take on those dastardly villains, but the only way other people can partake in the action is if they all crowd around your computer screen.
The one disappointing thing about Sentinels is that given the price of $14.99, you're only getting the base game, with no expansions included. Considering that Ascension came out before Sentinels for $9.99 and included every single expansion and promo cards up to this point, that's a bit of a bummer. With that said, you'll still get plenty of game time with the included cards, as well as unlockable variants of some heroes and villains which change up how their decks work.
Sentinels of the Multiverse is a brilliant game that deserved the transition to a digital format and Handelabra did a fantastic job. Sure it might be only the base game, and I'm guessing expansions might come at a later time for a fee, but even the base game provides a lot of great possibilities. Sure it might lack online play and none of the expansions are included, but if you're already a fan of the card game, or perhaps are slowly transitioning into the world of digital card games, this one is top notch.
