‘Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game’ review
By Ed Appleby, Illustrator
Who wouldn’t want to play in the Marvel Universe, where heroes use their special abilities to save the world time and again?
Legendary is a cooperative deck building game for 1–5 players designed by Devin Low and published by Upper Deck Entertainment in 2012. Based in the Marvel Universe, players use cards of various powers and prices to battle villains rampaging throughout the city, all while attempting to defeat a mastermind who is controlling it all. If the players fail to stop enough villains, then the game is lost. The game is won by defeating the mastermind and being the player who scored the most points by defeating villains.
I mentioned last week how licenced games can be difficult to put together and often feel rushed out. By limiting itself to cards and not trying to incorporate pieces on a board, Legendary keeps the action firmly embedded in the imagination of the player.
The gameplay is quick and fast-paced, but not so much as to overwhelm. Strategy and teamwork play a big part in the game, as players have to work together in order to take down tougher foes. The downside of this is that once you have multiple players, the game becomes almost too easy. At that point, egos can reign supreme and players can attempt to out-score each other with less risk of losing the game.
I would recommend Legendary to any Marvel fan—which, with the cinematic universe’s success, is almost everyone. The gameplay and strategy is enough to keep most casual to advanced players occupied. There are also several expansions to add new heroes and villains to the game, so if you’re a Guardians of the Galaxy fan, you are in luck!
