Overview:
In the galaxy far, far away, the dark side has never been more fun! Star Wars Villainous puts players in the shoes of iconic villains like Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, and more, each with their own unique objectives and abilities. This game captures the essence of the Star Wars universe while allowing players to strategize, scheme, and outmaneuver their opponents.
Star Wars Villainous is produced by Ravensburger and is designed for 2-4 players, ages 10+. Star Wars Villainous is available for fast delivery from Amazon.com.
Star Wars Villainous is similar to the original Disney Villainous Games, but adds spacecrafts (vehicles) as extra location players can use to move their plans forward. We reviewed Disney Villainous when it came out in 2018, and you can read our review right here.
Gameplay Mechanics:
Star Wars Villainous plays like a game of competitive solitaire. Each player has their own deck and a different win condition. Players are trying to win their game faster than their opponents. It’s similar to the old 2-Player Tetris game, in that you can use your own turn to throw some garbage (Fate cards) at your opponents in an attempt to slow them down. Darth Vader moving too fast? Toss Chewbacca at him to deal with!
The game blends strategy and chance as players navigate their own villain’s realm, utilizing Fate cards to hinder opponents. The mechanics are straightforward yet engaging, making it accessible for newcomers while offering depth for seasoned players.
What’s in the Box?
- 5 Unique Sculpted Villain Movers
- 5 Villain Sectors (Boards)
- 150 Illustrated Villain Cards
- 75 Illustrated Fate Cards
- 1 Luke Skywalker Tile
- 1 Destiny Tracker
- 79 Game Tokens
- 1 Chamber (token dispenser)
- 5 Reference Cards
- 5 Villain Strategy Guides
- 1 Rulebook
The components are good quality, and fit nicely in the well-designed box. The five villains in this starter set include: Darth Vader, Asajj Ventress, Moff Gideon, Kylo Ren, an General Grievous. Each Villain has their own 30-card Villain deck, and 15-card Fate deck. The artwork on the cards is from each respective movie, or TV show, or cartoon series.
Each villain has their own individual goal, and completely different decks designed to accomplish their goals:
- Darth Vader has to defeat Luke Skywalker
- General Grievous has to collect 8 Lightsabers
- Kyle Ren has to Commit to the Dark Side of the Force
- Moff Gideon has to capture and experiment on Grogu
- Asajj Ventress has to complete 3 Missions
How to play Star Wars Villainous?
Star Wars Villainous plays similarly to Disney Villainous with two exceptions. There is a new location on the board for vehicles. Ally vehicles can give you extra actions, but Hero vehicles will reduce your hand size. Star Wars also has “Ambition” tokens. Some cards require money tokens to play them, while other cards require Ambition tokens to play them. So you basically have two forms of currency in the game.
Each player’s deck basically plays similarly to other CCG decks like Pokemon, YuGiOh, Magic: the Gathering, etc. If you know how to play any other collectible card game, this will not be difficult for you.
On Your Turn:
- Move your Villain to a different location on your individual board. Everyone’s boards are completely different.
- Perform the Actions according to the game board (provided some are not blocked by Heroes)
- Draw Cards at the end of your turn – back up to 4 cards.
What Actions can you perform?
- You always collect 1 Ambition token to start your turn.
- You can play an Ally card to a location
- You can take some money (they call it credits, but it’s essentially game money)
- You can play Action cards or Ambition cards
- You can Vanquish a Hero
- You can activate card abilities
- You can Play a Fate Card on another player
- You can move Items or Allies
- Discard cards, and get different cards
The first person to achieve their goal wins the game.
Pros, Cons and Final Thoughts
Pros:
- Immersive Theme: Fans of Star Wars will appreciate the attention to detail and the way each villain’s story is woven into their gameplay.
- Variety of Characters and expandability: With multiple villains to choose from, replayability is high. Each character feels unique, keeping the game fresh. And you can already buy expansions that include Darth Maul and Boba Fett.
- Strategic Depth: The mix of planning and adaptability creates a dynamic game experience that rewards both cunning and creativity.
- The cards are beautiful. The artwork is fantastic!
- Good Value – Considering you are getting 5 preconstructed decks, 5 game boards, and cute little villain sculpts … I think this game is a pretty good value.
- It’s cool to be a villain! That’s a very fun theme for a change.
- Games tend to be close. I haven’t seen one player completely destroy the other players. Our games have always been close.
Cons:
- Not much to do on other player’s turns. Each players’ turns can take several minutes. This is really noticeable in a 4-player game. Four player games will take a long time.
- Too deep? Being an avid gamer, this game wasn’t too difficult to grasp, but I can see this being difficult for some players. There is a lot of strategy here. Villainous is definitely not Uno! The rulebook is very well written, but I suggest you watch some How to Play Villainous videos online.
- “Take That!” In order to win, you really have to play Heroes against your opponents. Some people simply do not like games where other players will be mean to them. But everyone is a villain, so I guess it fits the theme. 😉
- Incohesiveness. If that’s not a word yet, it is now. Everyone is doing something different. Each deck is 100% different from each other. This can be a pro or a con, depending on how you see it. Like I mentioned before, you are essentially playing Multiplayer Solitaire, and tossing stumbling blocks at your opponent every once in a while.
- Power Balance could be off? Decks can never be perfectly balanced. Some villains are easier to play than others.
- Not enough tokens? – We ran out of tokens in our four player game. There are a lot of extra tokens in expansion packs, so you may want to look at purchasing an expansion from the get-go. We recently reviewed Revenge at Last here.
Final Thoughts:
Once you have had one play-through, Villainous will be simpler to understand. There is a lot to strategize in order to beat your opponent. You have to thin your deck quickly, get your winning conditions put together, and slow down your opponents. To get good at this game, you really have to know your deck. Just like all other CCG’s.
Star Wars Villainous is a fantastic addition to any game night, especially for fans of the franchise. The game balances strategy, luck, and thematic storytelling beautifully. Whether you’re channeling your inner Sith or just looking to dominate the galaxy, this game delivers an engaging experience.
Rating: 4.5/5 Lightsabers – May the Force be with you on your quest for villainy!
Look Star Wars Villainous on Amazon.com.
