Overview:
In the galaxy far, far away, the dark side has never been more fun!
Star Wars Villainous – Revenge at Last is an “expandalone” box that can be played on its own or combined with any Star Wars Villainous title. Darth Maul and Captain Phasma join Ravensburger’s award-winning game system. Previous versions are:
- Star Wars Villainous – Power of the Dark Side – includes 5 decks for Darth Vader, Asajj Ventress, Moff Gideon, Kylo Ren, an General Grievous. We have a full review of this 2-4 player Starter Box here.
- and Star Wars Villainous: Scum and Villainy – includes 3 decks for Boba Fett, Seventh Sister, and Cad Bane. We have not tried these decks yet.
Revenge at Last is produced by Ravensburger and is designed for 2 players, ages 10+.
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 like a twist on 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 Maul moving too fast? Toss Obi-Wan Kenobi 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 Revenge at Last Box?
- 2 Unique Sculpted Villain Movers
- 2 Villain Sectors (Boards)
- 60 Illustrated Villain Cards
- 30 Illustrated Fate Cards
- 60 Game Tokens
- 2 Reference Cards
- 2 Villain Strategy Guides
- 1 Rulebook
The components are good quality, and fit nicely in the well-designed box. The artwork on all Star Wars cards represents each respective movie, TV show, or cartoon. Each character gets their own 45 card deck.
Each villain has their own individual goal, and completely different decks designed to accomplish their goals:
- Darth Maul has to Defeat a Hero with another Hero. Maul has to weaken heroes and bring them to the dark side of the board. Then build them back up strong enough to defeat another hero.
- Captain Phasma has to have a First Order Stormtrooper at each location in her sector.
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, Villainous 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.
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.
Pros, Cons and Final Thoughts on Revenge at Last
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.
- 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 imho!
- 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.
- More Tokens – We thought the main game was light on tokens, these are great for adding to your overall collection.
Cons:
- 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 if you are trying to win. Villainous is definitely not Uno! The rulebook is 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. 😉
- Only two Villains – Previous Villainous expansions had three characters.
Final Thoughts on Star Wars Villainous: Revenge at Last
I like this 2-player expandalone game for a few of reasons:
- If you already own any of previous Star Wars Villainous versions and enjoy the system, then Revenge at Last is a no-brainer. You get two more decks for under $20. Plus more tokens!
- If you haven’t tried Star Wars Villainous and are wondering if this is a game for you, then an inexpensive two player game is a great way to try the system out.
- The new victory conditions in these two decks are refreshing. They are not simply “defeat X hero”. Maul’s beating down heroes until they turn to the dark side is kind of fun. Phasma might be the more difficult deck to win with, and might be better in the hands of the more skilled CCG’er. 😉
Rating: 4/5 Lightsabers – May the Force be with you on your quest for villainy!
Look Star Wars Villainous – Revenge at Last on Amazon.com.
