Do you see the beauty of it? The inevitability? You rise, only to fall.
USAopoly’s Thanos Rising: Avengers Infinity War is a new cooperative dice and card game that pits players against the otherworldly Thanos. The game includes a variety of asset cards, tokens, dice, and a central Thanos figure to heighten the overall experience. Suitable for two to four players ages 10 and up, Thanos Rising presents the tall task of stopping Thanos from obtaining all six Infinity Stones, much like our heroes in the new film, Avengers: Infinity War. I would make a quip here that relates to the happenings of the movie, but I still haven’t seen it and that upsets me.
As we’ve learned, it takes a lot of heroes to defeat this giant purple bad guy. To win, players must work collaboratively to recruit heroes and defeat villains, each of which are presented on one of 42 creatively styled asset cards. Fan favorites such as Thor, Spider-Man, Black Widow, and Star Lord all get their own cards, but less focal characters—including Mantis, Heimdall, Wong, Shuri, Hulkbuster, and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Quinjet—also get their chance to shine. Hero type, damage, recruiting symbols, and hero abilities are all displayed on these cards, which let players know if they have enough firepower to overtake the active villain cards and also play a role in determining the course of the game.
In order to defeat the bad guys, players must “attack” them by rolling and resolving the included Infinity Stone, Thanos Dice, and Power Dice. As players roll, they will be able to remove damage counters from their heroes, add damage counters to villains, and resolve hero abilities. Despite having to roll three different items, the Thanos die is the one that will really put pressure on players. This piece has a tremendous impact on the game, as it dictates the direction (and heroes) in which Thanos attacks as well as how many of his villainous counterparts wreck havoc on our heroes.
Each time the Infinity Stone Die is rolled, players must note the color and add a counter to the matching Infinity Stone card. At the end of each turn, any Infinity Stone card with five or more counters belongs to Thanos. Dun dun duuuuuun!
If players can defeat enough villains before Thanos collects all six Infinity Stones, then they win! Marvel fans can even make the game easier by choosing to only defeat seven villains, or increase the difficulty by beginning the game with a counter on each Infinity Stone.
The instructions are a little complicated, but stick with it. After a few reads and demonstrations you’ll be ready to tackle the universe in no time.
All of those ready to take on the titan that is Thanos, please rise.
