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Star Rating:
RWBY: Combat Ready is a board game based on the Rooster Teeth’s RWBY series. It’s a cooperative game for 2–5 players. In the main game, you can play as Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Penny, but there are also expansion packs that add in other characters and villains. You battle against a villain and scenarios with particular objectives.
One of the best features of this game is that it’s different every time you play. There are numerous situations to choose from, each of which will change the game’s dynamics. There are pre-made choices, but you can also create your own.
The game is also campaign-style, meaning that all the experience and health you have at the end of the game is carried over to the next game you play. The only drawback is that if you wanted to play a different character, you’d have to start a new campaign. But if you want to play a different character, it’s simple to start a new campaign. I find the connected game play to be an interesting aspect of this game.
The rules were overwhelming and confusing at first, because there’s a lot to this game. However, it’s actually much easier and simpler than it first appears. The game is well-designed, and I found it to be very straight-forward while playing. There are just many different elements, but none of them is overly complicated. It will take a long time to set up the first time, so give yourself some extra time for setup when you play the game for the first time. Games after that should be quicker to set up.
I enjoyed the game play. We had 2 players. One player fights the villain, which in our case was Torchwick, while the other player deals with the side villains, scenarios, or assists the other player. Our side mission was to disarm a bomb. After each round, you switch places so that each player has something to do and has a chance to play every part of the game.
There’s a lot of strategy and a little bit of luck involved in this game. You have to plan out your moves and what cards you want to use at specific times, but you will sometimes have to roll some dice and hope for a good roll.
The artwork is gorgeous. Each card has original art. They’re in the style of anime, and they’re fantastic. I loved just staring at them. The rest of the game seems well-made and looks good. The character pieces are small plastic figures of the characters, which is a nice touch. However, those figures are a little smaller than they appear in photos, and they do feel more fragile than I would prefer. I didn’t throw them around to check, but I would prefer for my dog not to hit them with his tail while we’re playing on the coffee table.
Over all, the game was enjoyable to play. According to some reviews, it can be difficult to play, but I believe this depends on the scenarios you pick. If you’re feeling annoyed with the game, you can always make it easier on yourself. It’s well thought out, and I think the pieces will last for a long time as long as you take care of the character figures (don’t throw them around), and you might want to sleeve the cards.
It’s a nice game on its own, but it’ll be more enjoyable for those who are fans of RWBY. However, you don’t need to be familiar with the series to play it, so it is accessible for anyone regardless of whether they watch the series or not.
You can buy RWBY: Combat Ready through Amazon.
Check out my other board game reviews.
Have you played RWBY: Combat Ready? Let me know your thoughts on the game in the comments.