Top 10 Reasons to Love King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo is not a “new” game, however, that does not mean you’re certain to have heard of it or played it.

From the incredible creative genius behind Magic the Gathering Richard Garfield, here is a board game based around giant monsters fighting over Tokyo in search of glory.

I grabbed a copy King of Tokyo after seeing it described as “the perfect game to play with your kids”. Since then I have played it with my own family and enjoyed it extensively with students at the school where I teach; where it was so successful a colleague went out and bought it for themselves.

So here are my top 10 reasons you will love King of Tokyo.

10: The Price

Checking Zatu, King of Tokyo costs less than £25. For the amount of game you are getting, this is an absolute bargain. Add into that the pros from the rest of this list and you’ll realise that, at this price, it is an absolute steal!

9: The Dice

The dice in King of Tokyo are huge chunky lumps of plastic that you roll on each of your turns. They look fun, feel really satisfying to hold and roll and land with a satisfyingly solid rattle. (On some tables this can be too loud for people so you may want to have a dice tray to hand)

8: SMASH

There is little in this game more amusing than smashing people in the face. Your monster deals out damage for each claw that you roll and rolling up a load of claws just feels amazing!

7: Non-Stop Engagement

The mechanics of King of Tokyo mean that there is something to hold your interest throughout play. Every time a player rolls the dice you feel yourself waiting in anticipation of each roll to see the outcome. With monsters moving in and out of Tokyo, victory points being gained and damage being meted out you do not have a chance to take your eye off the game.

6: Accessibility

Try to explain the rules of King of Tokyo and it sounds complicated and difficult; something you’ll struggle to understand. However, start playing through and the routine becomes pretty easy to follow. I have played it with children as young as 7 years and they can pick up the core mechanics quite quickly.

5: Power-Ups

For each lightning bolt in your final roll in King of Tokyo, you get a power cube. Save the power cubes to purchase one of the three visible power-up cards. These introduce some additional variety to the game. Some are permanent effects, others are one-time benefits and all can be impactful.

4: Variety

In King of Tokyo the combination of dice rolls and power-up availability leads to a large scope for variability. As such you are never sure how a game is going to go until you start playing through it. There are two win-conditions in King of Tokyo gain more victory points or eliminate the other players by reducing them to zero health, which happens varies by how the game plays out.

3: Strategy

As the fickle dice of fate determine what happens and different power-ups are purchased and deployed this particular game of King of Tokyo will start to take its course. Ideally, you’ll be able to alter your strategy to what is happening in the game. Maybe you’ll land a powerful combination of power-up cards, perhaps the stars will align to offer you a chance to eliminate another player with a clever play. There is enough of a strategic element to the game for a seasoned gamer to get their teeth into but simultaneously you cannot totally guard against…

2: Striking it Lucky

For all the strategic side of King of Tokyo a lot is determined by how the dice land; especially if you are lucky enough to survive in Tokyo until your next turn comes around every claw you roll damages all other players. This is not easy, however, since all other players are damaging you, and only you, on their turns. I have experienced numerous games finished on a lucky roll, be it aiming to cause enough damage to eliminate the opposition, rolling for the victory points you need to win the game or even managing to activate the “Complete Destruction” Power-Up card; there is something awesome about playing high-risk and high-reward. Similarly, I have lost games by unfortunately damaging an enemy when too low on health to survive the next player’s turn.

1: Fun time with family and friends

As you can probably gather, King of Tokyo is a lot of fun to play and the perfect way to spend time with family and friends. That, after all, is what gaming is all about enjoying a positive experience with others.