Monopoly is the marmite of the board game world. Love it or hate it, the property tycoon pass time has been a part of many households for decades. I’ve played Super Mario, Dungeons and Dragons, and Animal Crossing-themed Monopoly, and each one tries to add something unique. With Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs Villains, Ubisoft has done a fantastic job of incorporating the world’s most popular science fiction franchise into a video game based on a board game that does plenty to keep things fresh.
Obviously, it helps if you love Star Wars. From the various characters, planets, and moments from the movies, there’s plenty to love here. It’s a celebration of not just the movies, but also the tv shows that have been just as well-received. It features a cartoon-like aesthetic not too dissimilar to The Clone Wars. The sounds are familiar, the voice acting is pretty good apart from a few exceptions, and the overall presentation is enough to make fans of a galaxy far, far away smile on more than one occasion.
While there are various locations to purchase around the board, the goal in Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs Villains focuses on collecting Influence Points to win. This can be done by buying property, winning fights against the enemy, and completing Go Events. Games play out in either 2v2 or 3v3 battles, where each team selects from 14 heroes or villains. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Chewbacca, and Jyn Erso are just a handful of the heroes, while Cad Bane, Count Dooku, Darth Vader, and Asaaj Ventress can be selected from the villains.
Once chosen, it’s time to roll the dice. Playing alone is fine, but playing with friends and family is the way to go. Games can take over an hour. That’s a lot of time to spend on your own. With others, you can appreciate the many decisions you’ll have to make, and battles you’ll have to face. Locations span across the Star Wars galaxy. You can buy from Endor, Mustafar, Coruscant, and Hoth to name a few. Whenever an opponent lands on your property, they pay up in credits. If you or your teammate lands on your property, you get credits yourself.
Buying these offer Influence Points. Whenever two opposing players land on the same place, a battle ensues. These fights take place in the centre of the board. Each player rolls three dices, and the one with the highest score wins. The second player can knock the die of the first, in turn adjusting their original roll. Winning grants Influence Points and offers a nice break from travelling around the board. The other main source of IP comes from passing Go. When this happens, a scene from the Star Wars saga triggers. This is where the fun begins!
These events allow the whole team to take part in a minigame. Everyone has to throw a corresponding dice or avoid one. For example, making sure you get a four, a three, and a six fires pulse charges down the vent on the Death Star mimicking the famous Trench Run scene from A New Hope. If successful, you’ll gain a healthy number of Influence Points for your team. After 8 rounds, the team with the most IP wins. Depending on the amount of players in a team, this can take time. However, character abilities can keep things fresh, and speed things up as well.
Every character has an ability. Some are passive, while some can be triggered by the press of a button. Luke Skywalker can send out Wedge Antilles to purchase a property up the board. Darth Maul can have another throw during a battle. Chewbacca can teleport to the next opponent’s spot on the board. Depending on who you select for your team, there’re plenty of strategic opportunities. I was impressed with the wealth of gameplay options during matches. While it can be a slog at times, especially early on, I still had plenty of fun.
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs Villains is a refreshing take on an old game. It helps if you’re a fan of Star Wars as there’s plenty of nods to the franchise outside the obvious. Games get more interesting as they progress, and there’s plenty of opportunities to be tactical. As someone who loves The Clone Wars era of Star Wars, I was grateful to Ubisoft for not sleeping on the greatest animated show of all time. While it can get repetitive, it’s so much more enjoyable playing with others.
