Commanding and conquering Star Wars lore with this new card game
Star Wars Unlimited is a surprisingly adept competitive card game built around the giant IP. There have been Star Wars TCGs in the past, but Unlimited brings a fresh tactics-based approach that could set it apart.
It’s a two player game, with each player choosing a base and a hero. I played as Darth Vader, and the base I chose to defend was the Death Star. Each base has 30 health, so we need to make sure that we keep its defenses up as we go on the offense. Each hero has a special attack, themed exactly like what you’d expect from Star Wars.
The game plays in turns, with each player having one action each turn. It’s sort of like chess, where we make a move and then it’s the next person’s turn to do what they want. The turns are encapsulated in phases, too, so there’s stuff like collecting resources, playing troops and starships, and general attacks. The turns go back and forth until we can’t do any more actions, and at that point we can strategically take initiative if we want to go first or second in the next phase.
It’s somewhat basic, but it’s also deeply complex. Unlimited is not combo-based (that I noticed) but focuses on straight up attacks where damage persists. In one situation I opted to go after my opponent’s poor C-3PO, sending my storm troopers on relentless wave after wave to gun him down. I finally took down the droid, which is something that Darth Vader was never able to do in the movies.
Star Wars Unlimited feels very good and very fleshed out because its developers, Fantasy Flight Games, have a strong pedigree when it comes to the genre. It’s definitely something that can make Star Wars fans excited, while also being a solid card game for tabletop players to pick up.
~~ Star Wars Unlimited won a SideQuesting Team Choice Award at PAX East 2024 ~~
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