(Photo credit to Restoration Games)
Written by Ed Carter, Movin Meeples
Unmatched: Card playing, action movement, fighting
2-4 Players
Published by Restoration Games
Let me start by saying that Hell’s Kitchen is just one of many sets from Unmatched Marvel in addition to other sets featuring characters from history and literature. This review is going to use the Marvel Hell’s Kitchen set, but all of the actions and mechanics described are the basic actions for any of the Unmatched sets.
Guardian Devil of Hell’s Kitchen: Set up for battle
Daredevil is my favorite hero of them all and he is now in full glory in the Unmatched set for Marvel Hell’s Kitchen. Along with him, the set includes Elektra and Bullseye. To set up, place the board out and randomly put out the combat and scheme tokens. Have each player pick their character and give them their model, custom card deck, health dial, and any sidekicks they have, Elektra has 4 hand ninjas that fight with her.
Each deck has a character card that describes their fighter, their movement, starting health, and any special actions they can do. Daredevil has a blind boost ability when he has 3 or less cards in his hand. More on boosting in a moment.
- Set your fighter’s health dial to the number indicated on their character card.
- The youngest player will place their figure on the “1” space then the other player at the “2”
- Each player shuffles their action deck and draws 5 cards for their starting hand. The youngest player goes first.
This is Hell’s Kitchen my home! The Board layout
The board is divided by colored spaces called zones. Some zones have 2 colors so for game purposes those spaces are considered to be in both zones. The combat and scheme tokens are attached to one space. A character in that space may use the token as an action. or add it to an action.
If you want to win, you need to train! How action cards work
The game is played using the cards in the action deck. There are 4 types of cards; Attack, Defend, Scheme, and versatile (can be used to Attack or Defend). Each card is designated using an icon on the card. You can refer to the back of the rule book for the icon reference.
Certain cards can only be used by the character or the sidekicks and will state who can use them. Scheme cards can only be played during the scheme action during a player’s turn.
Cards may also have a before, during, or after combat action that can be taken depending on the combat resolution. If a card’s action is based on the winner of the combat, that is determined if a character or sidekick took damage, In a situation when both players have actions that resolve at the same time, the defender’s card resolves first.
Each card has a “boost value” on it that increases the action for the played card. To boost, take the top card of the deck and add the boot value to the chosen action. Cards will indicate if the boost option is available. For example, Bullseye is making an attack for 4, the card he is using, allows him to boost his attack. He takes the top card from his deck and it has a boost value of 2, he adds that to this attack, making it a 6. He then discards both cards when the action is resolved.
Players have a hand limit of 7 cards. They can draw more during their turn but must reduce their hand to 7 cards when their turn ends.
Let’s do this! Player turn actions
A player must take 2 actions on their turn. These actions are Maneuver, Scheme, and Attack. First draw a card, a mandatory step, and then decide if you want to move or not, this is optional. Fighters move by going from one adjacent space to another. The movement speed is indicated on their character card. If a Fighter is in a zone with an action token, they can choose to do that action by removing the token and taking the described action. A player can choose to boost their movement by taking the top card of their deck and using the boost value; adding it to their normal movement. The card is then added to their discard pile.
To take a Scheme action, a player chooses a Scheme card from their hand, indicated by a scheme icon, and performs the action indicated.
Each character can either attack melee (adjacent) or ranged. as indicated on their action card. Daredevil is a melee only while Bullseye is both melee and ranged. Refer to the character card to see the type of attacks they can do. To make an attack action, select either an attack or versatile card from your hand, and place it face down in front of you. Your opponent can then choose to play a defense or versatile card to defend themselves. Once each player has selected their card, flip them over and determine how much damage is made. A player receives damage if they did not defend or the number on their defense card is less than the attacker’s card. If they take damage, reduce their health dial the amount of damage received.
The game continues with the other player taking their turn performing two actions. A player can perform the same action twice if they want, but must always perform two.
You can’t beat me! Winning the game
When a character’s health is reduced to zero that character is defeated and loses the game. If a player’s action deck is empty, that player is exhausted and takes 2 damage. Action decks are not reshuffled, so hand management is vital to winning the game.
So here is what I think:
When I first saw the game, I thought, it was like Dice Throne but with cards; and I love Dice Throne! Then I saw it used a map and miniatures, and said oh wow! this could be really good. THEN they released Unmatched Marvel with Daredevil, and it was too much, I had to get it. Boy, am I glad I did.
Unmatched gets a 101/10! It is a fantastic fighting game, think Mortal Kombat for your table. You have a character with a custom card deck that works and is based on how that character fights, who takes on another character from ANY other Unmatched set. Want to see how Bullseye goes up against Beowulf? Go for it. Want to fight in Sherwood Forrest with Elektra against Robin Hood? You got it!
The components and storage system for each set are great! there are slots for everything. The art is very comic book for the Marvel sets, so it fits well. and each character has abilities that match their character.
This game is a breeze to get to the table. get your cards, dial, miniature, and the board. That’s it! It takes even less space than Final Girl so it is a breeze to take along with you.
It is another great entry-level game for sure; move your character, take two actions, play your cards, and adjust your health dial. For as much as it offers in replayability it has a very simple learning curve. I think it is definitely an easy to learn and difficult to master game. There is a luck element with not knowing the order your cards will play, but knowing how to use them is where the skill comes in.
I can’t recommend Unmatched enough, and it’s not limited to just the Marvel sets as there are several to choose from with more great characters to play. Unmatched has rules for a free-for-all-player version, but I think it shines as a 1v1 2-player game the best.
If you are looking for a combat arena-style game with unique player powers and incredible replayability, you won’t find one as well done as Unmatched. It can sit right along with Dice Throne on your shelf as each is unique and enjoyable on its own.
Want more board game reviews? Check out Movin Meeples!
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