This is the King of Tokyo vs King of New York game comparison showdown. New York is the stand alone follow up that takes the fighting outside of one single point and explodes into a massive cityscape with buildings to destroy and many additional tasks to do. It makes complete sense to compare these two titles side by side so we dive deep into both. Learn a little about the games then check out our King of Tokyo vs King of New York notes and final verdict.
ABOUT THE GAMES
About King Of Tokyo (2011): You are an iconic Godzilla like monster and you are crammed into Japan with others, all vying for control of Tokyo. You win the game by either being the first to 20 victory points or the last monster standing. You get big points by being in Tokyo but you take big damage. The dice reveal a combination of attacks, health and points. You need to go big or go home in this fun and east game.
FOR MORE: King of Tokyo Page | How To Play King of Tokyo | King of Tokyo Review | Games Like King of Tokyo | Buy King of Tokyo on Amazon
About King of New York (2014): This game keeps the core ideas of King of Tokyo while introducing new ways to play. As in KoT, your goal is to be the first monster to collect 20 victory points (VPs) or to be the last monster standing. On your turn, you roll six dice up to three times, then carry out the actions on those dice. Claws cause damage to other monsters, hearts heal damage to yourself, and energy is stored up so that you can purchase power cards that provide unique effects not available to anyone else.
FOR MORE: Buy King of New York on Amazon
KING OF TOKYO VS KING OF NEW YORK ANALYSIS
Theme: The theme is the same on purpose. King of New York is all about taking the style and back story of the original Tokyo and add to it. They did this very successfully. The art is the King of series is part of what makes it special, it is all this over the top cartoonish stuff with all these different larger than life creatures.
Gameplay: In King of Tokyo vs King of New York, the most dramatic differences are in gameplay. King of Tokyo is all about fighting over one city (or 2 with 5 – 6 players) and you have just a couple of options. New York gives you many more city locations and things to do like destroy buildings which makes the one city fight far less important.
Mechanics: The driver of these games are a base set of dice with various symbols that you get to Yahtzee roll to get to groupings that are going to be beneficial for your strategy. In Tokyo, the dice are attack, health, energy, 1 VP, 2 VP and 3 VP. In New York, the 3x victory point sides are replaced by – building destroy, military attacks back and fame. What this does for New York is allows it many additional things to do like destroy all the buildings in the borough you are currently in.
Time Commitment: In King of Tokyo vs King of New York, nobody wins because both are exactly as they should be. King of Tokyo is non stop and quick while New York gives you an opportunity to take on more and build up your character so it naturally is longer.
Player Count: Both games follow the 2 – 6 player count basis where the game scales at 5 – 6 and is not great at just 2. The games are exactly the same in how successfully this is done.
Cost: King of Tokyo has been around longer and it has less components so you are going to consistently see it at a better price, but both these are worth every penny even at full price.
VERDICT
Verdict For the Shelf: In the battle of King of Tokyo vs King of New York, the verdict is King of Tokyo (60% of the time) and King of New York (40% of the time). This is where we add the disclaimer that these are completely different games that cannot be readily compared to one another and that they are both great games that you can buy right now. What this comes down to is the level of intensity. New York is about 60% more intense with many more decisions to make. If you want something more strategic and many paths to victory, New York is for you. If you want the quick and easy in your face combat that is very accessible, Tokyo is for you.
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