This is the King of Tokyo vs Smash Up game comparison showdown. Both of these are very aggressive, in your face board games. Both of these are king of the hill games so it makes sense to want to look at them side by side. King of Tokyo has a batch of monsters all fighting to be the lone holder of Tokyo, using dice as the combat mechanism. Smash Up is all about bringing together two different crazy groups and work together to bring the greatest forces to the different bases in a quest for points. We dive deep into both. Learn a little about the games then check out our King of Tokyo vs Smash Up 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 Smash Up (2012): The “shufflebuilding” game Smash Up begins with a simple premise: take the 20-card decks of two factions, shuffle them into a deck of forty cards, then compete to crush more Bases than your opponents! Each faction involves a different gaming mechanism – the pirates move the cards, the zombies bring back the cards from the discard pile, the dinosaurs have enormous power – and each combination of factions brings a different gaming experience.
FOR MORE: Smash Up Page | How To Play Smash Up | Smash Up Review | Games Like Smash Up | Buy Smash Up on Amazon
KING OF TOKYO VS SMASH UP ANALYSIS
Theme: In King of Tokyo vs Smash Up the themes are both completely different and the same. They are the same because they both have over the top cartoonish vibes, but different because they are each their own crazy whacked out things that will keep your eyes excited and entertained.
Gameplay: Both of these games are about brazen everyone for themselves combat, but how they accomplish it differs. King of Tokyo is going to be the lighter game by around 20%. You are almost entirely in the moment and only have a few decisions to make. Smash Up on the other hand involves interacting with many more options than KOT and requires some planning and foresight.
Mechanics: These are both King of the Hill games which means there is a strategic location that is going to get you something and there are too many players to fit. There can be only one. They differ pretty far after that. King of Tokyo is all about dice combat via a Yahtzee roll, take three tosses and decide what you want to focus on. Smash Up is a deck driven hand management game that is about putting strategic combos together.
Time Commitment: Both of these games with vary dramatically, it could be 30 minutes or it could be 90 minutes. Both of them have this wild spirit that keeps you guessing when and how things are going to finally end. In King of Tokyo vs Smash Up both games feel quicker than they are because there is never a dull moment.
Player Count: Both of these games are comfortable with 3 or 4 players, but King of Tokyo ramps it up and can scale successfully with 5 or 6 players.
Cost: Smash Up is going to be cheaper between these two every time, they have so many little expansions and you need the base game for all of them. They are basically giving it away, so if you are not buying on sale, do not buy. King of Tokyo has also achieved a level of success that allows it to sit back and relax on price, but it is still hot on its own and less likely to be on sale.
VERDICT
Verdict For the Shelf: In the battle of King of Tokyo vs Smash Up, the verdict is King of Tokyo (50% of the time) and Smash Up (50% of the time). These are very different games and not easy to compare. King of Tokyo is more fun out of the box for a quick few games while Smash Up is more fun if you plan to put in many more games and invest in some expansions. Learning and mastering in Smash Up is key, while King of Tokyo is just the luck of dice and where you are going to win is in player diplomacy and mind games. Too different to declare a winner, buy both.
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