Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 30 min
Age requirements: 14+
Set-up time: 5 min

Critical Mass is a mech combat game. You must out guess your opponent as you both play cards to attack, dodge, and upgrade your mechs.

Critical Mass Review Rules Description:

You start Critical Mass with a bit of deck construction. Each mech starts with a hand of their Tech 1 cards. They also add one of their Tech 2 cards into their hand. The rest of their Tech 2 and Tech 3 cards go into their Deactivated pile. You also place the gray cubes into the slots on your player board. These cubes represent your mech’s health.

Each turn you play a card from your hand face-down. When everyone is ready you reveal the played cards and resolve them. Every card has a speed and cards with a higher speed resolve first. Attack cards also have a damage value. If you damage your opponent they are Disrupted and their card does not resolve. If all cards have the same speed they resolve simultaneously. Usually more powerful weapons are slower.

You apply damage to different areas of your opponent’s mech. Each cube in an area takes from one to four points of damage to remove. If you remove all the cubes in one area it causes an additional penalty to that mech.

Once played, most cards go into your Cooldown pile. You have a Recharge card that brings all the cards from your Cooldown pile back to your hand.

You can also add Tech 2 and Tech 3 cards from your Deactivated pile by playing your Activate card. Tech 2 and tech 3 cards are more powerful than the Tech 1 cards you start th game with. When you play your Activate card you may add a Tech 2 card from your Deactivated pile to your hand and prime your mech. If your mech is already primed you may add a Tech 3 card. If your Activate card is Disrupted you have to choose between adding a Tech 2 card and priming your mech.

Once all the cubes are removed from a player board that mech is destroyed and loses the match. The last man standing wins.

There are two starter boxes for Critical and each has two unique mechs. Also included in these sets are additional weapons, armor, and equipment you can use with your mech. You still have a limit to the number of different types of cards you can bring to a match, but this lets you customize your mech to your play style.

Quick Review of Critical Mass Review:

Critical Mass is a fun mech combat simulation board game. You need to anticipate your opponent’s moves to hit them, avoid their attacks, and power up your mech. It can be enjoyed by all ages and taught quickly.

The components for this game are great. The art work looks cool and the player boards are easy to set up. The rule book does a good job explaining the rules but you might need to review a few of the keywords a few times.

I was not sure I would enjoy Critical Mass. But my son and I have played it a ton. We have our favored mechs and have customized their decks a bit. This customization adds to the game’s replay value and lets you tinker with options until you find one you like.

If you are a big robot fan, give this a try. I think it is especially good with kids. I have tried with two, three and four players, and think it is best with two.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 4 out of 6
Luck 1 out of 6
Player Interaction 6 out of 6
Replay Value 5 out of 6
Complexity 3 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6