Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 45-60 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: 5 minutes

The Pretty Pretty expansion adds four cute and sweet new factions to Smash Up. But don’t worry they still help you capture bases for the win.

Pretty Pretty Smash Up Description:

If you have never played Smash Up, read my review and overview of it. The rest of this post will be about the new factions and elements introduced in the Pretty Pretty expansion.

The new factions are Princesses, Kitty Cats, Mythic Horses and Fairies. Each faction comes with two themed bases and you also get some pretty pink and purple Victory Point tokens.

The six princesses in the Princesses faction are parodies of well-known princesses or the actual princesses (if they are public domain). They are the only minions in this faction. But they all have five power and either an ongoing ability or a talent. They get three Heirloom actions that are played on a minion and add +1 for each Heirloom there. Heirlooms cannot be destroyed and one of the princesses can retrieve them from the discard pile. The Direct to DVD Sequel action lets you fetch a minion out of your discard pile and shuffle it into your deck. The Princesses pair well with a faction that has a lot of minions like the Robots.

Kitty Cats are so cute but they use their charm to take over your opponents’ minions for the turn. They also have an action that lets them take control of a minion with 3 or less power right before a base scores. These felines manipulate other minions and even have nine lives. Their base, The House of Nine Lives, moves minions there when they would otherwise be destroyed. A few minions and actions can take advantage of this as they give you nice bonuses but require you to destroy your minions. They pair well with most other factions but can be particularly strong with zombies or ninjas.

Mythic Horses are all about friendship. So having them with your other minions grants them special bonuses. Their Super Future Space Armor Power grants all your minions on bases with a friendly minion +2 power. These pretty ponies complement most any other faction that has an average number of minions. With a faction that has some major power, like Dinosaurs, they really shine.

Fairies are similar to tricksters but not the same. They mess with other minions or buff friendly ones. But aren’t too rude to your opponents. One minion, Glymmer, has power and a talent to reduce another minion by four power or gain +1 power herself. This is a well-rounded faction that pairs pretty well with most others.

Quick Review of the Pretty Pretty Smash Up expansion:

Pretty Pretty Smash Up adds some fun and powerful factions to the series. They might also be the silliest. My daughter is too young to play Smash Up but she was instantly intrigued when she saw this expansion.

The components for this game are in line with the rest from the series. The art is good and the rules are straightforward and easy to follow. The pink and purple VP token are a nice touch too.

The new factions continue to bring new options and ways to play Smash Up. The Fairies are a bit repetitive but all the others are pretty unique. They are all pretty funny too. The ponies and their friendship power are perfect and the parody princesses feel dead on too.

If you enjoy Smash Up you should pick this expansion up. In my opinion it is one of the better expansions for the game.

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