Game: Funkoverse Strategy Game (Batman, Harry Potter, Rick and Morty and Golden Girls)

• Publisher: Funko Games
• Designed by: Prospero Hall
• Ages 10+
• 2-4 players (though it is possible to do with 6, and is a fun experience)
• 20-60 minutes

Remember that time in the 80’s where the Kool-Aid Man and Rose from the Golden Girls battled to the death?

You don’t? Would you like to?

Funko has created a line of POP! culture references to movies, comics, television and more. It brought back memories of nostalgia as one could see their favorite characters in a smaller cute collectible form. Now picture mashing up those characters into a battle of epic proportions. This is Funkoverse.

In Funkoverse, you have the chance to take some of your beloved characters and place them on the board competing in one of four modes. There is control, territory, capture the flag and leaders. Players will pick their favorite POP! figures and put them on the field. As they accomplish tasks, they will collect points. Once a player has reached a certain limit (depending on player count) they win.

What makes the game unique is the individual characters and abilities. The Boy Who Lived easily gets up from being knocked down. Joker leaves traps for Bats and his friends, and Kool-Aid Man busts through walls.

The game starts when a scenario is chosen by the players. There is Control, where you try to control areas of the board. There is Territory which is all about being in the scoring area at the end of the round. Having the most in the Scoring Area will get you bonus points. Leaders is all about taking down the leader and getting more points for it. Then there is the Capture the Flag scenario. If your team’s player is on or adjacent to the flag of your opponent, you can bring it home to score points as well. Out of these scenarios, we found that Territory was one of our favorite scenarios that we enjoyed playing. It really challenges the players to meet in a main area to fight for dominance on the battlefield.

Components

These Pop! Figures are well made. When looking at them, there is no real difference other than size from their larger counterparts. I could take these out and display them like any other Pop! figure and no one would know the difference. The bases also make it possible to mix and match good guys and villains on some interesting teams. My all-time dream team: Rick, Rose and Kool-Aid Man.

The boards are double-sided and go well with the scenarios, each having a special set-up. The tokens and player cards have a nice feel.

Each character card has cute images of the characters and their own special interactions that they can use. Some thing also that adds a nice touch are the points. Rather than having a simple score card or markers on a board, you get these plastic gems that add to the experience. The dice look great and you can tell that great thought and detail went into this game. A perfect example are the points in the Jurassic Park standalone expansion. Inside each gem is what looks like a mosquito cased in amber.

Our Family’s Thoughts

Abigail: I like the characters and how they have items that they had in their different movies and shows. I like the replay-ability,  how you can play different modes to make it different each time and you can also mix and match the different sets. The boards have different places on it from the movies and shows too. My favorite set are the Harry potter ones. Recommendation: BUY IT.

Beth: The idea of mixing characters on the wrong sets with way different powers and tools sounds too chaotic and stressful for my taste…Harry Potter and the golden girls should not interact. However, the reality of it was a fun game that can be played differently each time, however you feel at the moment. Maybe its a Joker type of day or you are in a Hermoine Granger mood. Maybe you want to control a team yourself or you want to cooperate. It takes time to learn each character and what they are capable of. You need to play points and with items in order to have an exciting game, don’t be discouraged by the basic first game play which was lacking a bit. Also be careful not to get yourself stuck in a knockdown pattern where everyturn is spent on standing up becuse that loses some fun. Try it, but maybe buy your favorite set just because its Funko. Recommendation: Try it.

Chris: When playing the initial intro, I was not excited. What drew me in was that moment where were playing a scenario and Daniel and I were having a roll off for damage. It kept going back and forth and there was laughter and exhilaration as we battled. This game is a great choice for families. The art is cute and those figures are amazing. If I were to play a game with kids and their families, this one would be a great introduction to the hobby as it links some memorable characters from yesterday and today. Recommendation: BUY IT!

Daniel: I love it. I like how the characters are designed and have weapons they hold, but I dont like how some don’t have them so people often fight about the characters. Some of the boards are double sided and I like that. I like to play in territory mode because it results in more battles with the people trying to be in the same place. It’s a fun family game. My favorite set is the Harry Potter one with Draco and Ron. Recommendation: BUY IT!

Elijah: It was a little confusing about their powers and the tokens and when I could use them again. It was a little exciting because I wanted to KO people and kick their butts basically, but I didn’t because I didnt know how to use the powers. The characters are fun and weird. Ron and Malfoy are my favorite to look at even though I havent played with them yet. Recommendation: Try it.