Robotech Crisis Point
Solarflare Games
2 Players
30-45 Minutes
Robotech is a long-running mecha franchise that started out as an American adaptation of a few popular anime series including Macross. The popular anime started in 1985 and has since lead to films, comic books, and many other forms of media. The massive franchise has even led to a few games, including Robotech Crisis Point.
Crisis Point is a strategic area control game for two players. The players will act as either the Army of the Southern Cross (AoSC) or the antagonistic Robotech Masters. The thematic game is tactical, with players needing to deploy units and control areas while bluffing future actions. Players can earn points by defending their own units while destroying their opponents. They can also earn points by securing specific locations. Whoever has the most victory points in the end wins.
The game is divided into four phases. The tactical phase is essentially the setup phase. Players will play their combat, unit, base, and strategic location cards on the board. Each card comes with text that needs to be resolved. Players will alternate turns playing one card at a time until both players have played all of their cards. Play will then move to the token phase, in which players will play their battle tokens. After that is the Hero/Command phase. Then is the scoring phase, where values are compared and everything is fully resolved. Battles are simulated, territories are won, and victory points are acquired. In the end, players will add up points and whoever has the most wins.
The game sounds simple on paper, and it really isn’t all that complicated. There is a lot of strategy involved, making this an “Easy to learn, hard to master” kind of game. There are a lot of cards to discover, each with their own unique properties. All of the cards, tokens, and effects ensure that there is variety in every game, giving Robotech Crisis Point a good amount of replayability.
Most of the game’s appeal lies in the theme, but Robotech Crisis Point is able to survive even without the theme. It’s an enjoyable, well thought out game with tons of variety in gameplay. There is bluffing, area control, and a decent amount of luck required to play. Fans of Robotech will be delighted at the quality of this game. Not only does it utilize the theme well, but it’s just fun. All of the cards are full of characters, locations, and references from the source material. The cards look like they were designed in the 1980s, only adding to the game’s charm.
Robotech Crisis Point is a lovely little strategy game with more depth than expected. The source material is used fantastically, and the games are short, allowing for multiple skirmishes. This is a must-buy game for fans of Robotech, and one to consider even if you aren’t familiar with the theme.
