In a world where Switch owners already have access to both versions Monopoly and Pokémon Sword and Shield, do we really need a game that combines the two? For most people, the answer is "probably not". But that is pointless Bilion Road & # 39; s concept, and everything to do with its function.
Like the beloved / disgusting Hasbro capitalism fantasy mentioned above, Billion Road has made you turn around with three friends or AI bots to wander around what appears to be a board-built real-world scene (here cartoony taken in Japan), buying real estate, running stadiums, to swear to the people you love, and to curse the God of Good Luck. She is very good in that way.
In stark contrast to Monopoly, Billion Road's insistence that he assemble a crack team of magical creatures, using their unique abilities and sending them into battle against a mysterious large beast. That's a bit of Pokémon.
It's a really good idea, and things start off brightly (as long as you have passed the load times) with the visual art style and dynamic 3D graphics that change with the times of the in-game. The first game you play will guide you through the rules without over-swallowing, and the basics are easy enough to understand. This is a dice-boarding family board game, with plenty of RPG-lite animation.
Billion Road gives you more choice of where to move than Monopoly. There are many crazy paths that lead to your custom-made character in cities and cities in Japan, and you are not obligated to take any particular course. There is, however, a positive path that leads you to the next randomly assigned goal, as indicated by the arrow. Getting there first will cost you a chunky Yen bonus and one or two monsters will help or hinder the goalkeeper.
Along the way, you'll come to some special squares. One type will help you shop local businesses, from ramen shops to rice fields to theaters. This is important to maximize your income and earn you bonuses from time to time by a good TV host. It's a shame that your ownership of these businesses doesn't exactly affect the game board for money when opponents get to it, but maybe that old Monopoly player for us is talking.
Some scenes can give you a random item that can cool your monsters, eliminate problematic fans, or give you a different location. The most common of all addition and subtraction groups, which will issue bonuses or a random cash penalty upon arrival. There are also transportation options that can take you to faraway places very quickly.
Ah yes, monsters. For distribution throughout this extended map of Japan you will find various developers. They are very similar to the C-Pokémon list, with the exception of class-based focus. There is a unicorn that will increase your chance to wrap the right number around the Goals, beautiful calves that will enhance the effect of the squares of combinations and reduce the impact of the squatting squat, anthropomorphic magnets that will attract your opponent's monsters, and much more.
Each beast has its own level of attack, which is effective when the war-ravaged titan attacks. During those times, you can choose to send one of your team members into battle. The big win-win beast earns its master a huge cash bonus, while there are also rewards for participation.
There is so much to consider in each round of Bonus Road. There are time bonuses that are issued according to various metrics, and often at random. There are rounds of combining game threads that offer some bonuses. There is even a strange puzzle portal on a mysterious island filled with monster, which can tempt you in an adventurous way. It's a board game full of things to do, including 30 years (during the game) of a single player campaign where the average player gets out every 5 years.
It's a busy job, but Billion Road suffers from a form of duck syndrome. There are loads that happen in plain sight, but it seems a little precious going on under the surface. Luck reigns supreme here, and there's not much that even a clever mind can do on its face. Win or lose, you're less than willing for random & # 39; random & # 39; the game. Worse, those random algorithms do not always overlap in particular. Billion Road has a mysterious ability to come to terms with what the player is in the best position to help, as if an invisible prison officer is coping each game with even injury.
To cite one example of this, our playmate has achieved the emergence of Johannesburg among the eight scenes in their respective roles, leaving us on the edge with little hope of recovery. However, during each of the next three turns, they roll 1, allowing us to close the gap even more. That would be dismissed as mere luck, if it was an isolated incident. This is great for keeping things active and extremely competitive. Temporary players and families with young children, in particular, will benefit from such a growth outcome. But a game that you don't trust the seller / house / bank is unlikely to be stuck in the collections of experienced or passionate players.
Large number of random events & # 39; prizes & # 39; glossy with not much to do lately carrying the little one, too. After a while, even if we lost badly or nodded in the lead of the billion Yen, our temper tantrums were almost the same: neither too happy nor too worried. It's just boring. That said, you may have gotten into a very frustrating situation. Allow yourself to be far removed from your rivals, and from time to time it may prove impossible to harass a troubled follower who pays for your resources. We lost some real money and ended up in a crippled debt cycle during some local comparison game.
Which is wearing another quibble – Billion Road actually seems to need at least three players to function properly. The way the game rotates between success and disaster requires the presence of a third party to act as a stabilizer. It's much better if those extra players are human, of course, but they have to be local. No online facility is available here.
For a game that puts emphasis on geography and mobility, meanwhile, it feels very difficult to track the location of your enemies relative to yours. There is an inside view of the map zoom and an overview map, but it sounds like there must be something in between – a close up view of the board, perhaps. It would be great if you could quickly look at your goods without having to worry about the sub menus, too.
Billion Road has all the makings of a fun little icon for families with young children – especially with its colorful presentation, Pokémon-esque vibe, and slant for cultural education. For anyone who is old and nervous enough to see pyrotechnics, however, making your next billionaire soon will be a wonderful and unsatisfactory experience.
Conclusion
Billion Road makes a very interesting trend: integrating Monopoly and Pokémon into a family-friendly digital board game. With its light presentation, versatile equipment, and endless collections and rewards, it can be ideal for young families looking for the right time for a bag. However, there is a critical shortage of tactics to support all of this, while the presence of a rational hand to guide the issues undermines the game of emotional exhaustion that true skeptics bring out.
