Close Menu
Sirus Gaming
    • News Stories
    • Features
    • Reviews
    • Previews
    • Guide
    • Review Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    What's New in Sirus?
    9

    LEGO Voyagers – Review

    September 15, 2025

    Sucker Punch Employee Reportedly Fired After Controversial Social Media Posts

    September 13, 2025

    Capcom Reveals Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection

    September 12, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
    Sirus Gaming
    Sirus Gaming
    Previews

    Smash Up: The Video Game Impressions

    By Carlo Miguel CutandaOctober 18, 20164 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Smash Up is a board game from AEG. The game lets you pick 2 from a huge selection of factions and use them to fight up to 3 other players to prove who can smash the most. Even with the amount of expansions the game has, it has always felt balanced. It is very easy to get into and is a great way to introduce people to both TCGs (Trading Card Games) and Board Games. Smash Up has been a favorite among my family and friends and I was very much excited to hear that it was adapted into a video game by Nomad Games.

    Immediately after opening the game, I noticed something that I just did not agree with. A huge majority of the factions were locked behind a paywall. Now, I would understand if they locked out the expansions or even if they left enough cards for a 1v1 match but no no. They left only 3 factions for you to choose from.

    Anyone who has ever played a game of Smash Up knows that it is impossible to play a game with only 3 factions since each player needs to take 2. Simple math would tell you that you would need at least 4 to start a match. The game “fixes” this problem by allowing people to select the same factions.

    Smash Up Factions

    Smash Up, like any card or board game requires some strategy. You need to formulate a plan and play the cards that would benefit the factions you are using in order to win against other players. Now, since this version of Smash Up allows you to pick the same factions as other players, I found that sometimes the cards I play benefited the other players as well. I played a card that gave extra power to a minion of a specific name in order to win the battle. It was the move that would allowed me to smash the base and come out the strongest. Sadly, another player had that particular card in play. Two actually. It gave him the bonus as well and made it so that he won the base. I would be fine with the duplicate factions thing as long as my buffs only affected my cards.

    Smash Up Buff

    Now, this presents a crap-ton of balancing issues. There are cards that only allow a specific faction to enter a base for a round  or until countered. This was created to specifically benefit the user of that card. It allows them to catch up on power points or even steal the base altogether, but now someone with the same faction can just jump in unhindered. A card that was designed to give you leverage and time is now meaningless. Alternatively, there are cards that block out whole factions altogether. This turns a card that was initially designed to screw over one person into something that can mess with everyone . Oh, and guess what? The factions known for being dick-ish are not part of the initial 3 choices.

    The game itself pretty much plays like the majority of the board game adaptations out there. Very simple and direct. Presentation-wise it was okay. The interface is simple enough and shows you what you need to know. Honestly feels like one of those games you can find on browsers. They could have added more effects during the smashing of bases or the killing of minions to emphasize these events in the game. They might. The game is still in early access so they might improve how the game feels in the future.

    I personally think the decision to make this game Free to Play is the root cause of many of the issues I have with Smash Up the video game. The mechanics they sacrificed or had to implement rather opens the game up to balancing issues that were never conceived of in the board game that this is based off.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Carlo Miguel Cutanda
    • X (Twitter)

    I have been playing since I was old enough to hold a controller. My family has been part of the Playstation Nation since the very beginning but that never stopped me from appreciating games on PC, Xbox or Nintendo systems. I am currently a writer for Sirus Gaming and have my own youtube channel on http://www.youtube.com/c/veitsknight

    Related Posts

    Capcom Reveals Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection

    September 12, 2025

    Nintendo Direct Scares Gamers With Resident Evil Requiem & More

    September 12, 2025

    Danganronpa 2×2 Officially Revealed at Nintendo Direct

    September 12, 2025
    Sirus Exclusives

    Why LEGO Voyagers Might Be the Most Emotional LEGO Game Ever Made

    September 15, 2025
    silent-hill-f-has-multiple-endings-but-you-can-only-get-one-of-them

    Silent Hill f Has Multiple Endings But You Can Only Get One Of Them

    September 12, 2025
    what-does-silent-hill-f-mean

    Silent Hill f: What Does the “f” Really Mean?

    September 12, 2025
    Borderlands 4 cover screenshot showing the new Vault Hunters standing together on Kairos

    Do You Need to Play the Previous Borderlands Games Before Borderlands 4?

    September 12, 2025
    About Us
    About Us

    Sirus Gaming is a team of passionate gamers delivering the latest news, reviews, and insights on the gaming industry.

    Find us on OpenCritic, and we're proud to have been a voting jury in The Game Awards since 2022.

    Contact us: [email protected]

    Check Our Reviews
    9

    LEGO Voyagers – Review

    September 15, 2025
    Borderlands 4 Review Featured Image
    9

    Borderlands 4 – Review

    September 11, 2025
    Shinobi Art of Vengeance Featured Image
    8

    SHINOBI Art of Vengeance – Review

    September 8, 2025
    Exclusive Content

    Why LEGO Voyagers Might Be the Most Emotional LEGO Game Ever Made

    September 15, 2025
    silent-hill-f-has-multiple-endings-but-you-can-only-get-one-of-them

    Silent Hill f Has Multiple Endings But You Can Only Get One Of Them

    September 12, 2025
    what-does-silent-hill-f-mean

    Silent Hill f: What Does the “f” Really Mean?

    September 12, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
    • Privacy Policy
    • Review Policy
    • Contact
    © 2025 Sirus Gaming. Designed by Sirus Media Digital.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.