By Adam Roffel
King of Tokyo is one of the most accessible games of all time. It’s fantastic for new board game players and people who have been playing board games for a long time. The rules are easy to understand, and the entire strategy of the game is incredibly accessible. It’s almost an all-ages experience, and one that’s even received a few expansions and spinoffs over the years.
In 2026, IELLO released King of Tokyo: Godzilla, a brand new version of the original game. Amongst a few other changes, this version brings new components, Evolution cards included in the box, licensed characters instead of generic monsters, and brand new art. The question ultimately becomes: is it worth owning King of Tokyo in 2026, or worth purchasing again if you already own the original?
Accessibility Is King
The one thing I have always liked about King of Tokyo is how easy it is to play. After choosing one of several monsters, players set their health dials to 10 and their points dials to 0. The game ends when either all but one player has died, or someone reaches 20 victory points.
On a turn, players will roll a set of six dice, and up to two additional dice if card abilities or other opportunities allow. The dice have a number of symbols on them. A few allow you to score points if you can create sets of three, while others deal damage to other players or heal your character. Still other symbols provide energy tokens, which can be used to purchase cards from a central display.
These cards are what will mitigate the luck of dice rolling, at least somewhat. King of Tokyo is a dice-chucking game and probably has more luck-based results than your average board game. That said, cards can be purchased to provide benefits like rerolls, extra health, etc. The cards themselves are easy to understand, and yet also provide the biggest learning hurdle in the game. If you can figure out the card strategy, you are all set to play.
At various points during the game, you will enter and exit Tokyo. Normally, only one player can occupy Tokyo City at a time. In five- or six-player games, Tokyo Bay opens up, allowing a second monster to occupy Tokyo. Players earn points when entering Tokyo and when they begin their turn while still there. The catch is that you can never use the dice to heal while in Tokyo, which can make holding the city quite hard.
Good Improvements in the Godzilla Release
Most of the changes to King of Tokyo are really strong. The brand new artwork is outstanding and gives the game a really strong and vibrant table presence.
Along with new art on the boards and cards, a new card type has been added: Events! Event cards appear in the centre of the table just like other cards and can affect everyone. Some take effect immediately, while others stay in play until someone buys them. Whoever buys an Event card can also receive a bonus.
These new Event cards actually make King of Tokyo feel like a considerably different game. Not only are you worried about other players and what they are doing, but now you need to be worried about Event cards as well. It’s a great little addition that requires almost no extra teaching time, but alters the game in a positive way.
The upgraded components are also really nice, although moving from plastic in the original game to wood in Godzilla isn’t as much of a transition as moving from cardboard to wood. I think the plastic cubes to denote energy and the plastic dice were perfectly fine in the original. That said, the wooden components here are really nice, at least for the most part.
The Problem With Wooden Dice
Wooden dice are a nice idea, but I’ve personally never played a game where I looked at wooden dice and thought it was a good idea. Unless the dice are etched, wooden dice wear down way faster than plastic.
I’ve only played my copy of King of Tokyo: Godzilla a half-dozen times, but I’m already noticing that the symbols printed on the wood are starting to wear. I’m worried that after 20 or 30 plays, I’m going to need a new set of dice.
A Better Choice for New Players
If you don’t own King of Tokyo, picking up the Godzilla edition is a no-brainer. This is one of the most accessible games of all time, and works well with a wide variety of people. This edition also includes Evolution cards in the box, giving you additional content without a separate purchase.
If you own King of Tokyo, though, I’m not sure this is worth the investment. I don’t think the wooden dice were a good choice, and while all the other components are definitely better in the Godzilla version, I never had issues with the components in the original game.
That said, the artwork is amazing, and perhaps that might be enough to make picking this up worth it. I think for previous owners, your mileage may vary!
Adam Roffel
Enjoying our coverage? Add 4ScarrsGaming as a Preferred Source on Google.
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated. Please stay respectful and on topic.