This review was a long time in the making with the move and everything going on around me. I hope you enjoy the review! Timestamps below: 1:14 Overhead view/how much space? 1:50 Deluxe vs. Retail 2:07 Contents JUST THE BASICS 3:56 Player Reference Cards 4:13 Setup 4:38 Event Card 4:52 Moving Batman 5:15 Activating Ally 5:44 Fight or Sneak 7:34 Action Space 7:48 GCPD Track/Player Turn 8:15 End of Round Sequence 9:15 Objective PROS AND CONS 9:33 Con: Art and Look 10:44 Pro: Marker 11:39 Con: Unwieldy Rulebook 12:14 Pro: Player Reference Cards 12:37 Con: Chaotic Game Design 13:38 Pro: Chaotic and Tense 15:10 HUGE CON: SAVE SYSTEM!!!!! 16:51 Con: Gameplay Loop 18:07 Con: Custom Dice CLOSING COMMENTS 19:28 What I really thought 20:13 I do want to mention this… 21:34 UPCOMING VIDEOS This was really a video that took me a very, very long time to finish making. Once again, thanks to Jonathan Fryer for adding to the conversation and being all-around awesome! Thank you, Solo Knights, for always hanging out with me! It’s been a blast and I can’t wait to share more with you all! Take care. Sincerely, Solo Board Gaming Knight
Honesty in reviews is sooooo important. Thank you. Too many reviews are smiley and happy, just hinting at some issues. I love your direct talk. Brilliant.
Thanks, Jonathan! To be honest, I usually do a lot of research on the board games I’m interested in purchasing. That’s why a lot of my reviews seem positive. They’re usually games that I have good feeling I will enjoy. This one, however, was a huge miss. The save system alone is enough to ruin the experience. There are times I enjoy games more than others but that’s just due to different preferences in board games. I agree with you, the negatives have to be known. That’s the only way you can make an informed purchasing decision. Thanks again for adding to the conversation and take care!
I wish I had more time, too! The good thing is that when I get a chance to make videos, I really enjoy making them. Also, I really give the games I play the attention and time they deserve. I never rush a review since I do this for fun. Heat, Kinfire Chronicle’s and my initial thoughts on Oathsworn should eventually show up on the channel. I’m also working on a “Top 10 Expansions” video as well as a “Top 20 Personal Favorite Solo Board Games” video to celebrate my 100th video!
I was going to get this game but the board size had me second guessing after this review I don't think this game is for me. Can you recommend any other batman board games that are enjoyable?
I really liked Batman The Animated Series: Shadow of the Bat (dungeon crawler) a lot! The thing is, IDW went out of business and I don’t know if it can be found at a good price anymore. The other Batman game I played was Gotham Under Siege (dice placement). That one is okay and I like it but it may not be for everyone. The last Batman game I’ve played is D.C. Deck-Building: Rebirth which I thought was okay but not great. All of the games I mentioned were better, in my opinion, than The Dark Knight. That one just wasn’t for me. Hope this helped!
Finally, here’s a video I made on Gotham Under Siege ua-cam.com/video/ub69M_0tND4/v-deo.htmlsi=n2QMBUk9eTNos0Dz This is an older video of mine so the quality is drastically different than my newer videos but it does show what the game is like pretty well, I think.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight thank you for the reply. I watched your video with shadow of the bat but I can't seem to find it online. I actually have the dc Deck building game forever evil on the way. I think I'm going to settle for zombicde with the dark knights metal expansion.
I would’ve said Batman The Animated Series: Shadow of the Bat as my first choice (easily). Also, I would even prefer Gotham Under Siege over this which says a lot considering Gotham Under Siege is a much simpler game or I would’ve even choose D.C. Deck-Building: Rebirth. I’d even choose The Batman Who Laughs Rising which is my least favorite Batman game. That’s not to say you or others wouldn’t enjoy it. It just didn’t resonate with me as much as I truly believed it would have.
OK, you are officially really awesome at this, and I totally desire for more! :) (Accept maybe the volume fall at 18:07, but.. no one is perfect). Regarding your love for the dark knight, I think you might like to try Monolith's version (The enormous over-produced Batman: Gotham City Chronicles). Channels I really enjoy as well, in case you have a free time to explore: - The Dungeon Dive - Geek Gamers - callasmar - MarcoOmniGamer - Paul Darcy - One Stop Co-op Shop - Rolling Solo Cheers!
I have heard of GCC but I haven’t had the chance to play it for myself. As far as the other channels you mentioned, other than three of them, the rest are new to me. I’ll stop by and take a look at those channels.
There are some reviews out there that have enjoyed it a lot. For me, it was pretty disappointing. There were some highlights, mainly the way the board changes throughout the campaign but I wasn’t a fan of the combat, look and feel of the game. Since you mentioned you’re a fan of the IP, I enjoyed Batman The Animated Series Shadow of the Bat a whole lot more!
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight Thank you. I will have to look out for that. As for this game, it’s crazy, since some people absolutely love it. Mike Dilisio from the Dice Tower called it his number one favorite solo game of the year and raved about it. So I am really confused if I will like it or not.
@@ModularLanding Funny you mentioned Mike’s review! That was the review that got me to buy the game. It just comes down to taste. There have been many games that Mike has enjoyed that I have loved. This one, however, was not one of them for me personally. Still, I think you may find enjoyment out of it.
It reminds me of pandemic. Lol seems like pandemic with Batman IP and some extra rules. Kind of how WoW pandemic plays in many respects. The ip they didn’t developed as good as they could.
I really wanted to like it. It can be fun at times but this is my least favorite board game I own. It’s the setup/save system that really breaks the game for me. The look, as well, didn’t do a good job at representing Gotham or Batman.
Thank you for an insightful review! I recently purchased Ghostbusters, and really wish player cards explaining player turns, rounds, and symbols were included! Your review highlighted the fact that too much customization on game components can be overwhelming, and can take away functional use--such as the dice!
Yes! Wow, I’ve never felt so overwhelmed by the upkeep of a board game before and I’ve never used components as unnecessarily uncomfortable as those dice. Usually, I feel much more positive about the games I play but this one broke me. Ghostbusters 1 & 2 have been in my collection for a while but I’ve not reviewed them yet. I wonder how they would compare to the Ghostbusters x Men In Black board game.
That is a huge dealbreaker! There are 4 single scenarios you can play but then you miss out on the changes that the map goes through while playing the campaign. This game turned out to be a missed opportunity.
You know how i got into board games? Via the south Park bgg episode. I think is called board girls and it was very interesting. I mean when I though of board games I though monopoly. But I saw so many cool games in the show. So I got DnD wrath of ashardalon since I alsonolay table top rPGs. And I also got one deck dungeon and deck box dungeon. Those where my first. And fell in love with them. Then tiny epic series just nailed the board game addiction. It's been down hill from there lmao. Can wait for my massive darkness 2 to come in. It looks fantastic.
I see it as uphill! Board games keep your mind stimulated. Just like exercising your muscles, board games exercise your mind. That’s actually a really cool story about how you got into board games. That topic has always interested me. Whenever I get a chance to meet someone that plays board games, I eventually like to ask which board game brought them into the hobby. That’s also a cool way to find out about games I’ve never heard of before. The creator of South Park really plays board games and it shows when he places Easter eggs in South Parks episodes. Awesome that you got Massive Darkness 2! Unfortunately, I had to move recently and although I saw it at my local shop, I didn’t have the funds to buy it. Maybe in a few months after I’ve recovered a little bit from all of the expenses that a move causes. Let me know what you think about it once you’ve played it a few times.
 hahaha I see it down hill for the pocket. L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈. I got itnin eBay. Got the havenfall pledge so it comes with a lot of content. I am crazy to paint those minis and bling the game. It looked very fun on the play throughs. And it has some depth and many choices. Plus I'm a dungeon crawlers hoard so I needed it in my collection.
My most anticipated super hero theme game is Freedom Five from Arcane Wonders. Sanely it has been plagued by delays for over a year. Supposedly mostly due to the pre painted minis and their fulfillment of their other game (something about Rome sorry can’t recall the name). Is sad because I love sentinels of the multiverse cards and sentinel tactics. But I’ll come when it comes. Beside I have plenty of games to get through. I got as anniversary gift from my wife street masters all in Kickstarter 1 and the all in after shock and I am loving the beat em up video game vibe.
Nice gift for your wife! I’ve only played Sentinels on iPad. Not long after I got into this hobby, I heard about Freedom Five. I still didn’t know much about KS at that time. If it were to be on KS now, I would’ve jumped on it! Hopefully my local shop gets it whenever it’s released.
@@boardsandstuff5008 I checked but the PM is only for backers. I couldn’t get in. Now that I saw those painted minis, I’m going to hunt a copy down as soon as it releases. Now I really hope my local shop ends up getting the game.
I can't find your outer rim review anywhere, have you made it private for the time being or something? Another great review man, thanks for all the time you put in to making it for us! Easily my favorite reviewer of board games 😄
Thanks, Dan! That means a lot! I really enjoy making these videos for you all and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them. My Outer Rim review will be the next review that will be uploaded. I was going to review it earlier this year but when I heard about the expansion, I decided to wait and play it with the expansion. Now that I’ve played it several times, I can finish the review. Thanks again for your comment! Choose a video: Burncycle Review Legendary: Marvel RE-REVIEW - Does it hold up? There are a few videos still coming (about 3 of them) but you get to choose which of these two videos release first. Take care. SBGK
Ahh, I see. Thank you for you’re response, I’m glad you’re enjoying running this channel, you’re enthusiasm definitely comes across and I look forward to watching your Outer Rim review when it drops! My choice would be the Legendary: Marvel Re-Review, definitely interested to hear your opinions on it and how they’ve changed over time. Take care, and I hope you enjoy your weekend 😁👋
I’m more than willing to play any Batman game that is good. I really liked Shadow of the Bat. We just need more Batman games that are really good. Most tend to be on the “okay” side of things.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight yea those small details are a lot of trouble. If you get into painting the army painters speed paints are fantastic. Literally one layer and the paint pools on the crevices and pull away from the edges creating instan highlights.
@@boardsandstuff5008 Dude, I have been trying to finish my Imperial Assault minis for almost a year now. It’s been tough but I’m getting better at it. Still learning new techniques by watching videos on YT.
This review was a long time in the making with the move and everything going on around me. I hope you enjoy the review! Timestamps below:
1:14 Overhead view/how much space?
1:50 Deluxe vs. Retail
2:07 Contents
JUST THE BASICS
3:56 Player Reference Cards
4:13 Setup
4:38 Event Card
4:52 Moving Batman
5:15 Activating Ally
5:44 Fight or Sneak
7:34 Action Space
7:48 GCPD Track/Player Turn
8:15 End of Round Sequence
9:15 Objective
PROS AND CONS
9:33 Con: Art and Look
10:44 Pro: Marker
11:39 Con: Unwieldy Rulebook
12:14 Pro: Player Reference Cards
12:37 Con: Chaotic Game Design
13:38 Pro: Chaotic and Tense
15:10 HUGE CON: SAVE SYSTEM!!!!!
16:51 Con: Gameplay Loop
18:07 Con: Custom Dice
CLOSING COMMENTS
19:28 What I really thought
20:13 I do want to mention this…
21:34 UPCOMING VIDEOS
This was really a video that took me a very, very long time to finish making. Once again, thanks to Jonathan Fryer for adding to the conversation and being all-around awesome! Thank you, Solo Knights, for always hanging out with me! It’s been a blast and I can’t wait to share more with you all! Take care.
Sincerely,
Solo Board Gaming Knight
Honesty in reviews is sooooo important. Thank you.
Too many reviews are smiley and happy, just hinting at some issues.
I love your direct talk.
Brilliant.
Thanks, Jonathan! To be honest, I usually do a lot of research on the board games I’m interested in purchasing. That’s why a lot of my reviews seem positive. They’re usually games that I have good feeling I will enjoy. This one, however, was a huge miss. The save system alone is enough to ruin the experience.
There are times I enjoy games more than others but that’s just due to different preferences in board games. I agree with you, the negatives have to be known. That’s the only way you can make an informed purchasing decision.
Thanks again for adding to the conversation and take care!
I've just come back to listen to your review, again.
Such good reasoning and I'm still not tempted yo buy.
I wish you had time to review more games!
I wish I had more time, too! The good thing is that when I get a chance to make videos, I really enjoy making them. Also, I really give the games I play the attention and time they deserve. I never rush a review since I do this for fun. Heat, Kinfire Chronicle’s and my initial thoughts on Oathsworn should eventually show up on the channel.
I’m also working on a “Top 10 Expansions” video as well as a “Top 20 Personal Favorite Solo Board Games” video to celebrate my 100th video!
Pretty cool board game! You game collection has to be getting huge dude! Hope all is well with ya! 👍🍺
Yeah, it is! Everything is good with me. I hope you’ve been good, too. Take care 🤜🤛
I was going to get this game but the board size had me second guessing after this review I don't think this game is for me. Can you recommend any other batman board games that are enjoyable?
I really liked Batman The Animated Series: Shadow of the Bat (dungeon crawler) a lot! The thing is, IDW went out of business and I don’t know if it can be found at a good price anymore. The other Batman game I played was Gotham Under Siege (dice placement). That one is okay and I like it but it may not be for everyone. The last Batman game I’ve played is D.C. Deck-Building: Rebirth which I thought was okay but not great.
All of the games I mentioned were better, in my opinion, than The Dark Knight. That one just wasn’t for me. Hope this helped!
Here’s my review of Shadow of the Bat if you’re interested in knowing more about it ua-cam.com/video/A__anfapGgo/v-deo.htmlsi=mtG5jH-nmQW2rt_X
Finally, here’s a video I made on Gotham Under Siege ua-cam.com/video/ub69M_0tND4/v-deo.htmlsi=n2QMBUk9eTNos0Dz
This is an older video of mine so the quality is drastically different than my newer videos but it does show what the game is like pretty well, I think.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight thank you for the reply. I watched your video with shadow of the bat but I can't seem to find it online. I actually have the dc Deck building game forever evil on the way. I think I'm going to settle for zombicde with the dark knights metal expansion.
Please the next time you say "there are other/better boardgames" NAME them...(20:00 in this video for example).
I would’ve said Batman The Animated Series: Shadow of the Bat as my first choice (easily). Also, I would even prefer Gotham Under Siege over this which says a lot considering Gotham Under Siege is a much simpler game or I would’ve even choose D.C. Deck-Building: Rebirth. I’d even choose The Batman Who Laughs Rising which is my least favorite Batman game.
That’s not to say you or others wouldn’t enjoy it. It just didn’t resonate with me as much as I truly believed it would have.
Looks like a, lot of stuff to learn...
It’s a lot but it’s not bad once you learn how to play it.
OK, you are officially really awesome at this, and I totally desire for more! :)
(Accept maybe the volume fall at 18:07, but.. no one is perfect).
Regarding your love for the dark knight,
I think you might like to try Monolith's version
(The enormous over-produced Batman: Gotham City Chronicles).
Channels I really enjoy as well, in case you have a free time to explore:
- The Dungeon Dive
- Geek Gamers
- callasmar
- MarcoOmniGamer
- Paul Darcy
- One Stop Co-op Shop
- Rolling Solo
Cheers!
I have heard of GCC but I haven’t had the chance to play it for myself. As far as the other channels you mentioned, other than three of them, the rest are new to me. I’ll stop by and take a look at those channels.
Excellent review! I’m a huge fan of the IP, but this looks like it will have to be a pass for me unfortunately
There are some reviews out there that have enjoyed it a lot. For me, it was pretty disappointing. There were some highlights, mainly the way the board changes throughout the campaign but I wasn’t a fan of the combat, look and feel of the game.
Since you mentioned you’re a fan of the IP, I enjoyed Batman The Animated Series Shadow of the Bat a whole lot more!
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight Thank you. I will have to look out for that. As for this game, it’s crazy, since some people absolutely love it. Mike Dilisio from the Dice Tower called it his number one favorite solo game of the year and raved about it. So I am really confused if I will like it or not.
@@ModularLanding Funny you mentioned Mike’s review! That was the review that got me to buy the game. It just comes down to taste. There have been many games that Mike has enjoyed that I have loved. This one, however, was not one of them for me personally. Still, I think you may find enjoyment out of it.
It reminds me of pandemic. Lol seems like pandemic with Batman IP and some extra rules. Kind of how WoW pandemic plays in many respects. The ip they didn’t developed as good as they could.
I really wanted to like it. It can be fun at times but this is my least favorite board game I own. It’s the setup/save system that really breaks the game for me. The look, as well, didn’t do a good job at representing Gotham or Batman.
Thank you for an insightful review! I recently purchased Ghostbusters, and really wish player cards explaining player turns, rounds, and symbols were included!
Your review highlighted the fact that too much customization on game components can be overwhelming, and can take away functional use--such as the dice!
Yes! Wow, I’ve never felt so overwhelmed by the upkeep of a board game before and I’ve never used components as unnecessarily uncomfortable as those dice. Usually, I feel much more positive about the games I play but this one broke me.
Ghostbusters 1 & 2 have been in my collection for a while but I’ve not reviewed them yet. I wonder how they would compare to the Ghostbusters x Men In Black board game.
Was really looking forward to this but that save system is a dealbreaker for me. Surely there must be an easier way. Lol
That is a huge dealbreaker! There are 4 single scenarios you can play but then you miss out on the changes that the map goes through while playing the campaign. This game turned out to be a missed opportunity.
I thought it was monolith.
I wish! 😜
Thanks for the review man. I was looking to it but it’s not for me. It feels like a chore.
Yeah, this game is a pass. Maybe if you can find it for real cheap one day but definitely not at full price.
You know how i got into board games? Via the south Park bgg episode. I think is called board girls and it was very interesting. I mean when I though of board games I though monopoly. But I saw so many cool games in the show. So I got DnD wrath of ashardalon since I alsonolay table top rPGs. And I also got one deck dungeon and deck box dungeon. Those where my first. And fell in love with them. Then tiny epic series just nailed the board game addiction. It's been down hill from there lmao. Can wait for my massive darkness 2 to come in. It looks fantastic.
I see it as uphill! Board games keep your mind stimulated. Just like exercising your muscles, board games exercise your mind. That’s actually a really cool story about how you got into board games. That topic has always interested me.
Whenever I get a chance to meet someone that plays board games, I eventually like to ask which board game brought them into the hobby. That’s also a cool way to find out about games I’ve never heard of before. The creator of South Park really plays board games and it shows when he places Easter eggs in South Parks episodes.
Awesome that you got Massive Darkness 2! Unfortunately, I had to move recently and although I saw it at my local shop, I didn’t have the funds to buy it. Maybe in a few months after I’ve recovered a little bit from all of the expenses that a move causes. Let me know what you think about it once you’ve played it a few times.
 hahaha I see it down hill for the pocket. L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈ŏ̈L̆̈.
I got itnin eBay. Got the havenfall pledge so it comes with a lot of content. I am crazy to paint those minis and bling the game. It looked very fun on the play throughs. And it has some depth and many choices. Plus I'm a dungeon crawlers hoard so I needed it in my collection.
@@boardsandstuff5008 Dungeon Crawlers are my jam. That is my favorite genre of board games followed by Deck-Builders.
My most anticipated super hero theme game is Freedom Five from Arcane Wonders. Sanely it has been plagued by delays for over a year. Supposedly mostly due to the pre painted minis and their fulfillment of their other game (something about Rome sorry can’t recall the name). Is sad because I love sentinels of the multiverse cards and sentinel tactics. But I’ll come when it comes. Beside I have plenty of games to get through. I got as anniversary gift from my wife street masters all in Kickstarter 1 and the all in after shock and I am loving the beat em up video game vibe.
Nice gift for your wife! I’ve only played Sentinels on iPad. Not long after I got into this hobby, I heard about Freedom Five. I still didn’t know much about KS at that time. If it were to be on KS now, I would’ve jumped on it! Hopefully my local shop gets it whenever it’s released.
Late pledge is still open. I pledge for game play all in with pre painted minis. Mostly hecse the minis are huge and will be too much time to paint.
@@boardsandstuff5008 I checked but the PM is only for backers. I couldn’t get in. Now that I saw those painted minis, I’m going to hunt a copy down as soon as it releases. Now I really hope my local shop ends up getting the game.
I can't find your outer rim review anywhere, have you made it private for the time being or something?
Another great review man, thanks for all the time you put in to making it for us! Easily my favorite reviewer of board games 😄
Thanks, Dan! That means a lot! I really enjoy making these videos for you all and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them.
My Outer Rim review will be the next review that will be uploaded. I was going to review it earlier this year but when I heard about the expansion, I decided to wait and play it with the expansion. Now that I’ve played it several times, I can finish the review.
Thanks again for your comment! Choose a video:
Burncycle Review
Legendary: Marvel RE-REVIEW - Does it hold up?
There are a few videos still coming (about 3 of them) but you get to choose which of these two videos release first. Take care.
SBGK
Ahh, I see. Thank you for you’re response, I’m glad you’re enjoying running this channel, you’re enthusiasm definitely comes across and I look forward to watching your Outer Rim review when it drops!
My choice would be the Legendary: Marvel Re-Review, definitely interested to hear your opinions on it and how they’ve changed over time.
Take care, and I hope you enjoy your weekend 😁👋
@@BaineseyBoy Awesome! I’ll get to work on that soon. I’m just as interested as you are to find out if it holds up to the test of time. Take care.
I imagine having Batman IP with the modular deck system of black list games would have been awesome.
I’m more than willing to play any Batman game that is good. I really liked Shadow of the Bat. We just need more Batman games that are really good. Most tend to be on the “okay” side of things.
They need to make an RPG hybrid with stealth checks and the like.
@@boardsandstuff5008 If they do make it, I’d play it!
The minis might not be very detailed like my altar quest and street masters minis but still fun to paint.
I agree. I wouldn’t mind trying to paint these minis. The most difficult part to paint will probably be Batman’s bat-sign on his chest.
@@SoloBoardGamingKnight yea those small details are a lot of trouble. If you get into painting the army painters speed paints are fantastic. Literally one layer and the paint pools on the crevices and pull away from the edges creating instan highlights.
@@boardsandstuff5008 Dude, I have been trying to finish my Imperial Assault minis for almost a year now. It’s been tough but I’m getting better at it. Still learning new techniques by watching videos on YT.
The dice seem like overkill.
Terrible dice. They feel horrible in my hands.