Spotlight: Planet of the Apes Game by IDW
This past week when I went to my local shop, (World’s Collide BTW) I was presented with this Planet of the Apes tabletop game by IDW.
I like games and if you pair them with an established property, well I’m an easy mark, so even though I didn’t sincerely recall ordering it, it sounded like something I’d do and I went on my way.
I like games and if you pair them with an established property, well I’m an easy mark, so even though I didn’t sincerely recall ordering it, it sounded like something I’d do and I went on my way.
What it is: Planet of the Apes is a cooperation game, meaning all players work together rather than pitted against each other. I like this concept a great deal although I’ve never been particularly successful at it. I’m a big fan of Star Trek Cattan BTW….
How it’s played: Each one of the up to four players is Taylor, albeit in a different emotional state, there is Clever Taylor, Defiant Taylor etc.
The game works sequentially in the film’s timeline as you race against time to go through the various stages of the film. Each area has different challenges and relies often on dice to get you through.
If the Soldier Ape or the Statue of Liberty gets to the bottom before Taylor, well, you blew it up you maniacs.
The game works sequentially in the film’s timeline as you race against time to go through the various stages of the film. Each area has different challenges and relies often on dice to get you through.
If the Soldier Ape or the Statue of Liberty gets to the bottom before Taylor, well, you blew it up you maniacs.
How it Looks- It’s a pretty darn gorgeous game, the box art is by Jason Edmiston, a super talented dude I got to have a beer with a few years ago and have been a fan of ever since. The interior art is equally as beautiful, this is a joy to look at.
I got an early edition of the game and it came with plastic figurines of the Icarus, Taylor, a Soldier Ape and the Statue of Liberty but honestly, the cardboard pieces are super nice. I’m an Ape toy geek, so these do make me happy, I admit it….
So do you like it? Honestly, i’ve had a lot of fun but I’ll freely admit this, I’m not sure if I’m doing it correctly.
Planet of the Apes is ambitious and a little complicated, even on my second play, I had some questions. Now, that isn’t a bad thing, the game rather new and I expect more and more Youtube videos of actual game play will probably answer all my questions.
I do see myself playing this a few more times as I’ve enjoyed the experience thus far.
Where to get it?
The absolute best place to get this is your local brick and mortar comic or game store. Keep them in business, spend your dollars locally.
Failing that, you can get it on Amazon or Ebay and if you click these links, you help out this site. Which would also be awesome.
Looks good! I was about to purchase this but I got the game based on John Carpenter's The Thing instead.
There's a Thing boardgame? Crap!
There is a chance you are eligible to get a $1,000 Amazon Gift Card.