Smash Up! - Science Fiction Double Feature - Review & Faction Guide

The Science Fiction Double Feature expansion is packing a lot of action and is ready to bring it right into your living room (or wherever it is you are playing Smash Up). It actually doesn’t have any special feature except that all 4 Factions in it are downright awesome.

Each one has its very own play style with the Cyborg Apes equipping themselves with the latest technology to go bananas at their opponents, the Shapeshifters to transform into almost anything and beating their rivals at their own game, the Super Spies always having the last word on matters while killing any minion without even get a chance to get in the game, and the Time Travelers to be able to bring back almost any card from your discard pile so it can be played again.

This expansion is sure to keep you on an edge every time you play it.

Factions

Cyborg Apes

The Cyborg Apes are one of the Factions in Smash Up that relies heavily on its actions played on minions. The whole strategy behind this Faction is within those actions. All of the minions have abilities that are somehow related to actions played on minions.

Giving them extra buff, being able to play them from the discard pile, or even play them as an extra action. Most of their actions are actually played on minions, for adding power, granting protection, drawing cards, or even destroying other minions. But not all of them. And that as a concept is something interesting and can be combined well with many Factions.

Shapeshifters

Shapeshifters greatest weapon is also their greatest weakness. Let me explain. This Factions has the tendency of copying opponents cards. The stronger cards your opponent has on the field, the stronger the shapeshifters can become.

But if your opponents do not have something that strong, they themselves are not that terrifying. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very powerful faction.It is just somewhat situational, but in the overall it pays off, having some very formidable combinations.

Super Spies

Their name is not Bond, James Bond, but they sure have the theme of it. And they transferred it in a very creative and innovasive manner as a matter of fact. Being able to look and rearrange the top cards of their deck, they will always have what they need in hand, while having cards for extra draw to make sure of that.

This Faction is specialized in 2 things.First, playing specials before a base scores, which is something that by itself can sometimes win the game, as your opponents would not expect you to have the last word in their turns. And second, they make their opponents discard a lot of minions in many ways. Key strategies to victory.

Time Travelers

For all the fans of Doctor Who out there or in fact any time traveling fan, this is a Faction that is back from the future to wrap your game in a space and time continuum. Be ready to play the same action again,and again, and again, and again if you have to.

And the reason why behind this strategy is that the Time Travelers can bring back cards from their discard piles to their hand, or on top of their decks, or even return their own minions from play to play them again. This concept, if combined with the right Faction can lead to a loop hole of fun and VP.

Gameplay

While this expansion does not have any special feature, it has 4 very strong individual Factions that each of them has its own play style and way to achieve the maximum VP in a game.

As said before the Cyborg Apes rely mainly on their actions based on minions,which they stack one on top of each other to create some very buffed up apes. These apes will make Ceasar from the Planet of the Apes look more like Abu from Alladin.

The Shapeshifters are somewhat situational, but most of the times your opponents will provide with enough choices to copy. They can destroy their own to bring any minion you want from the deck into the game or they can destroy their opponents, something that is generally a good thing.

The Super Spies can deprive your opponents from minions to a point where you could theoretically dominate most of the bases on board. Plus, having always the last word due to the ‘after a bases scores’ special, can give you such a great advantage that your opponents will somewhat hate you deep down inside for it.

Last, but not least, the Time Travelers if combined with the right Faction so they can play powerful cards many times in a single game, can lead to some of the most overpowering combinations in the whole game.

That said, go test your base scoring skills with this all around wonderful expansion.

Compatibility

The fact that this expansion has no special feature, makes it a good choice for random Faction combinations. Each and every Faction in it, is individually a powerful Faction, that can stand on its own if needed (or in case of a poor shuffling).

They also make great combinations both with the Smash Up Core Set, and with similar expansions with no special features. A very interesting and fun expansion that can satisfy even the most advanced players of Smash Up, with clever strategies and well planned plays. An absolute must have that will increase the contest for the conquest of the game called Smash Up.