Review: "Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City" Prerelease Box Brings New Mechanics and More Fantastic Art to the TCG
The next chapter of Disney Lorcana is nearly here as fans get ready to enter Hyperia City. After traversing oceans, snowy settings, and jungle-esque wilds, we now head to Lorcana's take on a major metropolis — with a name that's a clever reference to the Disney Brothers' Hyperion Studio. But before the wide release of Hyperion City, Ravensburger is once again offering a fun Prerelease Box, available at select retailers (which you can find on the Ravensburger Play Hub).
This is actually the third Prerelease Box, following installments for Wilds Unknown and Attack of the Vine!. And while the core product remains the same, there are some differences to be found in this release when compared to prior editions.
Starting with what's the same (or similar), these Prerelease Boxes include six booster packs for the latest chapter. On top of that, each box contains one of six randomly distributed promo cards:
- Nick Wilde - Inquisitive Harbormaster
- Merlin - Ink Drop Tinkerer
- Above the Crowd
- Goofy - Dancing Superstar
- Judy Hopps - Day Camp Instructor
- Berloiz - Tiny Rascal
Also included in this set are four dice that can be used as damage counters. One thing I love about these different dice releases is that they are subtly themed to each chapter they accompany. For Hyperia City, the dice feature a shiny gold design on a sparkly, translucent base. Although I still prefer the purple and green theme of the previous Attack of the Vine! set, these dice are beautiful and fit the color scheme of Hyperia (and Coco well).
A highlight of this Prerelease Box is the poster of Hyperia City itself. This not only shows the full layout of the urban center but also highlights the various areas Illumineers will explore. Meanwhile, the reverse side features the key art with Miguel if you prefer to display that instead.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, this new Hyperia City pre-release box includes a cardboard sheet with 10 Ink Drop counter tokens. What are Ink Drops, you ask? Well, they are part of a brand new game mechanic that arrives with this set. As you'll see as you look through the cards, there are several glimmers that utilize Ink Drops in different ways — and even more that reference them. So, having these tokens will be useful. By the way, you may also encounter Ink Drop cards in Booster Packs, as they randomly appear in the last slot where different puzzle cards/advertisements/etc. have lived.
As for the cards themselves, I love how the art often emphasizes the Ink Drop story, while others highlight life in the big Hyperia City (such as Donald Duck - Taxi Driver). On that note, as always, I wanted to highlight my favorite pulls so far:
- Donald Duck - Taxi Driver (Art by Federico Maria Cugliari)
- Pepita - Sweet Kitty (Art by Alejandro Hernandez)
- Baymax - Lab Assistant (Art by Cam Kendell)
- Never Too Far Apart (Art by Paloma Sauvage)
- Meilin Lee - Ecstatic Fan (Art by Francesca Risoldi)
- Peter Pan's Shadow - Elusive Prankster (Art by Otto Paredes)
- Dante - Enthusiastic Stay (Art by Angel Moonlight)
- Chief Bogo - Police Commissioner (Art by Veronica Di Lorenzo/Livio Cacciatore)
- A Dark Age No More (Art by Monica Catalano/Kristen Breshears)
- Never Gonna Let You Cry (Art by Maxine Vee)
Once again, I love what Ravensburger is doing with these Prerelease Boxes. In fact, this Hyperia City set may be the strongest yet as it doubles down on story and emphasizes what's new in this latest chapter (e.g. Ink Drops). So, if I were you, I'd be sure to check out the Ravensburger Play Hub to find your nearest prerelease store and grab a box for yourself on October 16. However, if you miss that, you can still find all sorts of Hyperia City products widely on October 23.