Game Review: “Smash Up: Disney Edition” Puts a Magical Twist on Paul Peterson’s Hit Game

The fun and excitement of the hit Paul Peterson game Smash Up just got an extra dose of magic with the brand-new collaboration between original game maker AEG and licensee The Op with Smash Up: Disney Edition. Whether you’re an experienced Smash Up player or are just finding out about this “shuffle-building” game, you’ll have a lot of fun watching these worlds collide.

The first thing you need to know is that Smash Up: Disney Edition is a stand-alone game that comes with everything you need to play, but it can also be treated as an expansion to previous versions of the game. This means you can mix and match between all of the previous iterations of Smash Up, including another licensed version from The Op, Smash Up: Marvel Edition. But as this was my first time playing Smash Up, I stuck with the 8 included faction decks.

Frozen, Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph, The Lion King, Mulan, Aladdin, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Beauty and the Beast are the themed faction decks in this first Disney Edition of Smash Up. Each includes a deck of 20 cards and players start by drafting factions to create their team, shuffling together decks so that they have 40 cards. During a 4 player game, all 8 factions would be in play.

A new component for Smash Up: Disney Edition that proved very handy for a first-time player like me is the addition of Base Mats. The object of the game is to earn Victory Points and be the first player to have 15 points, which are earned by having power on bases when they hit their breakpoint (some bases award points to the player who came in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, so the victor isn’t necessarily the only champion.

Players take turns playing their decks, which include characters, actions, abilities, and talents. There’s strategy involved, as you not only want to earn Victory Points on any and all bases but also want to combine characters and boosts to make them even more powerful. An added level of complexity that prevents the game from ending too quickly is the fact that you have to wait to draw more cards from your deck until your next turn, so it’s possible to end up in situations where you don’t have any good moves to make.

Because there are 8 factions to play with, Smash Up: Disney Edition offers a lot of potential for replaying to try and find your dream team. It left me wanting to play again and also piqued my interest in exploring the other iterations of Paul Peterson’s hit game, of which there are many choices available. The game is recommended for ages 14 and up due to its level of complexity, but adults can certainly team up with younger players as there’s no objectionable content within the game itself.

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Alex Reif
Alex joined the Laughing Place team in 2014 and has been a lifelong Disney fan. His main beats for LP are Disney-branded movies, TV shows, books, music and toys. He recently became a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA).