What started off as an April Fool’s joke has now become reality: two monstrous worlds created by Richard Garfield join forces in Mindbug x King of Tokyo. In this new installment of the Mindbug series, you can summon the iconic monsters from King of Tokyo and deal each other some serious blows.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend Spiel 2025, the games fair of Europe, and I’m still quite disappointed about that. One of the highlights I was looking forward to was the ‘love child’ of two of my favourite simple games, where it’s all about pure fun: King of Tokyo and Mindbug. What once began as an April Fool’s joke—a crossover between these two games—has now come true. The monsters from Mindbug take centre stage in a new expansion for King of Tokyo, while the kaiju from King of Tokyo take the lead in this standalone edition of Mindbug, which can also be combined with your existing collection.
Gameplay
We’ve previously written (very positively) about Mindbug, but if you’re not familiar with these fast-paced games, here’s a quick explanation.
In Mindbug, two players (or more, with expansions) don’t build a deck of 60 cards, but instead each receive 10 cards from a large stack of pre-sorted cards, ensuring a swift and exciting battle. On their turn, players can only perform one of two actions: play a card or start an attack. In Mindbug, players play hybrid monsters to defeat their opponents, but there’s a twist: each player has, twice per game, the ability to steal a card played by their opponent using their mindbugs—the creatures from the game’s title.
These mindbugs create dilemmas, a bit of bluffing, and above all, a lot of tactics. Do you dare play a certain card if your opponent still has a mindbug left? When should you use your own mindbug? Each player only has two, so picking the right moment is crucial.
By playing cards, players gain new forces and can activate special effects. Some cards have unique properties that can be used during an attack, or even at other moments. Many cards also include so-called keywords that indicate general abilities, making for a smooth and clear game.
By attacking, players can defeat their opponents’ monsters and activate effects again. A player under attack can defend with one of their monsters. The monster with the highest value wins, but some monsters have special abilities that can affect the outcome of the fight. If a player cannot or does not want to defend, they lose a life. Once a player loses all their life points, the game ends.
King of Tokyo?
This set not only adds familiar monsters from another game, but also introduces game concepts and mechanisms you might recognise from Richard Garfield’s other monster hit.
Some cards display a symbol with one or two dice. If you come across such a symbol and attack with that monster, you get to roll the dice first. You may reroll the dice once for a possible different result. With the roll, you can strengthen your attack, earn energy to buy cards, or force your opponent to discard cards.
At the start of your turn, you can use the energy (cubes) you’ve earned to buy a special card, similar to King of Tokyo. These cards have immediate effects that can turn the tide of battle.
Verdict
This edition of Mindbug is once again a fantastic and fast-paced card game. The addition of new game elements takes the game to a higher level. The effect cards add more depth and make the game smoother than ever. The familiar monsters also make for a delightful sense of recognition.
