Monstrous Review

The gods of Olympus are angry. They’ve been forgotten by the people who no longer give sacrifice or praise. If there’s anything we know from Greek mythology, it’s that it isn’t a good thing to anger the gods. They do horrible things like chain you to mountains and send birds to eat your liver, or worse. In Monstrous they hurl the monsters of legend onto those recalcitrant citizens as both punishment and sport.

Monstrous is a light, silly, and entertaining game. Each player is one of those gods and take turns physically throwing cards from their hand on to the table. Classic Greek cities like Athens are arrayed on the table each providing bonuses and points (known as Faith) when you manage to land a card on them. Essentially you’re throwing a tantrum to remind the Greek populace exactly who is in charge.

Where your monsters land and what they land on top of is critical.

If that’s all there was to the game, I’d be pretty happy with it. I’m a fan of dexterity games and am always happy to have a game I can pull of the shelf to make monster noises while having a beer with my friends. Monstrous works fine here; given the slick nature of cards and air currents I’ve seen some amazing things happen when an errant throw ends up sliding across the table and slipping underneath a card to score a few points. Monstrous has just a little bit more to it though, which elevates it just enough for me to give it a solid recommendation.

In addition to providing Faith, those Greek cities and mythological locations also provide bonuses. Hades will allow you to release discarded monsters from the Underworld. Depending on how things are laid out, you can shoot for combo plays if you can manage to hit two cities at once. Nail such a shot onto Thebes and Athens for example, and you can return a monster to the top of the deck and draw it. Gaining additional throws and actions is a great way to score points and lay traps so finding ways to build combos is fun strategically and dexterously.

Those monsters all have powers too. Pegasi, Gorgons, and other familiar faces fly around scoring points and behaving in expected ways. Pegasus will fly back up into your hand for a re-toss if you accidentally miss, while a Gorgon will destroy anything that lands on her once she hits the table. Combined with the city powers there’s room to pace the table like a Spartan before battle and try to angle your shot. It’s lighthearted and fun, but there’s definitely a tactical bend to this very tactile game. The monsters snarl and climb over each other, destroying cities and wreaking havoc. It’s a good reminder to the mortals: sacrificing a bull every now and then won’t kill you, but forgetting to just might.

A mass of monsters climbing to the top of the pile. Each gains bonuses or penalties depending on how they’re layered.

Like any dexterity game, there are going to be times when the cards are flying your way and times they aren’t. There are also city layouts that are more exciting than others. I love that Hades can bring dead monsters back but if you aren’t careful the game can drag. Monstrous is best when it’s over in 15 minutes and everyone is ready to reset and play again or move on to meatier affair.

When it shines though, Monstrous is a laugh a minute. There’s something supremely enjoyable about breaking from games of demon slaying or resource farming to roar while you throw cards at each other. It’s the kind of game that can really only be done in cardboard and paper which is som