Wicked: The Game Review

boardgamequest.com:

Family games based on movies are a dime a dozen, but a family game based on a movie, based on a musical that was inspired by a book, which was based on a movie, which was a retelling of a book? If that doesn’t make your brain feel like it’s made of straw, then I don’t know what will.

Wicked: The Game, by Spinmaster Games, is a set collection, cooperative adventure for two to four players. You can take on the role of a character from the 2024 movie, and set off to reach the Emerald City before the Wizard can stop you. If you’ve ever wanted to be dancing through life, defying gravity, visiting dear old Shiz, or having one short day in the Emerald City, this may be the game that drops you right into the center of your favorite story.

The goal of Wicked: The Game is to unlock each card in the Chapter Deck before the Wizard can stop you. Each player takes on the role of a character from the movie by choosing a coordinating character board, while the central gameboard has a 13-spot tracker to show the progress of the Wizard. The Wizard’s movements are represented by a 3D hot air balloon figure. In the center of the board sits the Emerald City, an impressively shaped plastic card holder that contains a deck of Wizard cards. Around the Emerald City card holder is a trough of Thrillifying Magic tokens, pink bubble shaped domes that you earn by creating card sets.

The Chapter Deck sits on the center gameboard, with the face up card telling you how many Thrillifying Magic tokens you’ll have to earn as a team to unlock the next Chapter Card. This gives a sense of focus to the game, and makes you feel like you’re progressing through scenes in the story. If players get through all of the chapters before the Wizard marker makes it to the end of the track, they win!

The game is played in rounds, each of which starts with the first player drawing eight cards. Players take turns drafting and passing Story Cards, placing them in one of the two spots on their character board to try to