I don’t know about you, but I am a huge fan of superheroes. Specifically Spider-Man. It all started when the first Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie came out – and I’ve been hooked since then. Which is kind of ironic since I hate spiders! So whenever I see any superhero game, I’m always crossing my fingers that Spider-Man is included. And one day whilst perusing Amazon, this little game popped up. Spider-Man themed and really low price? Add to Cart! Was it a good purchase, or was I blinded by my love of a certain web-slinging superhero? Keep reading to find out!
| Something Wild! Marvel: Spider-Man (2022) | Funko Games |
| 2-4 players | 15 minutes |
| Ages 6+ | BGG Weight – N/A |
Disclaimer: Something Wild! has many many sets, all with different themes/characters. Although this review is specifically about the Spider-Man version of the game, the gameplay and rules are identical, regardless of which version you play. So if you’re not a huge Spider-Man fan (I’ll forgive you), you can still learn about the game system through this review! -L
Something Wild! is a card game, played over a series of turns, in which players are attempting to collect 3 Power cards to win the game. You will be drawing and playing cards, taking the Mover, using Powers, and Scoring cards to earn Power cards. To setup for a game, first shuffle the deck of Power cards, place them face-down in the center of the table, and then reveal the top Power card so it is visible to all players. Place the Mover (the little Spider-Man figurine) next to the deck of Powers. Shuffle the deck of Character cards and deal three to each player. Place the rest of the deck face-down to form a draw deck. According to the rules, the youngest player goes first, or choose whomever you want to be the first player, and the game is ready to begin! Pictured below is the setup for a 3-player game.
Each turn is broken down into several steps, the first of which is to Draw a Card from the deck into your hand. Next, Play a Card from your hand to your tableau. If you played a card that either has the Mover symbol on it, or it matches the color of the current Power card in play, you Take the Mover (from another player if necessary!) and put it in your tableau. Next, if you have the Mover, you can choose to Use a Power. Power cards provide unique abilities that can help you Score cards, but they only last for your current turn. When you choose to use a Power, you can use the face-up Power in play, or you can use any Power you have previously earned (more on this in a bit). An important note: you do not have to use a Power, even if you have the Mover.
Next comes the Score step. In order to Score, you must have 3 cards that either form a Set or a Run. A Set is 3 cards of any color, but the same number. A Run is 3 cards of the same color, in numerical order (so think: 123, 234, 345, etc). If you have a Set or a Run in your tableau, discard those cards and take the face-up Power card as your reward. This Power card remains face-up in your tableau, and only you have access to its ability for the remainder of the game. So when you get the Mover again on future turns, you can choose to use the current Power in play (available to all players) or you can use a Power you have earned. The final step of your turn is to Discard – you can only have 5 cards in your tableau at the end of your turn, so discard down to 5 if you have more. The game then moves to the next player, and continues in this fashion until one player has earned 3 Power cards. The game ends immediately, and that player is the winner!
That may seem like a lot, but I promise it’s pretty intuitive once you get playing. And even though the gameplay is pretty simple (basically draw a card, play a card), there is a decent amount of strategy involved. You’re trying to create Sets or Runs, but can only ever have 5 cards in your tableau at the end of a turn. So maybe you’re working towards a Set, but then get a few cards that could Score a Run, and you’re already at your 5-card maximum. You have to be smart about which cards to Discard and when, and keep your strategy pretty open-ended to sudden changes in your hand. Not that it’s the heaviest game out there, but there is a bit of a strategy involved!
One cool thing that I like about the gameplay is the business with the Mover and Powers. The Power cards provide unique abilities that can sometimes give you extra ‘actions’ in a turn, or even alter the rules slightly to allow you to Score cards in alternate ways than the standard Set or Run. So maybe you’re not having any luck in getting a Set or a Run, but the current Power in play would allow you to Score with what you’ve got. Do you have a card you can play to get the Mover to your tableau so you can capitalize on the Power? The aptly named Powers can be pretty powerful and can help swing the game in your favor if you’re able to time it right.
I’ll touch on components quickly before I wrap this up. All in all, it’s a decent quality production. The artwork and the Mover are the cute Funko style that we’ve come to know and love. The cards themselves are a bit flimsy and not the highest quality, which kind of bums me out. I’m thinking that they’ll start to wear down after lots of plays. And for a quick, fun game, I expect to pull this one out quite often. The iconography of the Powers isn’t really the most clear-cut at a glance, but luckily the rules have explanations of each ability – so keep that sheet handy for a quick check whenever the Power changes. Like I said, it’s decent quality, but I would hope for something a little more sturdy from Funko Games.
Ultimately, I would say that this game was a good impulse purchase for me. The gameplay is fast to learn and teach, quick to play, and fun to bring to the table. It’s not a brain-burner in any sense, but you still have to be mildly strategic for success. A cool element about the Something Wild! games is that you can combine multiple sets to play a bigger game. I have only played with one set at a time, but I would be interested in combining sets to see how the different Powers and Movers work together. Another praise for this game is that it’s simple enough for younger gamers to enjoy too. There aren’t complicated rules to comprehend, and the gameplay is simple and straightforward. Definitely a game that I could recommend for the kiddos. So while Something Wild! won’t ever break into my Top 10 Games of All Time, it’s a neat little filler game that I can see staying in my collection for a long time. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a wild 4 / 6.
