Unmatched: Hell’s Kitchen is part board game, part comic collectible

Unmatched is an immensely popular board game that allows players to pit pop-culture icons such as Bruce Lee against mythical heros like Achilles or Sun Wukong. The franchise’s latest stand-alone expansion, Unmatched: Hell’s Kitchen, explores the grittier side of the Marvel universe — and it may be one of its best releases yet.

We’ve had Unmatched: Hell’s Kitchen on the table for the last week or so, and its three fighters — Daredevil, Elektra, and Bullseye — all introduce some new and curious strategies to the dueling game. The best part is that this set costs $50 and has elegant production values, which appeals to board game fans. AndFans of collectible comic books.

Mondo and Restoration Games launched the Unmatched series in 2019. It’s a reimplementation of two previously successful board games: TannhäuserFantasy Flight Games has published “An alternate reality World War II action game” (“The Game”) by William Grosselin, Didier Poli, and Star Wars: Epic DuelsThe book, authored by Milton Bradley and designed by Rob Daviau. Unmatched gives each player a miniature card and a deck of cards. Miniatures help with the tactical action, making sense of ranged and melee attacks on a game board (à la Tannhäuser). Cards, on the other hand, are what give players their offensive and defensive abilities (à la Star Wars: Epic Duels).

Photo: Charlie Hall/Polygon

Photo: Charlie Hall/Polygon

This results in a string of intense, fast games that take as little as twenty minutes to complete. But they can also maintain a positive attitude with one more round. The velociraptors of Jurassic Park may be strong. Are they any stronger than Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s velociraptors? You only need to wait another 20 minutes before you find out.

Although the title may suggest otherwise, all the characters can be found in Hell’s KitchenThey are quite well-matched. However, each one plays differently.

Daredevil requires players to use up all the cards in their hand in order to pull off the character’s most powerful moves. Combined with the ability to take a punch as only the son of a former boxer can, he’s a vicious close-combat brawler with some decent mobility.

Elektra has a bit more of a glass jaw, but that’s by design. Elektra is able to resurrect herself as an enhanced version of her self, activating special abilities and reducing hit points. She’s joined on the battlefield by four allies from The Hand, skilled ninjas in their own right, who can help to overwhelm or confuse her opponents.

Finally, there’s Bullseye. The master tactician has a long reach, able to attack anywhere on the board — including outside his current zone — up to five spaces away. He’s also highly mobile, with the potential to take extra moves both at the beginning and end of his turns.

Photo: Charlie Hall/Polygon

These abilities make combat feel very Marvel-like. In one memorable exchange during a three-player game, Daredevil plowed through most of Elektra’s four assassins before landing the killing blow on the sai-wielding woman. Elektra’s turn was Elektra’s, with the help of her associates, who resurrected. This left the scrum to fight for positions along the board perimeter. Elektra’s health bar is now higher than before she began the game. Bullseye, on the other hand, eliminated Daredevil with just one shot. This was an exciting, energetic, and profoundly thematic encounter that felt completely in sync with the source material. This opened up the possibility for a two-player battle to the end, which ended in just over 30 minutes.

So why is the price of $50 so high? My assumption is that it’s mostly due to the Marvel tax. A premium price is logical for this set, given that licensing can be expensive, considering the low margins at which hobby board games are made and sold. Companion products are also available. Redemption Row: UnmatchedThe model comes with Ghost Rider and Moon Knight as well as Luke Cage. It costs the same. This set’s production however is not perfect.

Like all the Unmatched games, the artwork here is completely original. Oliver Barrett designed the cover and card artwork. His fluid, pop art style can be seen on movie posters such as those for A24 and Lucasfilm and Konami. The game board was designed by Ian O’Toole, and both it and the other components in the box are top notch. It is easy to transport the parts securely in the plastic bag. The cardboard sheet holding the game counters has larger images of some of my favourite games.

I haven’t even mentioned the miniatures yet, which all come in firm gray plastic with a thin but effective paint wash already applied. Every one comes with a custom base, a kinetic position and an excellent looking miniature. Fans who enjoy painting their miniatures shouldn’t be put off in the slightest, however. While these minis lack the heroic proportions (enlarged hands and heads) that other miniatures franchises make use of, all they need is a good primer coat and they’re ready to go.

Overall, Unmatched: Hell’s Kitchen It is an expensive premium board game. It’s a stand-alone game, so I would have liked to have seen a fourth hero in the box. But as a collector’s item — either for a comics fan or a fan of the Unmatched series as a whole — it’s simply a must-buy.

Unmatched: Hell’s KitchenIs You can pre-order yours nowThe game is scheduled to ship before the end March. Restoration Games sent a review copy to be used for the evaluation. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.