We’re trying to fulfill our most evil dreams, sabotaging our “friends,” and seeing who’s the rottenest of them all with Villainous.
Disney villains have quite the following. From some of the most popular merch to a themed party and even an entire upcoming theme park area, people love the baddies. And honestly, they do have some of the best lines, songs, and looks. So of course there’s a game dedicated to being just a little more evil—even if just temporarily—with Disney’s Villainous.
| Quick Guide | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mechanics | Card Game, Hand Management, Player Powers | |
| Players | 2 – 3 Players, Aged 10+ | |
| Playing Time | 40 – 60 Minutes | |
| Similar Games | Dungeon Mayhem, Unmatched, Sentinels of the Multiverse | |
| Publisher | Ravensburger |
Villainous Overview
First released in 2018, Villainous is a strategy card game. Players assume the roles of various Disney villains (and there are many to choose from), and try to achieve their most evil goals. Whoever succeeds in their villainous scheme first, wins.
The game’s original release included just seven of the most well-known baddies from throughout Disney history. But in the game’s nearly decade-long run, they have added a ton of characters through expansions. By now, you can play as any villain, from Snow White‘s Evil Queen to Wreck it Ralph‘s King Candy, and even a few surprising picks as well like the Horned King from The Black Cauldron, Lotso from Toy Story 3, and even Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Since the game’s initial release and continued popularity, antagonists from Star Wars and Marvel movies have been added to the Villainous lineup. The most recent addition to this line was a Grand Admiral Thrawn and Count Dooku expansion which was released just last month.
How to Play Villainous
To begin a game of Villainous, each player chooses their favorite baddie to play as and collects that character’s unique Villain Deck. Shuffle the 30-card deck and place it to the left of the character’s villain board. Then take the character’s Fate Deck, shuffle it, and place it at the right of the board. It should be shuffled and placed to the right of the board. Each card will be marked as an Ally, Condition, Effect, Hero, or an Item. Players will also need to find their character’s game piece and board.
Game’s consist of rounds of players taking turns moving their character piece back forth between locations on their board, drawing cards, and playing them to fulfill their character’s unique evil scheme. Cards can be used to deploy henchmen and vanquish heroes, boost their abilities with items, add extra effects to their turn, or add extra conditions to another player’s turn. You see, there is no honor among villains, and players are encouraged to sabotage their fellow players
When a villain has achieved their objective—some have many steps, some have fewer—they are crowned the most wicked of all and win Villainous.
Should I Buy This Game?
Yes. Hear me out.
If you’re a Disney person, you probably already own this game or were thinking about buying it already. And for those people, this should be a no-brainer. It’s simple, it’s fun, it’s very replayable, and you probably already have a favorite bad guy anyway.
But for all of the not-Disney-people, I honestly still recommend this game. Even if it’s just one or two of the expansions, it’s pretty worth it to have on your game shelf. And you can absolutely play the expansions without the original set, you just need enough characters for a game.
Villainous is the kind of game that’s perfect to pull off of your shelf when you have people over who “aren’t really into board games.” It’s easy to teach and learn, and games always seem to feel comfortable and nostalgic because of the subject matter. Yet, it never manages to really feel juvenile or like a kid’s game despite being a game that is also great for kids.
