Review – Batman Throwdown Battle Game

Released last year, the first thing you notice about Funko’s Batman Throwndown Battle Game* is the packaging. A ten-inch tall hard plastic Batman container, the game really pops off of the shelf and it tough to miss. And at $20 to $30 (depending on where you buy it), the container alone is worth the cost of admission.

Plus, as you’ve probably guessed, there’s stuff inside the container.

Packaging

There’s no way we can skip taking a look at the sculpted Batman Throwndown Battle Game* “box.” A toy all on its own, the large Batman snaps open in the middle and the head comes off to reveal all of the components hiding inside. The below photo shows the packaging open. This container is as nicely produced as any of Funko’s more recent designer toys with nice paint apps, a great sculpt, and a very durable construction. If you like the look of the package then buy this . . . even if you never open it!

Game Components

If you’re into games, though, you’ll likely want to know more about the Batman Throwndown Battle Game* than the fact that the packaging is unique and fun. Inside the packaging you’ll find:

• Four Dice – These are standard silkscreened dice. All the same.
  
• Sixteen Game Cards – Four for Batman, four for Joker, and eight “wild” that come into play when you roll the “?” icon on a die.
  
• Eight Coins – Standard chipboard coins used during the game.
  
• Gameboard – You’ll want to flatten this out before trying to play.
  
• Two Pawns – One Batman and one Joker figure. These are fantastic! Actually, they’re so cool we should take a closer look at them.

Batman and Joker “Pawns”

At just over two-inches tall, these two little pawns are designer toys in their own right and, as the rules explain, scheduled to be joined by other sculpted character pawns. The sculpts are tight, paintwork decent, and the hard plastic figures single-piece designs without any articulation at all. If these were blind bag toys they would probably sell for $3 or $4 each at the size, and I’m hoping the game does well enough that Funko brings us a Clayface in this style. These are adorable toys and some of the best little game pawns I’ve ever seen inside a mass market-styled game.

Gameplay

Funko’s a toy company and the Batman Throwndown Battle Game* is the first game product I know of that they’ve ever attempted. This means the rules have some unusual wording choices and could have used a few playtesting and editing passes.

BUT, none of that prevents it from being a simple little game that should be fine for the targeted age range — six and up — and there’s just enough card and dice interaction to keep things flowing and engaging for the short time the game requires to play. Turns consist of attack and defense rolls that are augmented by the coins and cards, and those mystery cards — both good and bad events hiding in that deck — leave players guessing. Now I have not tried playing the game; all of my gameplay thoughts are based on reading everything, reading a few online reviews, and then combining all of that with years of experience both playing and producing games. But gameplay this simple can be run through mentally very easily when you’ve sat in as many development meetings and playtest sessions as I have.

If this were a hobby market game it wouldn’t survive well when it hit hardcore gamers — the game hasn’t even been added to BoardGameGeek yet, which shows that it still hasn’t made it to the hardcore gamer audience — but as a game for young kids and casual players I think it’s a successful product. You won’t spent a lot of time with it, and once you’re done you’ll simply display the container as a collectible, but there’s enough value inside that I’m impressed and I want to see what happens when Funko tries another game.

Closing Thoughts

Do not buy the Batman Throwndown Battle Game* if you regularly buy and play games. Instead, go after this when you need a gift for a kid six to eight years old, or when you want an amazing ten-inch tall Batman display piece for your collection.

I’m perfectly happy with my purchase and plan to display this in my office along with the Justice League Face Off Dice Game (review here). After all, it would be a crime to not place these two games next to each other on a shelf. Recommended if you like the packaging design.