Batman Fluxx game review

With the humongous rise in Superhero movies over the last number of years, we could probably dub this the Superhero Decade. Or knowing that even more will be flooding the movies screens in the coming years, the Superhero Century!

But even though we may not like the extreme glut of superhero movies on the horizons, we have to admit that we’re still suckers for superheroes!

My personal favorite is Spiderman. Just because I think climbing on walls and swinging all over the place would be totally awesome!

Coming in at a close second would be Batman (thanks to Batman Begins).

So with a Batman Fluxx card game staring at me, of course I’m going to dive in!

For those that may not be familiar with Fluxx, the first thing you need to know is that change and randomness abound.

As the name implies, everything is constantly in flux. And we do mean EVERYTHING!

Not only can what you do on your turn change, but the entire goal of the game will change constantly throughout.

But that’s ok, because sometimes random is good.

And when you’ve got Batman on your team, random can definitely be good.

 

How to play Batman Fluxx

As you can expect, playing Batman Fluxx is just like the original game but with a new theme. And with that theme, comes a few thematic changes to the game. But before getting to the Batman uniqueness, we’ll first run through the basics of play.

The essence of Batman Fluxx is to have the right Keeper cards in front of you that match the current Goal to win the game. Players achieve this by drawing and playing a variety of cards on their turn.

On their turn, players:

1. Draw the number of cards required
2. Play the number of cards required
3. Discard down to the Hand limit (if any)
4. Comply with the Keeper limit (if any)

To begin, each player gets 3 cards in their starting hand and the Basic Rules are in effect: Draw 1 card, Play 1 card.

So on the first player’s turn they would Draw 1 card from the draw pile and then have to Play 1 card from their hand.

The cards they could play will consist of the following:

New Rule: the New Rule cards can either change a rule already in play or add to it. If it contradicts a rule already in play, the new rule card replaces the one already out. If it doesn’t contradict, then it just adds to the rules. For example – a “Draw 4” new rule will replace the basic rule of “Draw 1” and then every player will draw 4 cards at the start of their turn. If it’s a “Hand Limit 1” then it won’t cancel the “Draw 1” basic rule but will add to it and at the end of their turn, each player will have to discard down to just 1 card in their hand.

Goal: the Goal cards set the objective of the game. The game starts without an objective until someone plays a Goal card. With a Goal card in play, once someone meets the requirements indicated on the card, they win. But this too can change and players will keep playing goal cards that will replace the one already in play. So you may be close to accomplishing the goal when the player right before you changes the goal.

Keeper: these are cards that players set out in front of them, face up, to keep. Most of the Goal cards of the game indicate combinations of Keeper cards needed to win the game. So players want to keep an assortment of Keepers in front of them. But of course, other players may also play cards that will steal your Keepers.

Action: Action cards are just used once and discarded. For example, they’re the cards that will let players steal Keeper cards. And some of these Action cards may create a lot of chaos. So just do what they say and continue on.

Creeper: the Creeper cards are like Anti-Keepers. You don’t want these cards in front of you. Unfortunately you don’t have a choice when you draw a Creeper. As soon as you draw one of these cards, you have to play it in front of you.

 

Time for Change: What Batman Fluxx adds

1. First of all, in Batman Fluxx, there’s also another card type. It’s a type of card that was also includes in Pirate Fluxx. It’s the Surprise card – which can be played out of turn.

With a Surprise card, a player gets to do even more unexpected things (if there is any such thing as “unexpected” when playing Fluxx), such as canceling other cards played by others.

When played on a player’s normal turn, Surprise cards will have one effect and when played on another player’s turn they’ll have a different effect. (Check out this photo to see some examples.)

2. Another big difference with Batman Fluxx is that the Creepers in play can prevent ALL players from winning!

In the other version of Fluxx, having a Creeper card in front of you will prevent you from being able to win even if you have the required Keepers also in front of you. But in Batman Fluxx, the presence of a Creeper anywhere in play will prevent anyone from winning the game since the Creepers are Batman villains.

The only exception to this is if the current Goal includes a Villain. So in those cases, being on the side of the Villains is a good thing.

We told you at the start of our review that random can be good in Batman Fluxx.

3. The last differences we’ll mention are closely tied to the Batman theme. And these are the special traits of the different Keepers.

Some of the Keepers don’t have any special text on them. But then there are other Keepers that not only help you achieve a Goal, but also give special abilities. For example, the Batcomputer let’s you Add 1 to everything (draw, play, hand limit, and keeper limit) – definitely a nice Keeper to have.

The same holds true for other Keepers.

 

How much luck is involved in Batman Fluxx?

Sure there are some choices to be made throughout the game, but like other Fluxx games, Batman Fluxx is very luck-heavy. This game is all about what cards you draw and what crazy rules and goals are put in play.

The good news though is that you have input on which rules and goals are play when. Chances are you’ll come across a New Rule that forces you to play multiple cards on your turn and you’ll have 3 Goal cards in your hand. So you’ll get to choose which Goal card will be the one left remaining after you’ve played the first couple Goal cards.

Since the game is such a light game, you simply make a choice and move on. Chances are the cards you play will be changed up anyway, so just play and have a light-hearted time.

 

Many versions of Fluxx for the picking

Because Fluxx has been such a hit, Looney Labs has created a whole assortment of themed Fluxx games. Take your pick:

• Fluxx (original)
• Batman Fluxx
• Star Fluxx
• Pirate Fluxx
• Martian Fluxx
• Monster Fluxx
• Monty Python Fluxx
• Zombie Fluxx
• Eco Fluxx
• Oz Fluxx
• Cthulhu Fluxx
• Cartoon Network Fluxx
• Regular Show Fluxx
• Adventure Time Fluxx
• Holiday Fluxx
• Family Fluxx

How does Batman Fluxx score on our “Let’s Play Again” meter?

Batman Fluxx scores high on Caleb’s “Let’s Play Again” game meter but lower on mom and dad’s. Sure we’ll play it with our kids because if the kids want to have crazy fun, we’ll join in. But we probably won’t be the ones suggesting it.

Also, because the game length is also random, we can often play many games back to back. So if the cards fall right and the game ends in 5 minutes, you bet they’ll be calling out to play again.

So if you want some crazy, random card playing with a Batman theme, then pick up a copy of Batman Fluxx.

Thanks Looney Labs for more random fun.

The Board Game Family Game Ratings
	Caleb
	Brooke
	Jaden
	Trevor
	Mom
	Dad
	Average