Overboss brings a beloved and popular strategy tabletop game into the digital realm. Developed by BlanketGames and Brotherwise Games, it’s being published by Goblinz Publishing, but the transition to a console title hasn’t been entirely smooth. Here’s a closer look.
For those not familiar with the original game, Overboss challenges players to build the most powerful, villainous landscape by drafting tiles and placing your minions on a 4×4 grid. While the game retains much of what made the original board game enjoyable, the digital adaptation has a few rough edges that prevent it from fully realizing its potential on the PlayStation 5.
The premise of Overboss is simple yet engaging. Players take on the role of an evil overlord competing to create the most formidable overworld. Each turn, you draft a terrain tile and a matching token, placing them on your grid in ways that maximize your score. The variety of terrains, ranging from swamps and forests to dungeons and graveyards, offers different strategic opportunities, with each terrain type scoring points in unique ways. For example, forests reward players for collecting sets of matching tiles, while graveyards give a bonus to whoever collects the most. These mechanics add layers of depth, making each decision impactful as you try to outmaneuver your opponents, but also keep things fresh.
One of the standout features of Overboss is the way it encourages strategic thinking. The placement of minions on tiles, and the use of special tokens like portals and crystals, requires careful planning. Matching minions to their terrain type or aligning them in rows for bonus points adds an extra dimension to the gameplay. The variety of strategies you can employ keeps the game feeling fresh across multiple sessions, as you can focus on terrain collection in one game and plan your strategy around your minions in the next. However, the randomness of the tile draw can sometimes lead to frustration, especially when you’re forced to take a tile or token that doesn’t fit your strategy.
Unfortunately, while the core gameplay remains solid, the digital version of Overboss is marred by technical issues that detract from the experience. Rough edges are prevalent, ranging from minor annoyances like UI glitches to more significant problems that impact gameplay. For instance, issues with the game’s interface, such as difficulty distinguishing between AI and human players in multiplayer mode, can lead to confusion – and we ended up mostly playing single player instead.
Visually, Overboss stays true to its board game roots, with colorful, pixel-art graphics that capture the retro vibe of classic dungeon-crawlers. The art style is charming and works well for the game’s theme, and although it’s not particularly groundbreaking it a joy to look at. The soundtrack and sound effects are fitting, providing a light and whimsical backdrop to your villainous activities. However, the overall presentation is also a bit simplistic for a modern console game, which might disappoint players expecting a more polished experience on the PlayStation 5.
In conclusion, Overboss on PlayStation 5 delivers a faithful adaptation of the original board game’s strategic tile-laying mechanics, but the experience is hampered by a few shortcomings. The game’s engaging premise, strategic depth, and charming visuals make it an enjoyable experience when it works as intended. However, the rough edges and simplistic presentation hold it back from reaching its full potential. For fans of the board game, Overboss offers a familiar and fun way to play on the go, but for those new to the game, it might be worth waiting for a few updates – or to try the board game first.
Score: 6.7/10
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