Gaming Evaluate: Star Wars: Battle of Hoth Board Game

Release Date: August 29, 2025
Published by: Days of Wonder
Distributed by: Asmodee
Players: 2-4
Age Range: 8+
Playing Time: half-hour
Game Designers: Richard Borg and Adrien Martinot
RRP: £49.99, $59.99

Game overview;

Battle of Hoth is a recreation of heroic and fast-paced miniatures battles set on the ice planet and re-enacting probably the most well-known scenes of Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back.Using the favored Command & Color recreation system, gamers select Command Cards every flip to activate models and determine learn how to transfer and assault, throughout 17 eventualities. For a deeper gaming expertise, gamers have the choice so as to add Leader Cards to their battle for help from 6 iconic Star Wars Characters, or attempt the 2 multi-scenario campaigns the place successes and failures form subsequent battles.

The evaluate;

Star Wars board video games, there have been lots. Let’s be trustworthy, ones that stand out don’t come alongside that always. The ones like Star Wars: Rebellion and Star Wars: Destiny are few and much between. When a brand new recreation is introduced I’ve a sense of trepidation. What type of recreation is it going to be as a result of my pure inclination is that it isn’t going to be nice. So, when Battle of Hoth was introduced, I assumed, “Here we go again!”

Thankfully, UK Games Expo (UKGE) had a number of demo video games of this to play, together with a large model that me and my finest buddy Gav received to take a seat down and take a look at and some rounds of. It has been all we have now talked about from the present. The recreation appeared simple to select up, fast to play and had loads of selection to maintain issues fascinating. We wished to play a full recreation and since then have been counting the weeks all the way down to when the sport can be launched. I’ll say proper now that the enormous model that has been proven at UKGE just isn’t obtainable. The tabletop presence for it’s immense and does look implausible, however I dread to consider the associated fee to make the sport that dimension!

With the sport solely days from being launched, Asmodee had been very form to ship a replica to us so we may play the sport the entire manner by means of and share our ideas. The very first thing I wish to touch upon is the scale of the field. I imply, it actually shouldn’t make a distinction, however loads of avid gamers (me included) are beginning to discover an enormous lack of area on our gaming cabinets. Too many Kickstarter’s, too many introduced video games, area is beginning to turn out to be a premium. While the field is longer than an ordinary recreation, it’s a comparatively skinny field, so received’t take up an excessive amount of area. Considering all of the fashions inside, I used to be fortunately shocked by this.

So, what is within the field? My gaming associates will let you know there are two issues I like with my video games: area to sleeve playing cards and a great insert. On opening the field, I discovered the foundations, tokens, eventualities… and probably the most attractive inserts to be included as customary in a field. Space for sleeved playing cards however all sides having its personal mini-insert with fashions in, every one topped with a plastic cowl that has the assigned emblem embedded in. This factor is beautiful! Not solely does it look good, however I may see instantly that this factor goes to essentially pace up setting a recreation up. With such a brief enjoying time – the sport advertises this as thirty minutes – you don’t wish to be spending the identical period of time organising. Looking at this, I can’t see that being a chance. I do spend a lot of cash on getting good inserts for my video games, I’m actually shocked to see that this can be a recreation that’s simply not going to want that.

For me, one of many major attracts is the miniatures that you just use to play out the sport. At UKGE, we’d performed with super-size fashions, and these had been spectacular sufficient. The smaller counterparts are simply as detailed and virtually as spectacular (okay I can’t say they’re as spectacular as a result of that massive AT-AT was one thing else). At the worth level, I believe followers will likely be very proud of these and already I’m taking a look at them considering how I’m going to color them. I’m certain they are going to look unbelievable on the board.

Onto the precise recreation itself. The guidelines are clearly laid out and truly all of the vital data that you just want is extraordinarily clear however can also be positioned on cardboard ‘crib sheets’ that go subsequent to the sport board, one thing I want extra video games would do. I may let you know that I learn by means of the rulebook but when I’m trustworthy, I sat down with my son Charlie (aged 18) and daughter Ember (aged 8) to observe a video on YouTube from probably the greatest within the enterprise, Rodney from Watch It Played. My son and I’ve learnt many video games watching his movies and I counsel you watch it for Battle of Hoth. All of us, together with Ember, knew precisely what we had been doing after we sat all the way down to the sport. There are seventeen eventualities which you can play with simply this recreation, and so they progressively introduce the foundations to you. We began with state of affairs one. It’s easy and simple to start with. Ember and I had been the Rebels, Charlie was the Empire. We set the sport up and it took all of three minutes, which I used to be very joyful about. We began enjoying and we had been all onboard with what to do. The age ranking on this recreation says 8+ and seeing how shortly Ember tailored to it I’d heartily agree with that age ranking. She knew what to do, which command playing cards to pick and will have simply performed in opposition to her older brother with out me being there. I like that this recreation can embody all ages very simply.

Gameplay. You have a set of command playing cards that dictate which models or sections (the board is cut up into three sections) to activate. Each unit has a set of motion guidelines and variety of cube you roll relying on the gap of the assault. The information playing cards which are supplied with the sport couldn’t make this easier. The command playing cards have an added further, which you can embody commanders that add to this pool. There are three completely different commanders for all sides, and we fortunately added them to our decks. We selected Luke Skywalker for ours, Charlie chosen Darth Vader. They added a little bit of variation which after enjoying a couple of occasions I believe we’ll fairly take pleasure in. The entire recreation is all about gathering victory factors, primarily from destroying your opponent. The command playing cards are the main focus of your ways and the way you take care of every little thing on the board. When attacking you roll cube. I’ll be trustworthy, in our first recreation the cube weren’t with Ember and me however definitely had been with Charlie, who decimated our forces and scored the win. The recreation took all of fifteen minutes, which I used to be relatively impressed with. Getting that Star Wars feeling in such a brief period of time. However, it was not over!

Both Charlie and Ember checked out me with that look, they weren’t completed! We needed to transfer straight onto state of affairs two. I believe it says lots a few recreation once you wish to play extra. If it had simply been Charlie and me, I may see him and me going by means of a number of of those eventualities in an evening (though extra about that in a second). What actually impressed me was Ember, who is barely eight, prepared to hold straight on. At no level after we had been enjoying did, she get bored, which is typically the case with greater, extra advanced video games. This recreation is straightforward sufficient that she may grasp what was occurring but it surely’s deep sufficient to interact adults. The second recreation took moments to arrange and we had been off once more. This time Charlie had an AT-AT (like he wasn’t profitable already!) however we had snow speeders. It was a nice introduction of recent models, and it didn’t part anybody. The children had been shortly battling out. Star Wars sounds had been abound, cube had been thrown, cheers had been raised. We had been all having a enjoyable time making an attempt to annihilate one another. This time the Rebels received, though they couldn’t take down that darn AT-AT. We packed the sport at that time, which due to the insert took us lower than a minute.

So, after enjoying what was I occupied with this recreation? Let’s begin with the overproduced card holders. They are fully unneeded. But… however they’re very cool and actually mean you can get that command really feel for the sport. That is my one and solely (nitpicky) cause that I may come up for this recreation. Battle Of Hoth is a household pleasant recreation that doesn’t go overboard on guidelines and models, preserving these easy and to the purpose. In the 2 eventualities we performed we needed to examine the rulebook precisely zero occasions. Everything has been rigorously thought of, so you aren’t having to waste time flicking by means of the rulebook. If you’ve gotten any query, or want a reminder what cube rolls you want, or what terrain does, it’s all there on the assistance sheets that keep to the aspect of the board. This permits for very fast video games which are all about getting immersed within the expertise and enjoying. Each aspect solely has three models. You may argue that some variation can be higher however preserving this a low quantity means you shouldn’t have to recollect a lot of completely different guidelines for many completely different models. I don’t wish to should maintain checking a rulebook, forgetting about sure skills, I wish to get caught in and play. This recreation permits you to do this. While I like my deep-thinking technique video games, more often than not I’ve to decide to a complete day of gaming to suit them in. That simply isn’t possible for many days of the week. Battle Of Hoth takes a fraction of the time however nonetheless offers you that Star Wars really feel. Everything about this recreation is about getting it to the desk as shortly as potential to provide the most period of time to play. The insert is perfection, the variety of models is perfection, the complexity of the foundations is perfection. For somebody who has kids of various ages, who finds his gaming time being small and treasured and who simply desires to play some Star Wars, this recreation hits each single field.

Now that’s simply seeing what we’ve performed of the sport. This is ideal for households; there are even guidelines to play with as much as 4 gamers. However, there’s much more. There are two marketing campaign booklets with playing cards to go along with them, so battles have some that means. We haven’t even performed these but, however I think about my son and I’ll work our manner by means of these in a night, so as to add some extra construction to the sport. If that wasn’t sufficient, nor the seventeen completely different eventualities they offer you, there may be even a state of affairs (the elusive eighteenth) that has been designed to make use of two copies of the sport and do an enormous battle with! In different phrases, it doesn’t matter who you might be, what your age or gaming expertise is, there’s something for everybody. Quick to select up, fast to take pleasure in.

This recreation is launched August 29, 2025, (this Friday) and I can not advocate it sufficient. Although RRP is £49.99, you will discover locations promoting this for much less, some with promo fashions. I haven’t been capable of finding any of them but, however I imagine they’re for a mannequin of the protect generator – which is a token within the recreation – which fills within the empty field for the Rebels. For this price you might be getting an excellent recreation anybody can take pleasure in and is designed to have you ever gaming inside minutes. There are loads of Star Wars video games obtainable, however I can fortunately say that this goes straight into my prime three. This offers an excellent Star Wars expertise, and I believe will turn out to be a agency favorite of many gamers. Huge thanks to Asmodee for sending us an early copy, I have to get again to enjoying state of affairs three… Ember and I’ve received to destroy the AT-AT this time, it’s value two victory factors!

Availability;

You can preorder Star Wars: Battle of Hoth from Amazon UK and Amazon US.