Reaching the Exciting End of the Mechs vs. Minions Campaign
Jump into the final mission of an endearing campaign with the biggest challenge yet in Mechs vs. Minions.
Time to close out this 10-mission campaign! I eagerly tore into the last mission envelope for Mechs vs. Minions. What was ahead for my ragtag team of Yordles? I knew something (or someone) was about to show up again. However, the exact details were hidden inside. This was going to be one monster of a challenge. To the lava tiles again!
Spoiler Alert
As the final mission, this post may have the greatest number of spoilers. Operation: Bandle City Beatdown takes pretty much everything and tosses it into a puzzle. Skip on over this to avoid ruining any surprises you might come across!
Game Overview
Game Name: Mechs vs. Minions
Publication Year: 2016
Designers: Cantrell, Ernst, Librande, Saraswat, and Tiras
Artists: Danny Beck and Tysen Henderson
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Look who came back again! A final showdown with the boss certainly seemed appropriate. But with crystal shards to take out first, I was in for a really tricky time.
It’s always interesting to think back on the simple set of tutorial rules. How things changed quickly!
Treacherous Obstacles
First, the mechs had to destroy all of the crystal shards in order to start whittling away the boss’s rune shields. There were a few clear paths… But only a couple.
This mission gave me the most freedom in terms of where to start. Ziggs had something of a plan from his lone position. Nothing too menacing on the horizon… Ha!
Boulders blocked paths, and literal lava bubbled out of some nasty pits. Careful movement would be most wise.
So off I went! A few Ripsaws seemed to do the trick, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.
Endless Waves
The minions were the real winners of this attempt! They just kept showing up and spawning in the wrong places.
Heimerdinger got the worst of it. His entire command line turned into damage cards in a couple of rounds. No matter how much he repaired, the damage came right back.
The last crystal shard refused to be knocked out. Way too early, the boss activated his doom cannon. Game over!
I figured out a few new strategies along the way, though. After all, this is a solo board game that teaches even during the worst losses. Clean up, reset, and repeat!
On the Brink of Doom
With my next attempt, things didn’t go so smoothly. A bit of damage at the wrong time ruined Heimerdinger’s plans.
He couldn’t catch a break! The others struggled early on, though Tristana and Ziggs attacked the crystal shards and minions without any hesitation. But still…
The boss’s command line filled up quickly. At the end of one round, he started to power up his GG-101 Doom Cannon. It all came down to an almost impossible attempt.
With 4 health remaining, I wasn’t quite sure if the mechs could pull it off. More importantly, could I pull it off?!
Programmed Success
First, Corki threw everything off by doing damage he wasn’t supposed to do. There seemed to be no way to disable the same rune shield… And that was no good!
But then I saw it. Heimerdinger, in his usual damaged capacity, actually glided across the right rune space!
It came down to Tristana’s last turn. If she couldn’t deal 3 damage, that was that. Fortunately, a schematic card and proper draft allowed me to rotate her ahead of time.
Then, this glorious program played out right in front of the boss. Pow! Zoom! Clank! She gave it all she had!
Session Overview
Play Number: 20 and 21
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Play Details: Operation: Bandle City Beatdown (Miss. 10)
Required Play Space: 52″ x 34″
Setup Time: 10 Minutes
Play Time: 60-80 Minutes per Play
Outcome: Loss and Win
Victory! Tristana witnessed the explosion at point-blank range, but she took no damage. I did it! This was the ultimate ending to the campaign at the last moment. Another round and the boss would have been the winner.
An Epilogue of a Sealed Envelope
With this successful conclusion, I set my sights on the final sealed envelope. This contained the reward for getting through the entire campaign. I was so excited as I (gently) ripped open the flap. What would I find inside?!
Honestly, it was very slightly disappointing. The new damage cards were all the same and only applied to a multiplayer game. The new difficulty mode certainly had its share of challenges, yet it didn’t look like there would be any major differences. All the same, this was still a nice surprise to end with! I wonder what I actually expected?
Part of me wanted some new starting schematics or something along those lines. Maybe a way to customize a mech even further? No matter: For the amount of content included, this envelope certainly contained enough!
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20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
6
Continue the Conversation
Have you enjoyed this journey through the Mechs vs. Minions campaign? Who is your favorite Yordle? I had an absolutely wonderful time completing all of the missions! My subpar moves actually helped me learn more about what to try next. Programming games never really appealed to me, yet I’m so glad I dove into this one. Definitely worth it!
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