Unstoppable

Unstoppable made me push things a little — mostly because, let's be honest, I wanted to play it myself. Two-player games take time and involve a fair amount of brain-burn, but this is one of the best co-op/solo boss fighters I have seen. I'll say it, even if it is a big claim: I find it noticeably ahead of my much-loved Aeon's End.

At its core, the game takes D'Clair's card crafting and pushes it as far as it can go. The cards are double-sided: on one side they work for the player, and on the other they are threats or monsters. You patch them with upgrades from the market, improving them for your side while also making the threats stronger. It is a very clever mechanism, because your development is never simply “take something better”; it also changes the problem you will have to solve.

The base box already has plenty to offer, with three Bosses that do not serve the same role: one is a classic DPS race, one has a branching story mode, and one leans more heavily on combos. There are also several tweaks for setting the difficulty you want. And those combos matter: they are not immediately obvious, while the limited draw and draft keep luck low. Anyone expecting a yolo solitaire session will probably run into trouble.

The manual also asks for some work, so this is not a game you casually open and simply glide through. For me, though, that demand is part of its charm. I do not think I could ask for more from a base set of this size. This week, instead of staying up late with Reacher season three, I can see myself wrestling with the Triumvirate.