Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities

Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities Deep Dive

What the Community Thinks About Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities

Opinion on this expansion is split. In its full review, Board Games UnLocked found that Monstrosities adds complexity without enhancing the base game. The reviewer called it overly complicated, said it adds little beyond more clarifications and complications, and settled on a middling score for the expansion while still rating Atlantis Rising itself an 8 out of 10. The channel's anticipated-games segments took a warmer view. One praised the added difficulty and the art, and argued that a cooperative game needs to be brutally hard because players tend to lose interest once they have beaten it.

Both views agree that the base game is strong. The disagreement is over whether adding monsters, allies, magic items, and locations makes that game better or simply harder to follow.

Core Mechanics That Define Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities

Monsters and Allies as encounter modules

Monsters and allies are optional modules that shuffle into the game's Misfortune and library decks and change how specific tiles play. The reviewers singled out Medusa, who turns Atlanteans to stone, and the harpies, who steal the resources and workers needed to build the cosmic gate. The critical review argued that Medusa freezes people, clogs up spots, and kills workers, so recruiting her as an ally gives little back. Allies were harder to justify. Many were hyper specific, and they only came up in one particular way, such as through a single card or a lucky roll.

Flooding and Misfortune cards as the difficulty engine

The base game's pressure comes from constant Misfortune cards and flooding tiles, which force players to spend resources efficiently and maneuver their workers carefully. The expansion layers monsters and allies on top of that engine rather than replacing it. The critical reviewer said the additions overshadowed the base game's strategy and nuances, which is the core of why they felt the expansion did not work for them.

The Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities Experience

Tense, shared problem-solving

Reviewers describe a tense game in which every player has a job to do. One segment called the game "extremely tough" and noted that the board keeps shrinking as the island sinks, so the group has to plan closely to finish the final gate. The critical reviewer described the base game as a cooperative work replacement game, which is rare, and said that it takes everyone working out where to move and what to do.

A sinking island with mythic flavor

The theme is a large part of the appeal. Players build a portal to get their people out while the island sinks because the gods are wrathful, and the expansion's monsters fit that mythic world. The critical reviewer wished the expansion had brought the gods themselves into play, with a different god each round changing one rule, a design the reviewer compared to Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu. That idea was presented as a missed opportunity rather than a flaw in the box.

What Makes Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities Stand Out

Four new characters with useful abilities

Even the most critical reviewer picked out the new characters, saying "I thought the characters were really cool" and that all four were the highlight. Several abilities help players cope with the expansion's harshness. One leader can negate special Misfortune cards, and another can relocate after a tile floods.

Art and a harder layer for seasoned co-op players

Reviewers repeatedly praised the artwork. The critical reviewer said the art was "fantastic for what they added" and that the allies, monsters, and special Misfortune cards "all look cool." Another segment said it loved the art and welcomed more challenges, since the expansion adds new ways to play that make the base game harder.

Potential Drawbacks

Situational content that may never come up

The sharpest complaint is that the new material is hard to rely on. Allies only appear under specific conditions, and some may never come up in a game at all. The critical reviewer said "I don't like the monsters because they're not interesting enough," and felt that the monsters "really just get in the way" rather than changing the strategy. For a title that puts the monsters front and center, that is a serious problem.

Rules that are hard to find and a weak fit with the base game

Reviewers said key rules are scattered across the book. The Alchemist's potions are described as "almost an appendix in the rule book," and the reviewer said setting up and organizing the components is "fiddly." The deeper problem is integration. The critical reviewer felt the expansion "wanted to be a modular expansion" but did not flow like one, and could not see the new monsters and allies blending with the original game.

If You Enjoy Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities

This expansion suits players who already own and love the base game and want a harder version of its sinking-island co-op. The art and the new characters were the points of praise that came up across the segments, so those are the parts most likely to reward a fan. Players who want an add-on that slots in cleanly should look at the examples the critical reviewer raised, Alhambra and Rise of Fenris, which add one thing without disrupting play. Players who find the base game already complicated, or who expect a streamlined add-on, may find this expansion frustrating and may never use much of its content.