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Description
Wage war against opponents on a hexagonal board. Prepare your armies to face off on the battlefield and surprise your enemy with your choice of special abilities!
Monolith Arena is a fantasy battleground board game built around the base engine of Neuroshima Hex, which is also from designer Michał Oracz. The game includes four factions, with unique abilities and units. Players take turns placing tiles on the hexagonal play field, building offensive and defensive advantages, all of which are activated when the field is filled or when a player uses a "battle" order.
A new feature is the three-level "monolith" for each player, where the faction banner is set into the top level. The other two levels are secretly set with battlefield tokens chosen by the player at the outset, providing a strategic choice in setup that will play out during the tactical operations of the game. The monoliths mitigate the influence of the random tile draw that otherwise drives the game, giving players more choice and control.
Year Published
2018
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video g2gkp86Kt4M
ShelfSide game_review at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 60753 · mention_pk 153190
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Components are good quality
- Easy to set up
- Light-hearted tactical nature
- Faction asymmetry works well
- Gentle learning curve
- Good two-player experience
Cons
- Flopped commercially; limited traction
- Rulebook could be improved (quick start guide, bullet points in faction guides, missing reference sheets)
- Multiplayer balance issues (2v2 is strong due to poison; 3-4 player variants feel unbalanced)
- Lacks depth for 1v1 players compared to other two-player abstracts
- Marketing and brand positioning overshadow the core design for some players
Thematic elements
- Array
- fantasy post-apocalyptic arena
- none
Comparison games
- Hiroshima Hex
- Niroshima Hex
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Adjacency Bonuses / Banner Interaction — Banners grant adjacency bonuses to adjacent units and influence tile interactions.
- asymmetrical factions — Four factions each bring distinct abilities and playstyles.
- End Condition / Draw Rhythm — The game ends when a player runs out of tiles to draw; players can optimize draws to finish early.
- hand management — Draw up to three tiles each turn and discard one, shaping your options.
- Layer building — A plastic tower that can unfold and reveal two tiles for future use, adding strategic depth.
- luck mitigation — There is a measurable luck factor in tile draws, but mitigations exist via the monolith mechanic.
- Monolith Mechanic — A plastic tower that can unfold and reveal two tiles for future use, adding strategic depth.
- Push Your Luck — There is a measurable luck factor in tile draws, but mitigations exist via the monolith mechanic.
- Rotation and Directional Combat — Units attack in certain directions; tile rotation and orientation affect bonuses and attacks.
- tile placement — Players place tiles on a shared board to create bonuses, movement options and attack opportunities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- monolith arena is a spin-off version of hiroshima hex
- the learning curve is gentle due to players quickly ruling out foolish tile placements early
- monolith arena stands as a nifty pocket pick
- it's an engaging fast experience where faction asymmetry works well
- there's definitely a luck factor in terms of what you're drawing each turn
- the game ends when anyone runs out of tiles to draw
- the 2v2 offers a lot of cool teamwork opportunities
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5Kw8w3wsFDQ
Unknown Channel general_discussion at 2:45 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 60736 · mention_pk 153174
Click to watch at 2:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Thematic potential
- Tactical depth
Cons
- Rules complexity
- Table needs several players
Thematic elements
- Array
- Fantasy world battle between factions on arena tiles
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players attempt to control sections of the arena to gain impact and points
- hand management — Players manage cards to activate actions and effects
- hand management / card play — Players manage cards to activate actions and effects
- Skirmish / Combat — Direct unit-to-unit combat to defeat opponents
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this isn't what i meant by board games
- this is just kind of boring there's not enough going on
- it's only been like five minutes
- Relax dude it's just a board game aren't these like 10 bucks
- thanks for watching the video guys this video was inspired by ideas from
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Vi3RGk5DoH4
Unknown Channel analysis at 3:58 sentiment: positive
video_pk 60660 · mention_pk 153065
Click to watch at 3:58 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Timer adaptation supports combat-heavy gameplay
- Thematic and dynamic feel
Cons
- Combat pauses can complicate timing accuracy
- Rule complexity may impose cognitive load under timer
Thematic elements
- Array
- fantasy arena combat
Comparison games
- Brass Birmingham
- Coup
- Patchwork
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat — combat encounters are timed and require decision-making
- Turn-based Movement — players move pieces and engage in combat on turns
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love playing with the chess timer
- it's addicting
- my final say is to at least try using a chest timer for one of your two player games
- we could finish brass Birmingham under 75 minutes
- this chest timer is My Little Secret Weapon to use with a handful of friends to get through our favorite games faster
- I definitely think we could do it more games less time
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video iJNxPRfs2kM
Rolling Dice and Taking Names interview at 35:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13770 · mention_pk 40240
Click to watch at 35:14 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Innovative rotating mechanic
- Balanced weight for families and gamers
Cons
- Learning curve for new players due to multiple tokens and terms
Thematic elements
- dice drafting and godly actions around a rotating obelisk
- Mythic temple-building duels with rotating central obelisk
- euro-dice drafting with godly powers
Comparison games
- Lorenzo il Magnifico
- Coimbra
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice drafting — Draft dice of different colors and pips; some are 'favored' or 'tainted' depending on obelisk orientation.
- Dynamic obelisk rotation — The rotating obelisk changes available dice and action order mid-game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- bam that's a quote, baby, quotable
- it's one of those things that you should always feel like there's no chance for you to win on both sides simultaneously
- easy like sunday morning
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Rsiv8zEtXgQ
Roll Dice Take Names general_discussion at 49:53 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10062 · mention_pk 29612
Click to watch at 49:53 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong interaction with a familiar two-player framework
- Tactical depth over repeated plays
- Has a legacy in the same universe as Nirōshima Hex
Cons
- Rules may feel dense to newcomers
- Not as approachable as some lighter Portal games
Thematic elements
- Card crafting and combat with a fantasy/sci-fi veneer
- Arena combat with modular faction mechanics
- Competitive, with subtle cross-influences from Nirōshima Hex
Comparison games
- Nirōshima Hex
- Monolith Arena (tabletop)
- Ascension Tactics
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-building — Build and use cards to influence combat and tile placement
- tile-based combat — Tiling and positioning influence outcomes and allow for strategic depth
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- number five tides of time two player game
- number four on my list and this was very tough for me because i was torn between these two
- number two we actually combine two games together, nirōshima hex and monolith arena
- number one stronghold, what else could there be right
- it's a game you can pull off the shelf and play without a heavy rulebook in hand
- the art is amazing and the components are gorgeous, it makes you want to play again just to look at them
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5