Anastyr Puts Side-Scrolling Beat-‘Em-Ups On Your Tabletop
Anastyr is heavily inspired by arcade-style beat-’em-ups with combo attacks, rideable mounts, and screen-clearing ultimate attacks.
Anastyr is a cooperative action/adventure board game with mission-based objectives designed by Mythic Games. The game was successfully funded on Kickstarter but still has late pledges open. Each game you play can either be a single one-shot adventure or part of a full overarching campaign. Regardless of the mission being played, the core mechanics remain the same throughout.
Each player in Anastyr controls a separate character with their own unique stats, abilities, and cards.
Combo Attacks
One of the main mechanics in Anastyr is the combo attack system. Each turn, the player can play one of the cards in their hand. These cards will each have a symbol along the bottom of the card.
These symbols match the icons at the top of each character’s combo abilities. When a player plays a card, they slide it under their player board into one of the slots at the bottom. If they are able to slot the correct cards to match one of their combo abilities, they are able to unleash that combo move!
Combo moves are a great and fun mechanic with a satisfying payoff for the player who takes the time to set them up. But that’s not the only type of special attack these characters have.
Fury Attacks
Various game effects, including playing cards and certain actions, will increase a character’s Fury. Fury is tracked on the right side of their player board.
Once the character’s Fury meter is filled, they are able to Unleash Fury and perform their Fury Attack. This is your screen-clearing ultimate attack and they are extremely powerful.
Like with Combo Attacks, a well-timed Fury can easily swing the tide of battle in the player’s favor. So knowing when to Unleash Fury is imperative in order to take on the most dangerous of bosses.
The Minis
The miniatures in Anastyr are incredibly detailed and stunning to look at. Not only are they just unique and dynamic, but they are multiple purpose.
Each of the character minis in Anastyr have two versions: on foot and mounted. Throughout the game, players will have the option to tame the wild beasts of the land and ride them into battle. When this happens, the player swaps their on-foot mini and snaps their mounted mini onto whichever mount they’ve tamed.
And “snapped” is an appropriate word to use since, thanks to the magnets within each mini, they will literally snap into place. These are small magnets, but they are mighty. Don’t worry about the minis sliding off or out of place. The rider will stay mounted until you pull them off.
There are a lot of really cool and innovative mechanics and features within Anastyr, with plenty more you can check out in the videos above. If you’re a fan of those old arcade classics, you’re sure to love Anastyr.
