The far east has come to play in Smash Up and there something very familiar to these factions. Big in Japan sees the Kaiju, Magical Girls, Mega Troopers and finally Itty Critters. The set is bold and colourful, very akin to Japanese character artwork from some of the classic brands from Japan which I think any fan of the style could appreciate. We also see Titans introduced to Smash Up within this set which has lead to many other factions gaining Titans within other sets down the line and they are a welcome addition to the game.

There is not a game rules overview this time, please check out my Smash Up review blog for a quick overview. Something to keep in mind here is that you can only play a 2-player game with this set alone. Of course, the series is completely interchangeable with everything else Smash Up so you can always “Smash” it up with another set and bring in a 3rd and 4th player.

So, what does Big in Japan bring to the series?

Kaiju

An incredibly large set of rampaging beasts wreaking havoc on the area. The Kaiju are unlike many other factions in that they have just 3 minions and therefore 17 actions. This you would think could create some serious unbalance, however many actions contain power with them that play directly on to bases, so not all is lost there as the deck has been cleverly tailored to get additional actions out. Not to forget the Titan who comes into play by use of actions over minions. They are a tricky faction to both use and play against.

Magical Girls

Magical Girls are a very team focused faction. There are many more types of minion here allowing for more abilities that combine well with the other magical girls. Getting multiple minions in play on the same base is critical to their success. Then there is the Titan that in this instance is a great protector of those minions you already have in play looking out for all those on a single base. I really like this faction as they gel well with most others.

Mega Troopers

Another faction that look all too familiar to me as a child of the early 90’s. GO GO Mega Troopers! The Mega Troopers are the ultimate fighting faction with the ability to snatch victory from what appears certain defeat, never count them out. Another team-based faction with an assortment of different coloured troopers, a little supporting robot and some sort of giant robot Titan… hmm… This side bring so much power to play and can quickly take out opposing minions when required. They are awesome fun to use.

Itty Critters

These guys look suspiciously familiar, I’m sure I caught them all once before a long time ago. Don’t be fooled by how cute they look as they pack a punch when you are not looking with an appetite for a bit of destruction. However, the artwork on this deck is particularly pleasing and I always enjoying playing this faction. The Titan is also a handful by coming into play just through breaking a base and being placed on the replacement, it will also introduce a lot of additional power. This faction is also a lot of fun.

Titans

The Titans are a welcome addition to the game of Smash Up. They bring a little bit extra to all these factions which can swing the game in their favour quite significantly at key moments. Given the type of set we have here based around Japan you can take a guess at what these titans may look like. What was pleasing as well, AEG didn’t give up with Titans as they have with some rules in other expansion additions. Many more factions have had some Titans introduced to their play which I think is very cool. Check out the 10th anniversary edition there.

What I truly love about Smash Up is you never quite know how the game will play out. On appearance some factions may appear far stronger than others, but pending on the factions that are paired up and the opposition, one combo could be devastating in one game, making you believe you have an unstoppable force. Then in the next game against different opponents be absolutely torn apart. The way the cards randomly come out also plays it part but there is no real ability to call a winner out right. Strategy and timing are everything.

Final Thoughts

Without a doubt one of my favourite expansions to the Smash Up series and that is purely down to the theme and focus around Japan. Some huge factions included in this set to which I really enjoy using all of them. Big in Japan is an expansion I would highly recommend you pick up for Smash Up.

This blog was written by David Ireland