MONOPOLY: Godzilla

A MyKaiju® Review

Game Intro

When I thought MONOPOLY® couldn’t get better, here comes the release of MONOPOLY®: Godzilla Monster Edition bringing together all the game fun I had growing up with the King of the Monsters. It is not very often we get a new Godzilla game. And it is not just any game; it’s MONOPOLY®!

Official Description: Demolish the competition in a city-terrorizing twist on the classic board game with MONOPOLY®: Godzilla. Begin the invasion by buying, selling and trading locations like Monster Island, Goro’s Workshop, and Kitakami Lake and take over the board with Facilities and Bases. Custom sculpted tokens of giants such as Mothra, Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla easily impose on anything in their path! (Ages 8 and up, 2-6 players, 60+ minutes)

Game Review

MONOPOLY®: Godzilla includes 1 Game Board, 6 Collectible Tokens: Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Minilla, Mechagodzilla, Rodan, 28 Title Deed Cards, 32 Houses renamed FACILITIES, 12 Hotels renamed BASES, 16 UNGCC Cards, 16 GODZILLA TOWER Cards, 1 Pack of Kaiju Credit Currency, 2 Dice, and Rules

The board is nicely illustrated with a rendering based on the Godzilla 1984 poster art featuring the Godzilla Cybot towering over Shinjuku. The game board spaces bring players into an encounter with Godzilla, his friends and foes as they travel to famous Godzilla spaces and places like Monster Island, Lake Ashino, Iwato Island, Okinawa and more. Familiar aliens, counter forces and weapons are along the way as well.

The attention to detail given to the design of MONOPOLY® Godzilla will be appreciated by Godzilla fans. The MONOPOLY® money is marked with Godzilla on the left and his Japanese name “GOJIRA” (ゴジラ) written in Japanese on the right. The classic MONOPOLY® tokens are replaced with wonderfully sculpted representations of Godzilla and his fellow TOHO kaiju. The GODZILLA TOWER Cards and The UNGCC (United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center) Cards cast familiar Godzilla movie characters and recreate memorable Godzilla movie scenarios. MONOPOLY® Title Deed Cards allow you to build and own property in fan favorite Godzilla places. Now Godzilla and friends can own the properties they tear down.

A future iteration of MONOPOLY® Godzilla could use movie representations for: 1) IN JAIL/GO TO JAIL spaces such as Planet X Aliens and their cell for Tetsuo and Glen in Invasion of Astro-Monster, aka Monster Zero (1965); 2) FREE PARKING, such as S-Pulse Dream Plaza parking in Shizuoka, Japan from Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001); and 3) COLLECT 200 SALARY AS YOU PASS, such as salaries from Happy Enterprises from Mothra vs Godzilla (1964). Also some of standard MONOPOLY® buildings/facilities and hotels/bases could be shaped as skyscrapers. Perhaps the reason these spaces and pieces were left unchanged was to maintain these signature MONOPOLY® spaces we’ve come to love.

Game setup is simple and straightforward. Game play and time is at least 60 minutes. I’m certain as Godzilla fans we can come up with new and imaginative game play and rules by inspired by the game’s characters, locations, scenarios and themes. There is so much to love about MONOPOLY® Godzilla.

If you grew up playing MONOPOLY®, you will enjoy like the classic! Godzilla takes MONOPOLY® to a new level for fans by introducing the monsters, places, plots, and more from the Showa to the Heisei eras. You will have fun with your fellow fans and gamers reliving favorite Godzilla movie moments.

Fun

9/10

MONOPOLY® is always fun. And MONOPOLY® Godzilla will be great fun for Godzilla fans. Take it to G-Fest and play throughout the weekend together.

Collection

9/10

MONOPOLY® Godzilla is a great buy for the collector. The packaging and design is very well done. It is a great addition to the history of Godzilla games. It will stand the test of time and should be in your collection.

Price

7/10

MONOPLOY® Godzilla retails at $39.99. That’s pricey for the average fan. For the collector the price is reasonable. This Godzilla game will make a great Christmas gift.