Shakespeare and Hamlet battle with barbed words in latest Unmatched release
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Legendary wordsmith William Shakespeare battles against his own creations in the next release for the Unmatched board game series.
Unmatched is a series of board games that combines elements of miniature wargames with card-driven strategy games. Each entry in the series includes a collection of characters - from either fiction or real history - for players to choose from, with previous examples being King Arthur, Achilles, Ms Marvel and Bloody Mary.
These characters each have their own decks of cards and miniatures, with players using their cards to move their chosen character’s miniature/s and perform attacks and/or abilities. Every deck is themed around the character it’s attached to, with characters having certain powers or allies that reflect their personalities or stories. Whichever player or team is the last standing is named the winner.
Unmatched: Slings and Arrows is an upcoming board game for two to four players within the Unmatched series that features four different playable characters to pick from. The entire release is themed around William Shakespeare, the renowned 14th century playwright whose works are still performed and studied today. Players will be able to choose from the bard himself, as well as characters from three of his most well-known plays.
An entry in a design contest hosted by the game’s publisher - Restoration Games - in 2020, William Shakespeare was submitted by Jonathan Guberman and has players powering up the character by completing sentences in the writer’s preferred writing pattern: iambic pentametre, which sees a set of words being delivered in a rhythmic manner.
The other playable characters in Slings and Arrows include The Wayward Sisters from Macbeth - designed by runner-up contest designer Jason Hagar - with players brewing witches’ potions and controlling three-characters as one, alongside faerie queen Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the tragic Danish prince Hamlet.
Besides Unmatched: Slings and Arrows, Restoration Games is responsible for publishing Return to Dark Tower, Racing game Downforce and Fireball Island.
Unmatched: Slings and Arrows is set to be released on June 12th for $40 (£).