King Me! – Review

Although we’ve never been huge fans of checkers, there was something instantly appealing about King Me! from Ravensburger. I believe it was the extra elements introduced into the game that made the standard game of checkers much more enjoyable, and even more intriguing! After all, who doesn’t want to control regions, and be crowned King? Let’s dive into King Me!, thanks to our friends at Ravensburger.

If you haven’t read our How to Play article on King Me!, please do so. Many of the things talked about here will make more sense with that context.

Although I am historically terrible at board games, they have quickly become one of my main passions, and my go-to entertainment option when friends are over. One things lacking in the board game world are solid 2 player games, the ones you don’t necessarily bust out at parties, but do take out when watching sports with your spouse, or relaxing on a cold winter evening. My wife and I are always on the lookout for great 2 player games, and King Me! definitely fit the bill.

While a simple game of checkers might be fun for some, it’s a bit to simplistic for me. I like games that not only provide great entertainment opportunities, but bring something else to the table as well, such as a neat backstory, or yes, even a great looking board and fantastic components. King Me! does that by taking checkers to the next level, and combining it with a magical world where 4 king potentially rule.

And with the ‘added’ rules – the controlling of territory, the uselessness of kings, etc. – the standard game of checkers is now something more, something better. It’s no longer about jumping over your opponents – which only nets you 5 points per piece at the end of the game – but it becomes about controlling the kings – 10 points per crown – and controlling the regions you see coming down the river. Without a balance approach, you are doomed to lose.

And I’ve tried it all. I focused on obtaining all the crowns, and while I eventually managed to snag 3 of the 4 before the end of the game, I ultimately slacked n other areas and lost. When focusing on controlling territory, I found myself putting my checkers into harm’s way, and again, I lost. And trust me now – chasing the other player’s pieces around the table will NEVER work. It’s a balanced approach that wins 90% of the time, and when both players have this mentality, the competition is fierce, and one wrong move can be incredibly costly.

And to that point, the concept of the game might be incredibly simple, but the strategy is frustratingly deep. This ultimately means two things – I cannot play with my son as his strategic thinking isn’t deep enough to make the right moves at the right time; and second, it’s hard to play this game between a veteran and someone trying for the first time. For my wife and I, however, the competition has been outstanding over the past few weeks, and will continue to be as we move into the winter season. King Me! is a constant week-in and week-out, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Add in fantastic components – hard plastic – and a detailed board, and you’ve got something that is so simple, inexpensive, but yet so fun! We highly recommend King Me! from our friends at Ravensburger. You will not be disappointed!