Pandemic

Genre: Turn-Based Strategy / Board Game

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Pandemic is the digital version of a board game that is one of the new standard-bearers of a new Renaissance for the medium. The basic concept of the game is that the world has been overridden with four deadly viruses threatening to destroy humanity, and players take on the roles of specialists seeking to contain the disease and cure it before it gets out of control.

Unlike many board games, one of the things that sets Panedmic apart is that it is cooperative – either the entire group of players wins, or everybody loses. As such, player coordination and cooperation is absolutely vital. The game allows single-player play with one person controlling multiple characters, but this is really a game that was made with co-op play in mind, and that’s where the game really shines.

I won’t go too in depth into the core gameplay – Pandemic is considered a modern classic board game for a reason, and suffice it to say that as far as this sort of game goes, it does a superb job of giving players multiple options to consider and keep things tense throughout the game. Also, the ability to take on one of numerous roles really helps to add to the variety here.

The Switch version of the game is… actually pretty competently made, all things considered. The game controls well, presents information fairly well, and has a clean look that cuts down on clutter and confusion, all important stuff. There’s unfortunately no online play, but given the importance of communication and coordination this game emphasizes, I suspect that would have been difficult to implement on the Switch anyway.

Players can also download, for free, the Virulent Strain cards from the On the Brink expansion, as well as multiple new roles and events from some of the game’s expansions. However, that being said, the game doesn’t have On the Brink’s Bio-Terrorist feature, or apparently any of the content from the In the Lab and State of Emergency expansions… and man, what I wouldn’t give for a campaign based on Pandemic Legacy… That’s not to say that what’s here is bad, and to the game’s credit it adds in a variable challenge difficulty, and there’s plenty here to work with and add in variety.

As far as the presentation goes, aside from a slick opening video with live actors, the game’s presentation is decent but understated. You get a good feel for the game’s theming, and it all works well enough for the gameplay, but there’s little here that impresses.

However, when it comes to translating the experience of the board game to the Nintendo Switch, Pandemic does an admirable job. It’s not going to blow you away with its presentation or feature set, but this is a solid version of an excellent board game, and fans of board games who own a Switch, or those looking for a great local co-op experience, should absolutely consider getting this game.

tl;dr – Pandemic is one of the finest cooperative board games ever made, and the Nintendo Switch version does a good job of bringing the fun of that game to the console. It’s not going to wow anyone with its features or presentation, but it does a good job of bringing the core gameplay to the Switch.

Grade: B

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Strategy Game

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