Longing for more 90s nostalgia in your games? Been dying to slay some vampires, demons, and other baddies ever since watching Buffy and her Scooby Gang do it? Well, that might be a little dangerous… unless of course you’re the chosen one this generation? Hmm… well, at least Legendary: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is here to help you fulfill your destiny! Let’s check it out!

What Is It?

A deck-building game where players put together teams of slayers, watchers, and friends to fight vampires, henchmen, and many more of the Big Bads invading Sunnydale. The game can be played semi-cooperatively, where players work together, but the player with the most points (defeated the most foes) ultimately wins, or fully cooperatively.

Who Is It For?

If you’re a fan of the original Legendary title, Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game, the same mechanics are used in this implementation, so you’ll likely enjoy the gameplay. I would recommend it to fans of Buffy, the show/characters, of course, and anyone who’s wanted to fight some of those Big Bads themselves! Even if you know nothing of the original or IP, if you like a solid deck builder with a good flow and plenty of variability, this is worth checking out, but it is definitely more intended for those established fans.

Quality + Components

The game is mostly cards which are all of average quality. You do have to shuffle a bunch of decks together each game, so I recommend sleeves to make that easier.

This game also comes with courage tokens and a darkness token, all average cardboard. The dividers are cardstock and a nice size to keep everything separated for ease. The playmat is your typical neoprene playmat, but the design is nice – everything is laid out clearly, and it’s a nice size for the game and for easy storage. Everything fits in the box nicely, and there’s a little wiggle room as well (maybe for an expansion or two?)

Variants

Solo – If you’re really into the game and just want to see how well you can do on your own, the solo mode scales really well and is definitely enjoyable for fans of the game. However, there is still a fair amount of set-up on your own, so if you’re not into playing with no one to help set up and clean up, then you might want to skip this.

PROS

  • Smooth gameplay
  • Variability in heroes/villains
  • Courage Tokens add a cool mechanic to help you build up a great turn with more attack or recruit points
  • Art is varied on cards (even the Scheme Twists) which helps pull you into the theme
  • Darkness Track is a unique feature which can affect various elements in the game, depending on the cards in play
  • All Bystanders have abilities players earn when rescued

CONS

  • Not as many villain/henchmen groups as there could/should be – hopefully more will show in an expansion, but I just wish there were a few more of the key ones from the show
  • Set-up and clean-up can take a while because of having to well-combine multiple decks of cards

Final Thoughts

I’ve been playing Marvel Legendary for years, and I’ve been interested in trying this one as well. I was expecting it to be very similar to the other base game, so a pretty standard deck building game, but I was pleasantly surprised at the addition of the courage tokens and darkness track. These elements really add another level to the game and allow you to strategize a bit more to try and make the most of your turns. I think this is a great Legendary game, and I can’t wait to try even more hero combos against all the Big Bads. Highly recommend!

My Final Ratings:
Overall Game – 8/10
Replayability – 7/10
Aesthetics – 6/10
Difficulty – 4/10 (varies slightly depending on card choices)

Additional Information:
Designers – Travis R. Chance, Nick Little (I)
Artist – N/A
Publisher – Upper Deck Entertainment
MSRP – $59.99
BGG
BGA
Website