Matthew BaileyNormally, when I do the main “splash picture” for all my reviews, I use Photoshop to swap out the background, but in this case I love the image of Jack drinking a pint of Diet Coke in the background (we played this in a board game pub)
5-Minute Marvel is a fast-paced cooperative card game where you and your fellow superheroes battle your way through waves of villains and comic book chaos. The catch? You’ve only got five minutes to stop the big bad and save the day.
Each player picks from a range of Marvel heroes—Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain Marvel and more—each with their own unique deck packed with powers and one-liners. These decks reflect their abilities and personality, and they’re used to overcome whatever gets thrown your way. Once everyone’s geared up, you start the timer and dive headfirst into battle.
The mission is represented by a deck of villain and crisis cards, all building up to a boss fight. Each card shows symbols that need to be matched by playing the right cards from your hand—blasts, punches, tech, and so on. Anyone can jump in at any time, playing cards from their own hand to help defeat the enemy. You’ll constantly be shouting across the table things like, “I’ve got a punch! Anyone got tech?” as you frantically coordinate to clear the path ahead.
It’s a real team effort, but also a mad scramble to keep your deck going. If you run out of cards or time before beating the boss, it’s game over. If you do beat them, you win and can try again at a higher difficulty level.
We played 5-Minute Marvel twice and, much like 5-Minute Dungeon, enjoyed it… but… This doesn’t feel like the sort of game you’ll play back-to-back for hours, and neither of us was up for a third go.
The main gameplay loop doesn’t vary enough. Most of the challenge comes from matching symbols, and while the Marvel theming adds a lot of charm, the mechanics themselves could use a bit more variety.
I think plenty of Marvel fans and fast-paced game lovers will really enjoy 5-Minute Marvel, especially as a quick hit with friends or family. But for us, it’s a bit of a one-and-done. Fun while it lasted, but not one we’ll reach for regularly.
