While there have been many media tie-in versions of classic games, some are more innovative in terms of adapting and altering the original game to the franchise than others. Many recent Star Wars board games fall into this category, and Star Wars Clue, created in 2016, seems to draw as much inspiration from classic toys as from the original game itself. This influence can be seen in the design of the board, which bears a striking resemblance to the Palitoy Death Star playset.
The original Clue game board is a 2D house plan of Mr. Boddy's mansion, and while some versions of the game have deviated from this design, it's the standard for most iterations. Star Wars Clue, on the other hand, makes its game board a combination of 2D and 3D elements.
RELATED: Star Wars: This Cheap, Cardboard Death Star Playset Is Now the Most Coveted
Its design isn't identical to the Palitoy Death Star playset, but the two have enough in common to warrant a comparison. Both items are made out of cardboard and assembled by the player, though the Palitoy playset has a more complex design, a brighter color palette and a larger size to accommodate bigger action figures. Of course, it's possible that the creators of Star Wars Clue had never seen the Palitoy playset, but the design of the game board still represents a nod to more classic memorabilia.
The innovation of the Star Wars Clue game board also extends to the gameplay design. In the original Clue game, players must determine who killed Mr. Boddy, what weapon they used and where the murder occurred, but Star Wars Clue doesn't focus on murder or figuring out whodunnit. Instead, the players are on an espionage mission to prevent the murder of billions. They must search the Death Star to discover which room the Death Star plans are in, which planet the Empire plans to destroy next and what vehicle can the players steal to escape. The player tokens are also miniatures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2, which slew closer to the ones used in role-playing games.
The three-dimensional game board and the addition of enemies make Star Wars Clue a hybrid between board gameplay and action figure adventures. Even if the design was not inspired by the original playset, the game still emulates the experience of playing with action figures on a game board more than the traditional Clue experience. Ultimately, Star Wars Clue is an example of the willingness of Star Wars media to incorporate more innovation into its game design.
0 Comments