Aeon's End is competing with Eminent Domain as my favorite next-level deck builder (with Star Realms being the typical first-level). But I guess they fill two different niches, and I enjoy both. The Aeon's End Digital saves me a lot of setup time, especially for the Nemesis which I always forget how to put together.
Just got base box on a math trade but it was the hideous 1st edition. I ditched out more money and getting the out of print update pack to resurrect this game to its glory.
I've only played both titles at 2p, so that might change things, but the games feel pretty different from one another. Shadowrift has you leveraging townsfolk abilities and generally building leaner decks while Aeon's End has your individual mages shine more and feel more interesting with their powers and how you can build your deck. Then, both do some cool things with their respective enemy mechanics that sound similar in concept but feel pretty different in execution. In short, in AE you spend most of your energy playing your mage while in Shadowrift, you spend equal amounts of energy on yourself and managing the town. I have both in my collection. I think AE plays better at 2p and Shadowrift would play better with more people, but I'm happy to own both. Hope that helps some!
i dont know why, but you did not mentioned that this game is brutal hard to win. it can happen quite often that the nemesis takes a turn 4 times in a row. and this is for the most time ending the game with a loss. it for sure is addictive and a lot of fun, but it also is very very hard. if you dont like to loose this game is not for you because you will loose a lot.
Great review, Liz. One small comment - there are too many small cuts, particularly in the last 4 minutes or so. It's very jarring to watch when every ~4 seconds there's a cut.
