“Masters of Influence” can be looked at as a mixture of two board games: “Risk” and “Settlers of Catan”. For most people I know, that makes it an instant buy right there (especially considering it only costs 80 Microsoft Points). It was certainly enough for me. For those of you who still need more convincing, read on.
This comes from JimmyFo, who also brought us “HexChess 360” which I reviewed back on Day 418. A nod to Sid Meier’s Civilization games, “Masters of Influence” has multiple ways to win: control the majority of the game board’s territory, or control the lion’s share of the game’s resources. You’ll note that those two options also fit neatly into the Risk-motif, and the Catan-motif. You control territory by building and/or upgrading your tower (Catan-style), or by destroying enemy towers (Risk-style).
Up to four players can compete over (local/offline) multiplayer which is a nice bonus for those with friends on the couch with them, and different players using different styles of play simultaneously to try and win is a lot of fun and leads to a lot of variety from match to match. In game instructions are well done, making it easy to slip into the game. It’s an 80 Microsoft Point no-brainer, in my opinion.
Here’s what the developer (JimmyFo) has to say about the game:
“Challenge up to 3 other players, including stunning AI, for total domination of the board. Collect resources, assault other towers, and use the terrain to eliminate the opponents!”
Writings of Mass Deduction 