Quick Look: GladiGala By Tyto Games

April 3, 2019 by dracs

Tyto's new game GladiGala takes us back to the days of Roman Gladiatorial combat to create a family-friendly, light skirmish board game with creative use of magnetic components.

In the game, you take on the role of one of the different Gladiator schools, all competing over the course of two matches (morning and afternoon) in order to win the GladiGala and prove your superiority over your opponents.

The game is very focused on manoeuvring your gladiators around the arena. All movement and attacks are resolved simultaneously. First, you mark where your gladiators will move to with a magnet, and keep your board hidden. Next, you make your attacks based on where you think your opponents will move to. Once you have all decided, you reveal your movements and see if anyone successfully landed a hit.

A match continues until either five gladiators have been knocked out of the ring, or someone manages to capture a coveted Eagle mark.

Tyto Games were kind enough to send us a preview copy. Since it was a preview, it lacked the miniatures that will be part of the finished game. What immediately drew me to the game was the fun, cartoonish art style. It does tell you that this is a combat game that is not to be taken too seriously and helps to establish the feel of the games you will play.

I particularly like the use of magnets to mark movement and keep it hidden, meaning you have to try and carefully work out your opponents' tactics. There is a lot of room for fun bluffing and strategy here, though I could also see it easily becoming a point of frustration where chance becomes the deciding factor.