Fortune Avenue Review (PC)

I feel as though my senses might have just won the jackpot. Blindsided by the bubblegum aesthetics and the sheer chaos of it all, I think I’m having a good time spinning this wheel and plodding along whatever candy-coated alley that flourishes before me. But then again, I’m not entirely sure. Perhaps it’s the undying love that I have for family-focused board games that fuels this admiration for Fortune Avenue. Maybe, for the sake of keeping that flame alive, I ought to just pass GO and see where this eccentric fever dream takes me next.

For the record, I have absolutely no idea what is going on. But apparently, I have to pay an extra $200,000 this month, because, as it turns out, my neighbor has just landed on a square that allows him to host the next World Cup event. So that’s happening, I guess. Again, I think we’re enjoying this. Or at least, nobody has taken the opportunity to flip the board and cancel family plans for the next thanksgiving dinner, anyway. But there’s still time, for I am holding something of an UNO card in my pocket, and just as soon as I set it on the table, I imagine all hell will break loose.

At this point, I’m not entirely sure what will happen. I don’t even know if this ice floe that I’m currently standing on will transform into an enchanting cruise ship and whisk me away to a land of unimaginable riches—a possibility that is also commonplace in this world, funnily enough. I think, for everyone’s sake, I’ll just roll the dice and bite my tongue. If fortune favors the bold, then I guess I had better learn how to take even greater risks if I am to monopolize the economy.

Rolling With the Punches

Fortune Avenue doesn’t beat around the bush in its elevator pitch. In fact, it makes it abundantly clear right from the beginning that, while it may contain its own modern twists and something of a flamboyant design, it does take its inspiration from the all-time classic board game, Monopoly. But let’s be honest, anybody could’ve figured that one out; it is essentially the same game, only with airports instead of parking, ice floes instead of jail cells, and World Cups instead of the regular UNO-like reversible events. Aside from those minor changes, Fortune Avenue more or less rolls out in a similar fashion — with players battling it out not only to accumulate immeasurable wealth on the property market, but to take any given chance to bend the rules and turn the tables on their foes.

From the outside looking in, you could argue that Fortune Avenue is, and respectfully so, something of a glammed-up version of the all-time family favorite. And don’t get me wrong, it is Monopoly, albeit a slightly eccentric homage that is coherently designed to appeal to those with a tendency for fast-paced gameplay, nonetheless. But as far as the progression goes, it isn’t massively different from what you would have seen in your usual semi-annual family reunion. Alas, if you think you know Monopoly, that isn’t to say that you will have a better chance at scoring a win in Fortune Avenue. Sadly, it didn’t take all that long for me to learn that, either.

Penny For Your Thoughts

In Fortune Avenue, the rounds are stupidly quick, as are the ever-shifting rules that bend and break under the weight of each concluding series of turns. To that effect, the player must learn to roll with the punches as they pummel the board, even if it means gaining assets, leveraging their worth to obtain more squares on the map, or depleting their resources to fill the pockets of another power hungry opponent. It’s so unpredictable, in fact, that you must also cast a vote on whether or not to alter the rules after a certain period of time. If the players find themselves in mutual agreement, then the game essentially adapts accordingly, with new events, mechanics, and potential scenarios being introduced to the next round. And believe me when I say, there are countless synergies to foster, which ensures that you always have a chance of unraveling an original thread.

There’s a lot to learn here, that much is true. And yet, even with all of these moving pieces in orbit, Fortune Avenue does manage to give you all of the tools and basic tutorials to master the art of monopolizing the board. It’s hectic, I’ll admit, and it doesn’t help that the UI has a natural tendency of draping vibrantly overwhelming images into the mix, too. But there is a helping hand that can usher you through the journey and into the hierarchy of entrepreneurship, if needed.

Like a lot of PvP games, Fortune Avenue is best served  with a few friends and a cold beverage. It’s the sort of game you could quite easily waste a handful of hours to and still manage to find something new to unearth after the dozenth round. And that’s what I love about it: the fact that it has replay value.

Verdict

I’m relieved, in ways, that nobody manifested the energy to flip the board and scowl at me in a jacked-up manner as I stole whatever spare change they had left to fund my ego-centric endeavors. All in all, I’d say that the dozen or so hours that I poured into Fortune Avenue were worth the bouts of rage and frustration. It wasn’t all that bad, mind you, as each game that I did play was different from the others, and several of them even gave me enough of an incentive to do it all over again, only from a different perspective and with a few more rules to experiment with.

If you’re looking for a fresh take on the timeless family sensation that is Monopoly, then you needn’t search any further than the bubbling quarters of Fortune Avenue and its chaotic, overcrowded suburban squares. You will laugh, and you will cry, just as you will accrue wealth, as will you eventually lose it. But this is Fortune Avenue, after all; it doesn’t forge consistent winners, but rather, relentless competitors who rely on dumb luck and perseverance to survive another swinging storm of Wall Street-like behavior. If that’s the sort of career that you wouldn’t mind pouring your blood, sweat, and tears into, then welcome aboard — we’ve got jackets and bank accounts. Well, my neighbor doesn’t; he’s bankrupt and jacket-less.