There’s a certain kind of game that doesn’t just ask you to play — it asks you to scheme. Black Metro, the debut title from Emesh De Zoysa and Absolute Ascendency, is one of those games. It’s a modern, asymmetric area control experience that blends the familiar tension of games like Risk with the economic and strategic nuance of something akin to Scythe, all wrapped in a dystopian, cyber-noir aesthetic that feels pretty timely. It’s a game about power — not just how to gain it, but how to hold it, manipulate it, and, when necessary, burn it all down.
Set in a fractured, authoritarian city where factions vie for dominance over a crumbling metro system, Black Metro casts players as leaders of rival ideologies. Each faction has its own long-term goals (based on starting mission cards) and the game wastes no time in throwing you into the deep end. From the first turn, you’re making meaningful decisions — where to deploy influence, how to manage your limited resources, and when to strike or retreat. It’s a game that rewards foresight, punishes complacency, and thrives on tension.
The first thing that strikes you about Black Metro is its presentation. The board is stark and striking, a monochrome map of a city divided into districts, each connected by metro lines that serve as both lifelines and battlegrounds. Its graphic design is clean and functional, with a brutalist edge that reinforces the game’s oppressive tone.
The components — cards, tokens, and faction boards — are all well-produced, with a minimalist aesthetic that avoids clutter while still conveying a strong sense of identity. I did find that a few of the components were so small as to become fiddly, but they also feel quite unique as a result. If you’re an older player with worsening eyesight I’d suggest wearing your glasses, and if you have fat fingers like me then good luck!
Mechanically, Black Metro is a hybrid of area control, resource management, and asymmetric strategy. Each round, players take turns performing actions such as deploying agents, moving through the metro, initiating conflicts, or activating faction-specific abilities. There are also unit upgrade actions which essentially take your basic workers and upgrade them to more powerful variants – just one of several ways in which Black Metro allows player strategy to diverge after a few rounds.
The action economy is tight, and players only get a limited number of actions per round, and every choice feels consequential. Do you expand your influence into a contested district, risking a confrontation? Or do you consolidate your hold on a key location, hoping to outlast your rivals through attrition and control?
Combat, when it happens, is swift and brutal. There’s no dice rolling or luck-based resolution — instead, conflicts are resolved through deterministic comparisons of strength and positioning. This keeps the game focused on strategy rather than chance, and it reinforces the idea that Black Metro is a game of planning, not gambling. You don’t stumble into victory — you engineer it.
One of the most compelling aspects of the game is its political layer. While the core mechanics are tight and tactical, the real drama often unfolds in the conversations between turns. Alliances are formed and broken, threats are made and walked back, and every player is constantly trying to read the table. There’s a social deduction element here — not in the sense of hidden roles, but in the sense of hidden intentions. What is your opponent really trying to do? Are they bluffing about their strength in that district? Can you trust them to honor a non-aggression pact, or are they setting you up for a fall?
This emergent diplomacy is where Black Metro truly distinguishes itself. It’s not just a game of pieces on a board — it’s a game of people, of personalities, of shifting loyalties and calculated betrayals. And because the game is relatively short (most sessions clock in at around 90 to 120 minutes), these dynamics play out quickly and intensely, with little room for downtime or disengagement.
It also features a victory point system that encourages diverse strategies. Players can earn points through control of key districts, completion of faction-specific objectives, and successful execution of strategic plays. This multi-path scoring system ensures that no two games feel the same, and it allows players to pivot their strategy mid-game if circumstances change. It also means that the winner isn’t always the player with the most territory — it’s the one who played the smartest game.
That said, Black Metro is not without its challenges. The rulebook, while comprehensive, can be dense on a first read, and I would say that the preview version I have lacks clarity in a few areas. This is not a game that holds your hand — it expects you to learn by doing, and early mistakes can be punishing. However, for groups willing to invest the time, the payoff is immense. Once the systems click, the game flows beautifully, and the depth of strategy becomes apparent.
Another potential sticking point is its player count. While it technically supports two players, it’s at its best with three and really four players. At lower counts, the map can feel a bit sparse, and the political dynamics don’t fully come to life. Of course as always with higher player counts, the game becomes more chaotic, and analysis paralysis can creep in. But in that sweet spot, the game hums — tense, tight, and thrilling.
Ultimately, Black Metro is a game that rewards intentional play. It’s not about luck or spectacle – it’s about reading the board, reading your opponents, and making the right move at the right time. It’s a game that demands attention, rewards mastery, and leaves you thinking about what you could have done differently long after the final score is tallied.
Black Metro is a bold, confident debut that delivers a fresh take on area control and asymmetric strategy. It’s a game that respects its players, challenges them, and offers a deeply satisfying experience for those willing to engage with its systems. With its striking aesthetic, tight mechanics, and rich player interaction, it stands out in a crowded field – and it suggests that Absolute Ascendency is a publisher to watch. For fans of games like Scythe, Root, or Ankh, Black Metro is an interesting prospect. For everyone else, it’s a compelling invitation to step into the shadows and see what power really looks like when the lights go out.
Black Metro should be available for sale soon, in the meantime you can play a digital version of it over on Tabletopia.
Love board games? Check out our list of the top board games we’ve reviewed.
Comments are closed.