Kemet Review: The Eternal Updates That Make It a Modern Strategy Classic

Kemet first hit shelves in 2012, and it’s managed to stay in the conversation ever since through ongoing updates and fresh additions. Recently, a new big box release gave players a chance to jump into the “complete” feel of the game again, and it’s been a strong reminder of why Kemet has such staying power.

Is Kemet just a more complicated Risk?

At a glance, Kemet looks like a familiar kind of strategy: an area control game in the spirit of Risk. Instead of simply sweeping across territories, you place troops and mythical figures onto the board and work to seize control of regions. Certain zones include temples, and holding those temples grants temporary victory points. If you can keep the temple, the points keep coming. Battles and other activities also let you earn permanent victory points, and those permanent points don’t get taken away once you’ve secured them.

Victory comes down to reaching a target number of victory points. To get there, the game pairs a small set of core actions with purchasable player powers that shape how you approach each match. You can gain Prayer Points, reposition troops, upgrade pyramids, and buy tiles. Prayer Points stand out as especially valuable because they’re what you spend to acquire player powers.

Player powers are organized into multiple categories—some oriented toward defense, others focused on boosting attacks, and more besides. The market offers these powers in four different tiers, and what you’re able to buy depends on the level of the colored pyramid associated with your current build. In other words, progression isn’t just about upgrading; it also determines what kind of power options you’ll have access to.

Combat itself stays straightforward in execution. Each side brings battle cards that can be used whether you’re attacking or defending. Those cards add bonuses to particular statistics. Once cards are played, the game compares the attacking and defending values, then applies wounds to soldiers as needed.

So while Kemet leans on relatively basic mechanical pieces, it’s still a game that demands careful planning—every decision matters, and the strategy can run deep.

Hold onto those points

Kemet’s win condition is different from many other area control games because it doesn’t require total domination. You don’t have an endless army either—each player starts with only a small number of troops, and the starter force is nowhere near enough to control the whole board. That forces you to be deliberate about where your units go and when you commit to fights.

The split between temporary victory points and permanent victory points is one of the biggest drivers of tension turn to turn. Battles can be effective, but they can also chew through your forces quickly. After a major push, you’ll often need multiple turns just to restore your army to full strength. Temple control is steadier, but because the points are temporary, you either end up holding those temples indefinitely or accept that losing them means the effort may have been wasted.

There’s also a constant balancing act: you need to protect your home base while still pushing outward toward temples to claim temporary points. At the same time, you’re always checking the player power market, since the available powers are limited. This creates a “don’t snooze” dynamic—if you pass on the right option at the wrong time, you may not get another chance. The reviewer notes that no single power felt overwhelmingly dominant in a vacuum, but in practice certain powers can become extremely impactful when they pair with particular strategies, making it important to get the upgrades you’re aiming for.

Ways to add more complexity and depth

For this big box review, the Rise of the Gods expansion was included, bringing several new building blocks. It adds additional player powers you can purchase, new mythical units, and a new purchasable tile color. With Blood and Sands and Rise of the Gods combined, Kemet offers seven tile colors to choose from during a game, and that variety significantly influences the kind of strategy you can pursue.

One of the added tile types is Amber, which provides Servants that can be attached to units. Servants don’t directly increase a unit’s strength, but they offer powerful effects in other ways. By combining a servant with a creature inside a single unit, players can set up synergies that open new tactical lines.

Rise of the Gods also introduces a new god designed with its own distinct powers. All of those abilities can shift the game in surprising directions. Gods function as their own units on the board, complete with their own powers as well as attack and defense values. Importantly, gods can’t be used at the beginning of the match; instead, they enter play once a points threshold is reached. Because they’re so strong, they add another layer of strategic depth—something the reviewer specifically enjoyed.

What makes Kemet such an attractive game

Kemet is a “mean” game in the way most area control titles are—there’s friction, competition, and plenty of player interaction. It’s the kind of game that really depends on the group at the table. With the right players, though, it stands out as something special.

Much of that appeal comes from the Power Tiles. Each match uses only a limited set of tile colors, and that selection shapes what your playthrough will feel like. If you lean into aggressive colors such as Red and Amethyst, your overall experience tends to become more aggressive by default. If you dial back on aggression tiles, you may end up with a game that feels more hands-on and strategic in how it unfolds.

With the Rise of the Gods big box package, the experience becomes even more flexible. Small differences in setup can lead to drastically different games, which means even a fifth run can still feel distinct rather than repetitive. Multiple tile colors, multiple gods, and questions like whether to include obelisks on the map all come down to setup decisions—and those choices determine the shape of the match you’re about to play.

If you enjoy conflict, Kemet is for you

If you like area control and frequent player interaction, Kemet is positioned as a purchase worth considering. The reviewer emphasizes that few games released over the last decade managed to hook them as strongly, and while acquiring the full collection can be expensive, they believe the value shows up over time.

What you need to know

The base version of Kemet is described as satisfying and a strong standalone experience. If you only plan to bring it to the table once or twice per year, sticking with the base game may be enough. However, if you see yourself playing monthly, the reviewer recommends getting the expansion content.

They also suggest looking at Inis and Cyclades—both published by the same company that publishes Kemet, Matagot Games.

Adam has been writing about video games since 2014 and board games since 2018. When he isn’t supporting the Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto FC, he has either a controller in hand—likely on a Nintendo platform—or is at a table playing board games. The reviewer also holds firm opinions on a few topics: that there are board games better than Settlers of Catan, and that Nintendo doesn’t need to compete with Sony and Microsoft.

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