Adventure Games: The Dungeon - A Kosmos Game from Thames & Kosmos | Collaborative, Replayable Storytelling Gaming Experience for 2 To 4 Players Ages 12+

Sierra was my favorite game studio back when I was a kid. I loved King's Quest, Space Quest, and all of the other quests. Heck, I even liked Freddy Pharkas. If you want that feeling while playing a board game, this is it. I had indeed heard it was like the 'ole point-and-click adventures of yesteryear, but was skeptical. It really is! Interact with your environment to find this, combine it with that, and make something different. Find clues, solve puzzles, and move the story along without dying.Though, in this particular game system, there is no death. Health in this game acts more as part of the scoring method. The more health you have, the more points you'll have at endgame, thus a better final score (and possible different endings). The game also has contingencies if you should lose too much health during gameplay so that there is no player elimination. All players who start the game will end the game.This cooperative game can be played solo or with up to four players. I played with two of my sons (11 and 9) and we all had a blast. We were all invested in the story and all helped out. As the most experienced with these types of games, I did most of the heavy lifting as far as the puzzles. But, my oldest son did figure out a crucial puzzle before I did and it was great to see his excitement when he turned out to be correct. It's not complex. I'd give it two of five on the complexity scale.What you get in the box basically amounts to four meeples, an adventure deck of cards, a stack of room cards, and an adventure book which will have all the story contents in it. It's a small package, but there's a lot of fun packed in there. The game is divided into three chapters, and can be saved easily between them. I'd say there's at least an hour per chapter. The first chapter took us longer, but once we got used to the system the next two chapters went by much quicker. There is also a hint system in place if you get stuck. We did not use the adventure book. We used the Kosmos Helper App, which had voice over for all the entries. I feel that added a bit of fun theatrics to the game experience.Keep in mind, this is pretty much a one-time playthrough. Once you know the puzzles and how the story unfolds there's really nothing left. Technically, you could play it again and make a few different decisions, and finish with a different ending. There are at least three different endings as far I can tell. I just don't feel that enough will be different to warrant the time spent. Note that there is nothing destroyed during gameplay like in other similar games, so you can re-package and give to a friend.Overall, I think The Dungeon is great! If you want a comparable experience to escape room games, but with more adventure and story, then this is for you. If you want an experience almost exactly like those old (and new) point-and-click video games, then this game is really for you. You won't be disappointed. It's great for families. The box recommends ages 12 and up, but my kids are younger and I didn't find anything objectionable in the game's content. That age range is probably more for puzzle-solving ability, which I can agree with. We played with three players, but I can also see this as an enjoyable solo game.I can not yet compare it to the other title in this line, Monochrome Inc. as I have not played it yet. I will definitely pick it up and update my review with a comparison when I finish. There is also a third one coming out soon called The Volcanic Island.

Fun adventure escape room game. I enjoyed the story, which was why I got this one.Pros: Easy to learn, fun engaging story, good price, fun room building mechanicsCons: puzzles were pretty easy (may be a pro for some), I wish it was a bit longer finished it in about a 3rd of the advertised time.Overall I would recommend it

This is basically a choose your own adventure game packed into a board game. This game has adventure, problem-solving, and branching pathways.Pros:* Exploration as you unlock new rooms and secrets* Multiple branching pathways - you cannot see everything in one playthrough* Lots of decisions to make* Puzzles that are not too hard, but not too easy* Thematic story that you want to see what happens* Character's skills influence consequences* About 3 to 9 hours of gameplay split into 3 chaptersCons:* You cannot lose - health is really just for points* Combat is not interactive* Final battle (we tested 2 different endings) is kinda anti-climatic - this is probably due to a lack of any real combat mechanicsFinal Thoughts:I am not a big fan of the EXIT games. They are okay, but really just a bunch of themed puzzles - there is no exploration or wonder involved. If you are a huge fan of EXIT, especially the difficult puzzles, then this game series may or may not appeal to you. If you dislike EXIT, then this series is different enough that it would be worth a shot.Really, this is just a choose your own adventure game in a physical space with puzzles. For those wanting to find an escape room at home experience, this is the closest thing I have experienced.While supporting 4 players, this is best with 2 players. There is a lot of downtime between turns with 4 players, and it quickly gets boring and drags out the playtime.Finally, while you can technically replay the game with different choices, a lot of the surprises will be ruined. Just like choose your own adventure books, a replay is nowhere near as fun as the first time around.

My husband and I are avid escape room fans. We go to public escape rooms, we buy the at-home versions, I've been through every Myst incarnation imaginable, etc. This one did not disappoint. Use the app!!! A narrator reads the "choose your own adventure" style entries out loud to you so you don't have to flip back and forth through the book (which could cause you to accidentally view hints or spoilers).Splitting the story into three parts was a great design choice. This makes it very family-friendly and encourages a lot of discussion during your down time. (We took a couple of days between sections and found ourselves often discussing what we should explore next!) Keep some note paper handy because you'll want to take notes to remember where things are or who said what to you.Another great design feature is that nothing in the game gets destroyed in solving the mystery. Once you're done, everything is intact, so you can share the game with another family or set of friends and they can enjoy the game too. Brilliant!Kosmos also makes Exit at-home escape games, which do require you to destroy some elements to solve, but are really fun and engaging. (You'll see a difficulty rating on the box. 4 and 5 are quite challenging! 2 and 3 make for great family fun.)One thing to note - there is the implication of some torture and violence in the story line, so bear that in mind if you decide to buy this game for your family. (We would have been fine solving this game with our son, but all families have their own preferences!)Overall, I highly recommend you buy this and try it, especially if the time-is-running-out feeling of escape rooms gives you hives. This one is much more relaxed. We'll be looking for more Adventure Games to try!

Slightly harder than the others in the series, but highly captivating and lasted 3 hours

The game was a mess. The actual writing on the clues was a disaster, sounded like a rough draft. The cards you had to combine were so random, not intuitive at all. By the end we were just confused and had a pile of clues and cards we never even used. Also, the app sucks as they only use one voice so you have no idea who is talking during conversations. We are very experienced with this type of game.

Really enjoyed this one

Completely boring. Unplayable. You are better off banging your head on doors for half an hour than attempting to play this game. Excellent for regifting! Forget about it!. If you put in in the shopping cart...REMOVE now immediately!!!

Castle is the best, this is strange sometimes