Escape the Dark Castle Review

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Well done Matt.

Great read, and way to capture the feel of the game. I really dig this game. The cards have just enough narrative to set the tone and be interesting. The artwork is on point too. The game sits on such a simple framework that you think, “Why didn’t I think of this?”

My only knock is that from encounter card to card things can feel a bit disjoint. When we play it I read all the cards and — since I’m a pretty quick prereader — I throw a little bit of narrative in between from one card to the next to tie them together a little bit before I start reading the new card out loud. Little flourishes like that can help elevate the game from “Why am I going through the motions of drawing cards and reading them” to “This is our story.”

It’s definitely a game that gives back what you put into it. It’s the type of thing that rewards you for sitting around a table and buying into the experience. It’s the type of narrative thing that I’m really glad can still exist in the land of modern design and refined mechanics.

I've had my copy for months, and have not played it.
I'll correct that error this evening.
I suppose the upcoming session(s) can influence an opinion about the new Kickstarter.

I finally cracked opened my copy last night.
Gruesome and charming all in one.
Simple and... smoky?
I remember Kickstarting this game purely for the illustrations.
I am not disappointed.
They're great.
The game is perfectly fine. My wife and I learned together, and wrapped in the suggested time frame - 30 minutes.
Mad props to the soundtrack. It's great background music.

Has anyone played the 1st expansion? Is anyone getting the 2nd and 3rd?

Wonder if they were inspired by Cave Evil, aesthetically.

I want this badly, but not 80 quid badly.

SuperflyTNT wrote: I want this badly, but not 80 quid badly.

That's fair. It's fun, but not that fun.