Matthew BaileyGame 44 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “5-Minute-Dungeon” played with Toby(6).
“5 Minute Dungeon” is a fast-paced cooperative card game where you and your fellow players battle your way through a dungeon. The catch is that you only have five minutes to defeat all the obstacles that stand in your way.
Each player starts by choosing a character from various fantasy archetypes such as the Mage, Ranger, Paladin, and more. Each hero has a unique deck of cards that represent their special abilities, which can be used to overcome the challenges in the dungeon. Once everyone is ready, you set a timer for five minutes and begin your adventure.
The dungeon is composed of a stack of cards, including monsters, traps, and bosses. To defeat a card, you need to match the symbols shown on the card by playing the corresponding cards from your hand—like swords for monsters or shields to overcome obstacles. Teamwork is crucial, as everyone can play cards from their hand at any time. Communication is key; you’ll be saying things like, “I’ve got a sword, I need a shield. What do you have?” Constantly cycling through your cards and coordinating with your team is essential to keep moving forward.
The challenge comes in managing your resources effectively. If you run out of cards or time before clearing the dungeon, the game is over. After defeating all the cards, you’ll face a boss where you need to pool your resources and strategize to win. If you defeat the boss before time runs out, you win the game. You can then play again at a harder difficulty level.
We played “5 Minute Dungeon” twice, and on both occasions, we finished with just seconds to spare, which was quite exciting. The artwork is really nice—everything is bright, colourful, and very engaging, and it all works together to create an appealing package.
However, while we did enjoy playing, I asked if my group wanted to play a third game, and the answer was a resounding “no.” I don’t think this is a game you’d necessarily want to play repeatedly. After two rounds, Toby, one of the players, was more than happy to stop and wasn’t particularly eager to play again. To be honest, I share the sentiment.
The mechanics for getting rid of obstacles and monsters aren’t varied enough. I would have liked to see more mechanics needed to defeat different types of challenges rather than just laying down different symbols.
I definitely think there are people who will really enjoy “5 Minute Dungeon,” but it just wasn’t quite our thing. We’re generally not fans of games with time pressure, though we did have some fun here. I’m just not sure we’ll be playing it again. So, it’s a middle-of-the-road review on this occasion.
