Matthew BaileyFor years now, whenever someone has been looking for a dungeon crawler, I usually recommend Coraquest and if they are looking for a step up from that Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is always the game that I recommend. But I’ve never actually done a review of it, so considering that the boys wanted to play it the other day, I thought now would be the perfect time.
Gloomhaven as a series, is, in modern times, probably the most famous dungeon crawler out there. The original game sat at the very top of the BoardGameGeek “Best Game of All Time” list for years, only recently being knocked off — largely due to review bombing after Cephalofair, the publishers, made a statement about being more inclusive in their upcoming releases.
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The world of Gloomhaven is what I’d call high fantasy, but not in the traditional sense. You won’t find your usual elves, dwarves, or goblins here. Instead, you get unique races with their own analogues, which makes the world feel fresh and different. I’ve always loved this setting and would honestly love to see more media in it, an animated series, a live-action show or even a film.
There are essentially three main dungeon crawler games in the series. First, the original Gloomhaven, which has just been re-released as a second edition with some quality-of-life improvements. Then there’s Frosthaven, the huge boxed sequel. And finally, there’s Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, which is a smaller, more accessible entry point.
If anyone asks me to recommend a dungeon crawler, I always say Jaws of the Lion. In fact, I honestly think it’s the best of the three, especially if you’re just starting out and dipping your toes into dungeon crawlers.
I can’t go into full detail about every aspect of the gameplay, but here’s the gist: you each play a character and work together to defeat enemies and complete objectives tied to the story scenario you’re on. Each turn, you choose two cards from your hand. Every card has a top and bottom action, usually the top is more attack-focused, while the bottom leans towards movement or utility.
The card with the lowest initiative number determines when you’ll act in the round compared to the monsters and other players. Once everything is revealed, players and monsters take turns in order. The really clever bit is that you don’t have to lock in which half of each card you’re using until it’s actually your turn, meaning your plans can change depending on what your allies or the monsters do.
After using cards, they go into a discard pile. When you start running out, you must take a rest, which returns your cards but permanently burns one. This creates a soft timer — you need to finish the mission before running out of cards, or your character becomes exhausted.
Now, Gloomhaven has a bit of a reputation as being complex — and yes, it’s not as straightforward as Snakes and Ladders or Carcassonne. But Jaws of the Lion is actually an excellent introduction to dungeon crawlers. If you use the free companion app, it takes care of all the fiddly admin: tracking monster health, drawing monster ability cards, and so on. That leaves you to just focus on your cards and decisions. I’ve only played without the app once, and honestly — just use the app. It’s so much better with it.
The game itself comes with 25 scenarios, of which you’ll typically play around 16 in a single campaign. As you go, your characters level up, unlock new abilities, and get stronger. There are also some other surprises that I won’t spoil here.
It’s extremely approachable, not only because of the app, but also because unlike Gloomhaven or Frosthaven, all the maps are laid out in a scenario book. You don’t need to build big tile maps — it’s all printed for you. The first few missions also act as a tutorial, introducing mechanics step by step, so the learning curve is much smoother.
Another thing I really like is Isaac Childres’ (the designer’s) attitude. His stance is: it’s a co-op game, so if you’re unsure about a rule, just make a decision and move on. We regularly house rule things when playing with the kids. For example, when you kill a monster and it drops loot, the rulebook says you have to use an action to move onto that space to collect it. But when we’re playing, we just say you get the loot automatically. It might not be the official rule, but it makes the flow smoother — and it’s very much in line with the designer’s “play how you want” spirit.
The artwork is fantastic, the character design is brilliant, and the storylines are engaging. Spending time in this world is a joy. If you want to try it digitally first, you can actually buy Gloomhaven on Steam or consoles, it’s a very faithful recreation of the board game. I also recommend the Forteller app, which narrates the story text with professional voice acting in a medieval fantasy style. It adds loads of atmosphere.
A quick note on the photos: all my miniatures are painted, and I’ve added some 3D-printed extras. You don’t get those in the box, but honestly, you don’t need them — everything you need is included, and the value for what you get is excellent.
As for playing with kids, you’re not going to sit a group of 6-year-olds down and expect them to run it on their own. But as a storytelling aid, it can work with younger players if you guide them. We played most of it with Jack and Toby a few years ago, and Toby was only about five or six at the time. Because it’s co-op, you can help them with their turns without it feeling like “cheating,” and they still get immersed in the world.
To wrap up: I absolutely love Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. I’d love to see Cephalofair make a smaller-box version of Frosthaven in the same style — a lighter, more accessible campaign alongside the big box. If you’re even slightly interested in dungeon crawlers, this is, in my opinion, the best starting point out there. Just make sure you use the app — it makes everything so much smoother.
*If looking for a dungeon crawler to get into as this is a perfect entry point
