Matthew BaileyGame 2 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Key to the Kingdom” from restoration games played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). Now Key to the Kingdom was an old game from the 90s released in the UK at least by Waddingtons a name that screamed family board game in those old-style long boxes in the early 90s.
For fun, I have included some comparison shots of the new and old versions as we have both.
In Key to the Kingdom, you play adventurers attempting to find pieces of the Key (to the Kingdom) and use them to access the lair of the Demon King and defeat him.
As you travel around the board, you must undertake challenges to progress and eventually undertake adventures to gain these key fragments.
This is where the game differs from the original. In the original, you went to the different dungeons all looking for one key that was hidden in a dungeon meaning you could have the key to win the game at the first dungeon if you got lucky. This is a big improvement. The other big improvement is the way adventures work. In the original, you could occasionally use items but normal it was a straight “roll and win on X lose on Y” with no skill. In the new version, you can use 8 items that all characters have to manipulate the dice rolls by adding or subtracting 1, 2, 3 or 4 depending on the item used. This works tonnes better and adds an element of strategy. Also the “demon dice” is a special dice you can obtain or give to another player which is a double-edged sword with higher highs but lower lows in terms of numbers on the dice.
These are generally quite easy to understand and were really good to help toby(4) with basic maths (and the concept of odd and even) .
The characters also come with their own unique abilities to add a little more spice.
The lack of variation in the adventures is balanced out by the event deck which gives smaller challenges often with useful outcomes such as gaining a companion (that provides other effects and buffs) or replenishing your items.
One of the key features of the original that has been carried over here is the expanding game board that occurs when you step into a whirlpool. It was cool in the 90s and my kids found it super cool now.
The component quality is very high, the artwork across everything is gorgeous, the miniatures are of good quality and even things like the rule book and event deck are really well done. A lot of love and attention has gone into this and if you played the game in the 90s it’s fun to see the things that have made it in the new version. It is however a big game tablewise so that is def something to be aware of. It also has a lovely insert that earns brownie points in the Bailey household.
The game states 9+ but everything is very cartoony and if your child can manage the mechanics they will be fine.
In the end, Toby(4) managed to make his way to the demon king first and after a few tries eventually beat him winning the game.
The kids loved this game and it is definitely one of the best adventure games you can get to play with the family. The changes over the original are all very welcome and the dice manipulations turn it from a kid’s roll and move to a game with a fair amount of strategy. Overall this is a premium package well worth your time and a much better game than the original. For those of you looking for something with educational benefits, there are a lot of opportunities to practice basic maths.
Big thumbs up on this one.
