Review: Dungeon Mayhem

• January 12, 2019
• James Skemp
• review

The following is a review of Dungeon, received as part of the Amazon Vine program.

Great Filler Game for Any Level of Player

In short, Dungeon Mayhem is a great little filler game, that’s easy to teach, for two to four players, with the sweet spot being somewhere within three and four players.

In Dungeon Mayhem each player selects one character from a total of four characters, with each have the same basic abilities, as well as a few unique ones.

With a starting hand of three cards and ten hit points, during their turn players will draw and then play a card from their hand, with some cards allowing for more than one play. The goal is to knock any other players down to zero hit points and be the last character standing.

With games taking no more than ten minutes, and with two players taking more time to setup than actually play, Dungeon Mayhem is a great example of a filler game that can either be played to spend a little time between games, or if you need something quick to end the day.

The cards themselves are generally appealing, but also without too much fluff which may make them plain to some. There are small paper pieces that are used to mark the character’s current health and any damage that shield cards may have taken, which are small and simple enough that these will probably be the first thing people will lose. If you wanted to make it a little more ‘D&D’-like you could also purchase four D10s and give players one to mark their health instead, but you would probably need a different box.

The cards are also a slightly smaller size, and since it could be a good idea to sleeve them if you want to keep them in relatively good condition, given how often each card may be used, you’ll have to look into size-specific sleeves.

Having taught and played the game in two to four player games, I’ve had no difficulty teaching the game to other players. The character-specific skills are generally the only thing that takes a bit of time, as well as the ability to chain cards (which is basically just knowing the best time to play cards that give you additional actions). Playing with two players is fine, especially since you can swap out characters, but I’d generally recommend more than two players, with some sort of rotation after every game.

In summary, Dungeon Mayhem is a great little filler game that’s easy to teach and quick to play. The components are basic, but that’s just fine. I personally give the game four of five stars (seven of ten) since I’m generally more interested in playing something a bit meatier, but it’ll replace and be in the rotation for certain people we play with. Recommended.

• review