Key to the Kingdom

Board Game Geek Reviews

1. 10 out of 10

   ianwng

   a 10 with kids. just look at the board. i dare you to show me another board that proclaims 'fun adventure' better than this one! no need to learn rules after rules, no need to count points after points. sometimes kids just want to be wisked away on an adventure, be a hero, meet funny weird characters and defeat the demon king.

2. 5 out of 10

   ThatTrekBoy

   I was hoping they would modernized the original & add more depth to the game but they seemingly have done the exact opposite. Gone are the dungeons, gone are the monsters (when entering a location to get the treasure), gone is the menacing demon king piece that would teleport around & try to capture you, gone are the deep magic cards (which would prevent a player from opening/closing a board) & gone are the location pouches (one for every location that may or may not include they Key to the Kingdom). You no longer need the key to the kingdom & another treasure (then escape!) to win but rather you need to complete your key (collecting 3 different pieces) & then having a final showdown in the demon kings lair. I enjoy the excitement of trying to overcome a monster in the locations rather than just ‘trying to move to next space’. The new one is just boring. There are aspects I do enjoy from the original, but I wanted more depth & complexity added to it, this is not what I found here.

3. 8.25 out of 10

   kalchio

   "Overall, I'm a fan of Key to the Kingdom! I think it's a surprisingly robust family game that's enjoyable for a lot of folks. I can actually happily imagine a group playing with some younger players and reading from the Adventure Atlas and it's all delightful. That said, as a not younger player, I still enjoyed the game as well, though I'd probably most highly recommend it with a few more than two players. The back-and-forth with the Demon Die wore out its welcome rather quickly, even with being able to modify it. Unreliable dice (as though regular dice are reliable) aren't really my group's scene, though we appreciated the die. Beyond that, though, Key to the Kingdom is a fun and engaging experience. The board is bright, colorful, and full of fun surprises; the cards are silly and goofy and exciting; and the actual physical activity of flipping the board to reveal new challenges is delightful, as well. There's a lot to like here, though I could do with a bit less of the take-that. If you're looking for a game that's a good fit for the family, you're a fan of the original, or you just like modernized roll-and-move games, you'll probably enjoy Key to the Kingdom! I did." For my full thoughts, check out https://whatsericplaying.com/2022/03/28/key-to-the-kingdom/