Magic Maze Tower

• Designer: Kasper Lapp
• Publisher: Sit Down!
• Players: 1-4
• Age: 9+
• Time: 30 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3BIeb8w
• Played with review copy provided by Flat River Group

Magic Maze Tower is a new standalone game in the universe of the Magic Maze range. The adventures of the dwarf, the elf, the barbarian and the magician at the mall were a failure and our (brave) adventurers find themselves prisoners of a tower, or rather, of a high-security prison. They will probably need the help of a 5th hero to help them….

The goal of the game is to complete as many levels as possible to escape the prison. Magic Maze Tower is played on a single Level tile, without an hourglass (you can take your time!), without a “do something” token, but the communication is still limited: Speaking is forbidden.

SETUP

• Place a Level card in front of the players.
• Place the Hero pawn of the corresponding color on each Hero space (not all 5 pawns are used every time).
• Distribute the Action tiles to the players (these show movement in each of the four cardinal directions)

HOW TO PLAY

For a level to be completed, all conditions for passing the level must be met and the heroes must then use the exit.  All players will simultaneously move the pawns according to the action assigned to them.  There is no particular turn order in this game; whenever you think that you should move one of the heroes (in the direction allowed by your Action tile), you just do it.   As you move people around, remember that there is a limit of one Hero to a space. 

The initial three board will teach you many of the features that you will encounter in later levels:

• Armory spaces – when you see these, all the Armory spaces must be simultaneously occupied by their hero before moving on
• Ladder spaces – you can “teleport” from one ladder space to another as long as they are orthogonally aligned
• Locked Doors – If you come across a locked door, you cannot go through it until one of the other heroes is standing on the Key space of matching color
• One way spaces – due to high air currents, some spaces only allow for one way travel

Each of the heroes also has their own unique ability:

• Barbarian – can toss any other Hero over a single Trap space – must be in a straight line
• Dwarf – is the only one to be able to go through the small holes in walls
• Elf – He can jump over another Hero in a straight line
• Mage – if on an Invocation space, can swap locations with any other Hero
• Little Sister – She teleports in orthogonal directions but must end her movement on a space adjacent to at least one other Hero

Whenever you are able to get a Hero to its exit space, you remove the pawn from the board. When a level is completed (all the Heroes have exited), you move on to the next one.

Once you have learned all the rules, you move onto the Adventures – there are 15 total in the box – and they range from 4 to 8 quests.  You pull out the boards for your chosen Adventure, and you first do the blue sides of the cards, one by one. When you have completed all of them, flip the cards over.

• In a 4 card adventure, use the purple side to do the larger 2×2 Epic board.  You might have to rotate some of the cards here!
• In an 8 card adventure, you set up the cards in a 3×3 grid – this will leave one space empty – but you will be able to slide the cards into the empty space!

My thoughts on the game

When I first read about this version of Magic Maze, I thought that it was the version that I’ve been waiting for – a low-stress version of the game.  No longer will I be worried about the status of the stupid sand timer; instead, I get a chance to work together with my mates to solve the puzzle in front of me.  That being said, there also isn’t any discovery of new challenges in this game as you can see the entire puzzle right from the start.

I can see how this arrangement appeals to me, but I will say that there is definitely something spicy in the game when there is a bit of time pressure.  I like the complexity of the puzzles here – I feel like the Adventures definitely are harder to solve, in part because there isn’t a time limit.  And, I have definitely enjoyed that aspect of Magic Maze Tower… but it makes it more of a puzzle and less of a game.  The original version feels more like a game with the added time pressure. Which one is better?  Well, I think it just depends on what you’re in the mood for in a particular game session…

I have enjoyed playing through the boards at work – I brought it in, and I have it set up on a side table – and when I have a few spare minutes, I work on a puzzle. For the most part, the game is static and I can stop in the middle of solving a level without issue.  The one thing I would caution you about is getting stuck with the Little Sister – this usually only happens at the start of a level, though I can see ways that it could happen during a level.  Unlike all the other four characters, there are times when you have no way to undo a level – and you’re just forced to start over.  It honestly isn’t a big deal, but just remember that you might have to do this if you feel like you’re just irrevocably stuck.

The master puzzles (that use either 4 or 8 boards) are definitely more challenging, and I have enjoyed working my way through those.  If you do feel like you are totally stuck, just use your phone and scan the QR code that is found on each board.  This will take you to a Youtube page that has a walk through for that particular level.  I have yet to need this safety valve, but it is nice to know that it is there.

So, if you like ThinkFun puzzles and similar activities, this will be totally for you.  If you are hoping for more of the zany and raucous sessions that you had in Magic Maze, temper your expectations.  If you like solo games, this will totally be for you.

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it!
• I like it.
• Neutral. Dale, John P
• Not for me…

• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3BIeb8w