Year: 2011| Players: 1-6 | Minutes: 45+ | Ages: 14+
This Dungeon Fighter board game review was made after playing the game about 15 times.
What is Dungeon Fighter?
Dungeon Fighter is a cooperative dexterity game that happens to also be a dungeon crawl. You and your fellow heroes will attempt to move through a dungeon, taking down monsters along the way. You’ll do this by rolling dice in a bunch of weird ways… Don’t worry, it’s fun!
Dungeon Fighter was designed by Aureliano Buonfino, Lorenzo Silva, and Lorenzo Tucci Sorrentino and was published by IELLO.
Dungeon Fighter Gameplay
I’m not going to go over all of the Dungeon Fighter rules here, but you should get a feel for how the game works. It’s actually pretty easy to learn and teach.
Dungeon Fighter is played over a number of rounds in which you are trying to take down monsters by rolling dice toward the bullseye on the board. The closer you get to the middle of this board, the more damage you will do to the current monster. You can also use one of your hero’s three abilities if you roll the hero icon; this is why it is important that you choose a die color (three dice, three abilities) that could benefit you best on your turn.
The rule that never changes is that you must hit the table before the die lands on the target board. However, there are cards, monsters, and room conditions that can force you to roll the dice in different ways. You might have to close your eyes, get below the table, or even turn your back to the board.
There are three levels to the dungeon, each with different rooms that you can explore. Some rooms allow you to purchase equipment at the shops, some let you heal yourself, some have treasure, and others make monsters tougher to defeat. Once you get past the last room of a level, you will move on to the next level.
If you are able to take down all of the monsters, including the insanely difficult boss monster, then everyone wins! If all of the players “faint” during a single round, then everyone loses.
If you want to see a full write-up of the game’s rules, check out the official Dungeon Fighter rulebook (PDF).
Check out our Top 10 Three-Player Games!
Pros and Cons
Pros
- I don’t usually do any type of ratings on this site, but Dungeon Fighter’s “fun factor” rating has to be close to a 10 for me and my group. We’ve had a blast every time this has hit the table and have never gotten frustrated over bad rolls or early losses. It’s important to keep in mind that this game is more about having fun with (and laughing at) friends rather than trying really hard to beat the game.
- The designers set out to make a dungeon crawler with a dexterity twist and they most definitely succeeded in marrying those two mechanisms. You have the dungeon crawl feel as you loot and beat the baddies, and you can’t beat the game without some serious dexterity skills.
- There aren’t too many better WAHOOO! moments in board gaming than when you hit the bullseye with the hero icon showing, killing any monster instantly. In many games, this is your only chance of winning, so it is awesome when you pull it off!
- Some people see Dungeon Fighter as being too difficult, but I love the challenge! It’s not impossible, but it might take you a long time to beat it. That alone gives this game plenty of replay value (if you enjoy it, of course).
- One underrated component in this game is the Monster Hitpoint board. It’s nice to be able to easily track each monster’s health on this board rather than taking away hearts or using dice. More games should include these types of boards/cards.
Cons
- One obvious issue that some people will have with Dungeon Fighter is that they can’t just sit back, relax, and play the game. If dexterity games aren’t your thing, then chances are you will not like this one at all since there is plenty of moving around.
- One tip that probably should have been included in the rulebook is to practice before you start playing. I think our games went a bit better than other groups because we took the time to practice some shots. If you’re attempting a between-the-legs spin shot for the first time when it counts, chances are bad things are going to happen. That could take some of the enjoyment out of the game for you.
- As is the case with most dexterity games, Dungeon Fighter isn’t a game that you will be playing over and over again. That’s not a big problem for my group, but some gamers prefer to only buy games that they will want to play more regularly.
Final Thoughts
Dungeon Fighter is a blast! No, it’s not the type of game that will hit the table every week, but I always know that that I’m going to have a good time when it does. I’ve actually been playing this game for years now and still get a kick out of it every time. It’s definitely one of the best cooperative dexterity game my group has played so far.
This is considered a dungeon crawl game, but it’s really a party game with goofy artwork and plenty of laughs to go around. If you know that going into it and it still sounds like a game you’d enjoy, then you and your group should have a great time playing Dungeon Fighter.
- Update: Dungeon Fighter was added to our Co-op Party Board Games list!
- Update 2: It’s now on the Best Dungeon Crawlers page!
Dungeon Fighter Links
BGG | Amazon | Miniature Market
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