Castle Panic, Game Review

Picture from Fireside Games

The castle stands and we as the defenders stand ready to defend it. There are hordes of monsters coming from all around us. We can work together to keep them from tearing down the walls and invading our home.

Castle Panic pits the defenders of the castle against the invading monsters. Players build a hand and play the cards allowing them to strike at the monsters in different zones. The goal is to keep them from getting to the castle walls. If they reach the walls, they can tear down them down and invade inside the wall.

I had the opportunity of playing Castle Panic at SaltCon in the room hosted by Double Exposure Inc./Envoy games. Three of us sat down and played the basic game with no expansions. The base game is a good for beginners and younger players. The expansions might also work, but I haven't played the game with expansions. The three of us were able to start quickly because the rules were straight forward and easy to understand. For two of us this was the first time we had played Castle Panic.

The board

We played a cooperative game. The instructor told us there were several ways to play, which included the cooperative style, team play of one side playing the monsters, solitaire, and one with players collect trophies for a high score. We went with the pure cooperative game, which I also found out was the first time one of our players had played a cooperative game.

The rules are easy to understand. Players start with a hand of cards that are used and traded to other players. Monsters are randomly drawn and placed on a zone of the board and they move forward to attack the castle. The cards give the player the opportunity of seeing which area they can defend and at what distance from the castle wall. There is some planning of seeing when an invader is within range and giving the right cards to that player who can make the defense.

Playing the cooperative game gave us an advantage of helping each other with advice on how to pass cards. Even the less experienced gamer at the table soon understood the basics and was picking up on the options they could do on their turn.

Moster tokens

Castle Panic is a good family game. It is rated for ages 10+, but younger players, especially those who have played some other games, can easily join in on their own. Inexperienced younger players may need a little help. The game also has a quick pace so the game keeps moving and keeps the interest of younger players. A friend with children told me this has become one of their staples on family game night. To add a more excitement, they use miniatures to represent the monsters attacking the castle.

Castle Panic is designed by Justin De Witt and distributed by Fireside Games. It is designed for 1–6 players to be played in less than an hour (our game took about 45 minutes).

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