Publisher: Smirk & Dagger Games
Designers: Christopher Ryan Chan, Chris McMahon, Rosswell Saunders
Artist: Christopher Ryan Chan
1-5 Players
Playtime: 40-60 Minutes
We wake up in the dark with nothing but a candle, hunched over in a tunnel that is barely big enough for us to crawl through. As the flame flickers, our hearts race, and the realization sinks in that we’re trapped in The Night Cage. Cooperation is our only hope.
A Brief How To Play
Depending on the selected difficulty level, special tiles such as keys, gates, mazes, and monsters are integrated into the tile deck. This ever-changing deck ensures that each playthrough offers a unique experience.
When a player’s turn begins, their first task is to illuminate all adjacent tunnels if they haven’t been illuminated already. Usually, they will be illuminated after the move action, but on the first turn, players will place their meeples and go ahead and illuminate their surrounding tiles. As the player navigates the maze with their move actions, any tunnels not adjacent to any player fade away to the encroaching darkness, prompting the removal of those tiles from the game. Players also have the option to remain stationary, accruing nerve tokens that grant them additional actions on future turns.
The crux of the game centers on the quest to uncover keys and the exit gate. Only the gate stands between players and their escape. Each player must locate a key, with these vital components scattered throughout the deck of tiles, neatly arranged on a candle-shaped tile holder. The deck also conceals monsters, each possessing unique abilities capable of impeding your progress. If a monster successfully lands an attack on a player who cannot evade it, their candle extinguishes, and tiles are ejected from the deck, potentially leading to defeat if keys or gates are lost. Players do have a few ways to escape monsters, some are more desperate than others, like jumping into pits and hoping they land somewhere safe on the board during their next turn.
Of course, this is only a brief summary of the rules. For the full rulebook, click here.
Pacing and Interaction
The Night Cage offers a gameplay experience with nice pacing and interactivity. Short turns consisting of a single action keep the game moving fast. The efficiency of actions, both in terms of their mechanical execution and the time spent on the table, ensures minimal downtime.
However, the pacing isn’t without its minor flaws. Occasionally, it’s affected by luck due to how tiles are shuffled together. Unlike games like Forbidden Island, where tiles are deliberately grouped during setup, The Night Cage can yield scenarios where keys, gates, and monsters clump together. This can lead to moments of frustration when you experience a string of bad luck, encountering numerous monsters or finding all the keys at the bottom while the gate sits at the top, effectively locking a player in place. The player stuck at a gate doesn’t have too much to do, so these moments are typically just not fun.
Interactivity is a core element of the game, fostering collaboration among players. Like other cooperative puzzle games such as Tesseract or Pandemic, players must work together to succeed. While cooperation is essential, the game’s horror premise cleverly incorporates individual motivations, making it more tempting for players to act on their own. The relatively compact game board ensures frequent interaction between players, often requiring key exchanges or sacrifices to aid teammates. The inability to share spaces forces players to consider their positioning to avoid obstructing paths. Without collaboration, the odds of success diminish, even with some fortunate draws.
Replayability
Replayability is a strong suit of The Night Cage. The inclusion of various types of monsters and the ability to adjust the difficulty by choosing different combinations of game elements provide a wide range of gameplay experiences. Even when replaying the same difficulty level, the random nature of the game keeps each playthrough fresh. While some games may flow more smoothly than others, each game presents a unique puzzle, and the solution isn’t always the same, even if the same tiles are used. This variability ensures that players can return to The Night Cage time and time again without experiencing monotony.
Theme and Components
The game seamlessly weaves its theme into the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience. The gradual melting of the candle meeples, represented by the decreasing tile deck on the candle holder, adds an extra layer of immersion. This visual representation of time running out amplifies the sense of urgency and encourages players to immerse themselves in the eerie atmosphere.
In terms of components, The Night Cage impresses. The candle tile holder, which also functions as a game element, is not only practical but also aesthetically pleasing. The inclusion of metal keys adds a tactile and weighty dimension to the gameplay, enriching the overall experience. The candle meeples, with their unique and somewhat endearing designs, further enhance the game’s visual appeal. The thick, durable tiles contribute to the longevity of the game, as they are designed to withstand repeated use while maintaining the element of surprise by concealing the information on their reverse side. The attention to detail in the components contributes to the game’s immersive quality, making it a delight for novice and experienced tabletop gamers.
The Night Cage Is Great For Fans Of…
The Night Cage is perfect for friends who enjoy cooperative puzzle-solving in a suspenseful and immersive atmosphere. It’s a great fit for tabletop gamers of all levels, offering variable and replayable challenges, while its horror theme adds an extra layer of excitement that’s perfect with mood lighting in the room.
The Night Cage
The Night Cage offers an immersive cooperative tabletop experience that keeps players engaged as they navigate the ever-changing darkness.
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Pacing and Interaction
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Theme and Components
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Replay Value
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Enjoyment
