Game Review: 5 Minute Dungeon - The fastest dungeon crawler
Back in the fall of last year, Amazon first introduced me to the game 5-Minute Dungeon. The title appeared in the "Other customers also bought" list. If the description sounds exciting, I buy the game and put it on the shelf—it's better to have it than need it. It came to the table on this year's holiday in Denmark. The name sounds like a role-playing game, which immediately aroused aversion. Especially in my wife, who doesn't like these kinds of games at all—she thought.
First Impression
The packaging is large. But the game components are manageable. There are five heroes and their corresponding cards, each individually shrink-wrapped. The same applies to the dungeon and boss cards. The entire setup takes only a few minutes to complete. The cards feel good and shuffle easily. Not too hard, not too soft.
The instructions are short and crisp. Four pages, of which only the first two needs to be read to get started. A stopwatch is essential because the name says it all – we have five minutes for each dungeon. That's why our mobiles are on the table. We usually banish them during our game sessions so we can concentrate on each other.
It takes less than 15 minutes from unpacking to starting the game, and we're off! Of course, we didn't defeat the Baby Barbarian on our first attempt. I'd say we failed miserably. And we have a lot of fun doing so. Even my wife's scepticism has vanished. We immediately started the second attempt.
Detailed Feedback
For me, an essential criterion for qualifying a game as a good family game is whether someone can participate in the game without being able to read, or, better yet, whether they can actively take part. The 5-Minute Dungeon uses symbols, so with a bit of help, the hero cards are self-explanatory. The texts help with initial understanding, but aren't necessary and aren't relevant to the game's progression.
The game against the clock presents a different challenge. To complete the dungeon in five minutes, the heroes must work together, coordinate, and be extremely fast. This requires a good overview and quick action. As a result, my daughter became a silent follower in the first few rounds, receiving instructions only. This made her feel excluded. To compensate for this, we decided to play more calm and convert it to a 7-Minute Dungeon. The fun remains, and we act as a team.
The role-playing element is almost nonexistent compared to games like Andor or classic Dungeon & Dragons. Yes, the title and setting resemble classic RPGs. However, this only sets the framework for the rules. The actual gameplay involves laying cards. As is typical in RPGs, the team plays against the game, or rather against the dungeon. We all like this principle, and it suits us. Somewhat unusual for RPGs is the lack of dice. This initially irritated me.
The replay value is easily achieved. Firstly, the dungeons can be played at three different difficulty levels. Secondly, the hero selection changes the course of the game. And even with the same dungeon and heroes, the enemies, mini-bosses, and events, as well as your hero cards, are constantly shuffled, meaning no two runs are the same.
Conclusion
With the 5-Minute Dungeon, even the shortest time frame can be used for a game session. All you need is a table and a mobile phone. Setting up, completing, and clearing a dungeon takes 15 minutes. After each run, you can swap heroes, or switch to a different difficulty level. And if a participant drops out for a moment—because someone is making popcorn for the evening—the next level is completed with one less warrior.
For me, the 5-Minute Dungeon is an excellent addition to our game set for relaxing days in a Danish house.
