The Night Cage 🕯️🗝️
Designers⚙️: Christopher Ryan Chan, Chris McMahon, Rosswell Saunders
Artist🎨: Christopher Ryan Chan
[ @smirkanddagger ] 1-5 players
Ambiance. This is the key thing that comes to mind when I look at or think of this game. Is it a fun game? Absolutely. Is it a challenging co-op? Yes. What makes it shine though, is turning out the lights, lighting some candles, and playing the official soundtrack for the game. That brings it to a whole new level.
I've found that when it comes to board games, generally a scary one is hard to come by. And while this one won't keep you up at night, when you stop to think about it and also while playing in the right setting, this loneliness, and hopelessness of your little candle holder can really come through. More unsettling than anything and the fact that it's there only elevates this game experience for me.
On your turn you draw from a stack of tiles that sit in what looks like a candle. Slowly dwindling as it melts. You must find four keys and get out of this pitch black place.
Like a lot of tile placement games you need to match the paths to your tile, but the twist here is: Only adjacent tiles are lit and can be seen. Move a space? New tiles become visible while others fade into darkness. Find your friends and larger areas can stay little, but you run the risk of Waxeaters and other monsters harming you and your companions dwindling your light even faster.
It's cautious and slightly nerve-wracking puzzle, but one that creates such a fun experience and story that you just want to play one more time! It's perfect for this time of year, and something different than the usual scary stuff you'd see.
