Masmorra – Dungeons of Arcadia Review
A co-op dungeon crawl with a lot of possibilities and some really cute minis from CMON.
Masmorra was a magical dungeon built beneath the streets of Arcadia. It was meant to be a training grounds for young Heroes, until it was taken by force by the evil wizard, Malaphyas. Now the Heroes will play through several rounds, delving deeper into the dungeon, facing off against nasty monsters, and gaining experience as they go. Included in Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcadia are three different variants on the way you play the game. You can play competitively for experience or overall fame and glory in an epic campaign, or you can join forces and cooperate to take down one of the greatest villains Arcadia has ever faced.
Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcadia – $64.99
The Basics:
- 1-5 players
- Ages 14+
- 60-90 minutes play time
In the Box:
- 60 Dungeon Tiles
- 5 Hero Dashboards
- 5 Hero Miniatures
- 5 Plastic Colored Bases
- 12 Custom Monster Dice
- 7 Custom Action Dice
- 41 Tokens
- 11 Plastic Tokens
- 95 Game Cards
- 1 XP Track Sheet
- 10 Player Aids
- 1 Rulebook
Gameplay:
Players take on the role of one of five heroes to battle with monsters and collect treasure in the dungeons beneath the streets of Arcadia. The overall goal of the game is to explore the map to find treasure and gain XP; players will have to disarm traps and defeat monsters along the way. There are three ways to play:
- Standard – players compete against one another to gain the most XP and win the game
- Epic – the heroes compete with each other while exploring the lair of the evil wizard Malaphyas
- Alliance – players team up in a battle with the dangerous Malaphyas in his lair to stop his evil plans
The rulebook is 20 pages, but don’t let that throw you. This game is easy to get into. The rules are laid out in a way that’s easy to understand, and there are a ton of great illustrations to help out. You’ll be able to start exploring your dungeons in no time.
Check out the Rules Here
The quality of the components meet the standards set by other CMON games. The game pieces will hold up to a lot of play, and the minis are fantastic. If you want to customize your set a bit more the heroes would look great painted. The art is super colorful and rich with detail.
If you’re an Acadia quest fan already you’ll get to explore a new part of the universe with fun characters. Masmorra is lighter on strategy, which can be a plus or minus depending on how your group likes to play. The set up and game play is faster than the original game. It gives players the ability to choose how you level up. Slightly disappointed that it doesn’t come with minis for the villains, they are dice reliant instead – maybe we’ll see some options in later expansion packs.
Overall a fun game that you can get multiple plays out of, and it’s family game night ready. Kids will love the chibi characters and cartoon style art; and the gameplay will allow them to explore new realms on the tabletop while using problem solving skills.
