5-Minute Dungeon
WE PLAY 2 LEARN
Game Ratings
FAMILY
7
YOUNG KIDS
5
OLDER KIDS
8
ADULTS
8
Overview
| Players | Playing Time | Best Age | Educational |
| 2 - 5 | 5-10 minutes | 8 - Adult | Team Problem Solving |
| Skill | Luck | Strategy | Social | Game Type | Play Style |
| 60% | 40% | 40% | 60% | Card | Cooperative |
5-Minute Dungeon is fun and very quick to play. It is a cooperative game so all players are working together to win.
Using the official rules, it really does take 5 minutes or less because your team is in a race against a 5 minute timer to defeat the board or you all lose together.
This game is intended for older kids and adults as the time limit can make it pretty stressful, but that timer also makes it more fun than other cooperative games.
Too often cooperative games are dominated by a single player that directs all strategy, in what essentially becomes a single player game. However, that's just not practical in a
fast paced game like this so everyone will really be working together.
For those that want to play at a more relaxed pace or with younger kids, it is a game that
can be customized very easily for you too. 5-Minute Dungeon does not have as strong of an educational element as some other games we review, but can help develop strategic
problem solving skills in a team environment.
One big question board game players will ask is, how is this different than 5 Minute Marvel? The basic mechanics of the two games are actually identical. Use cards in your hand to match colors/symbols and defeat doors/villians. But there are a few key differences as well. We detail those differences below, but the end effect is that 5 Minute Marvel is a little easier to win when using a 5 minute timer. However, it is very simple to increase (or decrease) the difficulty level of either version of the game. If you're trying decide between the two, we would suggest choosing whichever theme (fantasy or superhero) appeals to your family more.
- 5 Minute Marvel vs 5 Minute Dungeon
- In 5 Minute Dungeon players have less cards overall so they must be more careful when discarding to use a power, otherwise they will very likely run out of cards and lose the round. However, while 5 Minute Dungeon does have some ways to recover discarded cards, 5 Minute Marvel does not.
- In 5 Minute Marvel certain event cards may "injure" your hero, which will prevent them from using their powers. This does not happen in 5 Minute Dungeon.
- In 5 Minute Marvel each player has two decks of cards they draw from to make their hand. Each hero has 10 unique hero cards that form one of their decks. The second deck is made of the 120 resource cards that are divided among all players at the start of the game. Each player's resource deck will then vary in size depending on how many people are playing. In 5 Minute Dungeon each hero only has a single deck of cards and it does not change.
How to Play
Official Rules
The official rules are available from the manufacturer here. The rules are well explained, including helpful illustrations.
Enhanced Rules
This is an exciting game using the official rules, but will require some customization when playing with younger kids and some adults as we explain in our Custom Rules section.
Fast Facts
How many players?
- Playable with 2-5
- Best with 3-5
What ages can play?
- Playable for ages 3* to Adult
- Best for ages 8* to Adult
*Using the official rules, this is really a game for older kids and adults because the timer makes it very challenging. Even the manufacturer's suggested age of 8 is likely too low. However, this game can be easily customized to accomodate younger kids as we suggest in our Custom Rules section. With some of these changes it can become a fairly straightforward color/symbol matching game. This will allow younger kids to participate with only minimal help.
Can different skill levels or ages play together?
Yes, with modification, but gameplay will be affected.
If you plan to play with different skill levels, we suggest using some of our Custom Rules.
When using the official rules, this is an extremely fast paced game and the cooperative play style means that players of different skill levels will become frustrated with each other. For this reason, we recommend removing the timer
entirely the first couple times playing the game. Then bring the timer back in as your family is ready. We also advise playing some games where skill levels
are not mixed to fully appreciate the game.
How long does it take to play?
Only 5 minutes with official rules, up to 10 minutes with our Custom Rules
Will we get bored after a few games or does it have good replayability?
The core gameplay does not change, but there is enough variability between the heroes and challenges to keep things entertaining. The fast pace will also help add excitement each time you play. Be aware this is not a game you will want to play for an hour straight, but it is one you can pull out frequently for short game sessions.
Setup/Cleanup
How much work is it?
Low-Medium. There is some time required to setup the dungeon cards at the start and sort out each player's cards at the end, but it's really only a few minutes for each.
Would kids be able to do it on their own?
Setup of the dungeon cards will require counting up to 40 for the final boss. Other than that, a 4 year old could likely setup and cleanup on their own.
Will parents have fun too...
...when playing with the kids?
Yes, but be prepared to play at a slower pace and without the timer. The game will not be nearly as exciting for
parents this way, but it's still more enjoyable than standard "kid" games.
...without the kids?
Yes, this game is really intended for older kids and adults playing with others of similar skill/age.
Educational Value
What skills will this game help develop?
Team Problem Solving
The cooperative play style means that players will have to work together to find the best way to defeat the dungeon cards. This will not simply mean
looking at each others cards to find the player with the right color/icon either. There will be many times throughout the game that the team will not have the right cards to defeat a dungeon card by matching
the color/icon. They must then decide if they use a special Action Card, Special Ability, or some combination of both. All the while the timer will be counting down so the team must decide
quickly.
But will my kids actually have fun playing it?
Yes, this game is really all about having fun.
Custom Rules
To make the game easier, especially for younger kids
Allow more than 5 minutes to win or remove the timer entirely
The 5 minute timer makes this game very challenging, even for adults, so this is needed to make it possible to play with younger kids.
We suggest playing the first couple games with no timer at all to familiarize with gameplay. Then bring the timer back starting at 8-10 minutes and work down in time as your family is ready.
It's possible the youngest kids will even refuse to play with the timer at all as some find it too stressful.
Play with more cards in hand
This will not affect overall gameplay too much and makes the game easier by giving each player more options. We suggest only using 1 or 2 more cards than the
official rules state to use for the number of players in your game.
Use less dungeon cards (Doors and Challenges)
If you find your team coming up just a little short each game, this is a simple change
that should help. And it has even less impact on the basic gameplay than the last suggestion. Remove only a couple Door cards for a small decrease in difficulty. Remove more Door Cards
or some Challenge cards for an even easier game.
Do you use custom rules we haven't thought of? If you have found some other ways to customize the rules, please share them with us through our Contact page. We're always interested in new ways to improve gameplay.
Where to Buy
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