- Publisher : Origames
- Designer : Paul Dennen
- Artist(s) : Clay Brooks, Anika Burrell, Nate Storm, Dan Taylor (II)
- Players : 2–4
- Playing time : 45 - 90 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.51
What's this?
In “CLANK! Catacombs,” players explore mysterious catacombs, collecting treasures and artifacts while avoiding the Dragon and other dangers. The game is based on the deck-building mechanic, where each player starts with a deck of 10 identical cards that they can expand as they go.
How do you play?
Playing Cards: At the beginning of each turn, the player has 5 cards in hand. They must play all their cards in the order of their choice.
➡️ Cards produce resources such as: Skill, Sword, Boot.
Movement: Move from one room to another using Boots. Some tunnels require additional Boots or Swords to avoid damage from monsters.
Acquiring Cards: Use Skill points to acquire new cards on the Adventure track or permanent cards such as Mercenaries and Explorers.
Using a Windfall: Some cards offer immediate effects.
Fighting a Monster: Using Swords, players can attack monsters on the Adventure track for immediate rewards.
➡️ Other Mechanics:
Clank! (noise): Some actions produce Clank!, represented by cubes.
Dragon Attacks: If the Dragon attacks, all players’ Clank! cubes are placed in a bag, and cubes are drawn randomly to inflict damage on players.
Buy at the Market: In the market rooms, players can buy valuable items that offer strategic advantages.
➡️ What’s new:
Unlike the fixed boards of previous versions, the dungeon is here composed of modular tiles that are added and oriented according to the players’ exploration. Each game offers a unique configuration and a different adventure.
Some tiles have portals that allow players to instantly teleport to another portal in the dungeon, facilitating rapid movement and exploration.
Players can place offerings in sacred places by placing cubes of their color, which earns them gold in increasing quantities
Some elements of the tiles require lockpicking to be opened:
Chests: Allow you to recover a major secret.
Libraries: Provide “Books of Secrets,” adding special cards to the player’s deck.
Prison Cells: Release prisoners that provide points or other effects.
The game ends when all players have either escaped the dungeon or been incapacitated. Points are calculated based on artifacts, gold, cards, and tokens accumulated during the game.
Is it good?
Clank! Catacombs largely follows the gameplay of its predecessor, but its major innovation lies in the introduction of modular exploration tiles. This system makes each game unique, offering increased replayability.
The game also introduces some interesting new features, such as the lockpicking system. This allows you to access various bonuses, such as prisoners, books and chests. However, it is also essential to open certain passages, which encourages strategic management of your lockpicks, a limited resource.
The card deck has also evolved, with a more marked presence of monsters, which could seem a little too numerous for some players.
In short, if you enjoy the base game, Clank! Catacombs should please you. The modular tiles bring a random and strategic dimension to exploration, while the other new features integrate naturally into the gameplay. The question is whether these additions justify a new purchase for you. If you don’t have the original, the question doesn’t even arise: buy it. 😉
A big thank you to the online store Espritjeu who allowed me to test this game by sending me a copy. To discover their catalog, I invite you to visit their website:
Review Clank! Catacombs
Positives
- Modular tiles
- A deck-building that is still effective
- The lockpicking mechanic
- Some new features
Negatives
- The randomness of the tiles
- Too many monsters in the cards
- Lack of originality if you have the base game
