Haunting House

Before Playstation and Xbox, people got together and played cards or boardgames. Since I’m not much on Mario Brothers or whatever version of Final Fantasy is out now, I have always been a big boardgame geek. I, along with a fellow gang of board game lovers gave Haunting House a try.

Gameplay

The theme and artwork might lead players to assume this to be a game for the younger set, and it is, but not exclusively.  This game is truly what you make of it.  The rules are simple but the game itself can be tough to master.  The  complexity of play is all based on those playing the game. 

The form factor of the game is interesting as it's more akin to dominos than to a board game or card game.  Each player uses cards and a series of tiles laid in the center of the table to play.  The game goes like this:

Each tile represents a hallway within the haunted house.  The goal is to move your pawn through the hallways to the exit.  Here's the problem, half the time you choose your own path, the other half of the time a players path is chosen randomly.  Also, as everyone is playing the positioning of tiles is constantly changing.  So, just when you think you've mapped out the perfect path for yourself an opponent plays a card allowing him to twist a tile 90 degrees leaving you at a dead end. 

For the first round each player is randomly dealt four cards.  On his turn he flips the first card over to reveal the play.  Hopefully cards are flipped that will allow the player to move within the house but if not the card that is turned will usually allow him to reek havoc with other players who are moving in the house. This continues until all players have flipped all four cards.  On the next round each player looks through his cards and picks four and sorts them in the order he wishes to play them for that round.  This is where it gets tricky because the player needs to work out four cards that will help him progress but not leave him totally without recourse if his path is foiled by another player.  Some of the cards include: Rotate 180 degrees, Move Two Spaces, and Secret Passage.

So, not only do you have to work your way through the constantly changing maze you have to keep your opponents from beating you to the exit.  Like I said the simple mechanic can get pretty complex depending on the players.  This game works great with two players but we had the most fun with six. 

It's unique compared to most games we've played and everyone unanimously really enjoyed it.  It's perfect for parties because the set up is quick and explaining how to play to new players only takes a few minutes.  The only concern we have is that after an extensive amount of play skilled players may be tough to beat.  But Twilight Creations may have an answer to that with the release of an expansion pack.  Other than that we have no complaints. 

This game is a blast for groups of competitive players and still perfect for families with parents and children playing together.  The recommended age to start on the box is 10, but don't let that scare you away if all of your group is older.  This game is a must have!

9/10

Presentation

Haunting House is simple in design with 38 tiles that are laid out in the center of the table each with artwork representing the hallways within this haunted house.  The box art and game piece artwork is good but it is directed toward younger players where the game itself is great for all ages.  If the artwork were a bit more sophisticated it might be a little easier to convince older players to give it a try.  The pawns sculpted to look like scared residents of the house are funny and a cool idea. 

7/10

Overall

A great party game that is fun for either large or small groups.  The simple learning curve but addictive strategy elements make for a fun and unique experience.  We can't recommend this game enough!

9/10

Stephen Lackey

Haunting House

Published by Twilight Creations

Check out the official website!

Review:

Gameplay 9/10

Presentation 8/10

Overall 9/10