Escape: The Curse of the Temple = 10 minutes of frantic fun!
Escape The Curse of the Temple is one of the best board games we’ve played this year!
It was published in 2012, but we finally bought a copy this summer. And already it’s closed in on one of our most-played board games this year.
It’s a cooperative board game that only last 10 minutes!
And what a frantic 10 minutes it is!
It’s a dice rolling fest with a time limit and an ominous soundtrack that really puts the pressure on. In fact, Trevor almost refuses to play because it makes him so nervous. Love it!
Since Caleb loves to even play it by himself, he’s the perfect one to show you how to play Escape The Curse of the Temple in this video review.
Can the whole family enjoy Escape: The Curse of the Temple?
Since it’s a cooperative board game, Escape is a great game to play with the whole family. While we don’t recommend it for kids under 5, we do recommend it for everyone else.
Different than other cooperative board games, you don’t have a lot of time to talk through options. While everyone rolls their dice and explores simultaneously and independently, players can benefit from being in the same rooms with one another. Whether that is to pool dice to get rid of more gems, or to save each other from the curse dice they roll, you’ll want to stay close.
On the other hand, splitting up and exploring more tiles can pay off well as well. In order to find the exit, you’ll need to get through most of the temple tiles. So you’ll need some brave explorers in your party.
And while you may not be able to directly help your younger kids or siblings with their dice rolls and choices, the basic game play is simple enough that they can have a great time joining in and rolling all their dice along with the family.
Is the game too tense to enjoy?
One of the funnest aspects of Escape is the included soundtrack (on CD, but also available via mp3) that provides a fantastic aural experience. It doesn’t take too long to get in the mood of the game once you hit ‘Play’.
As Caleb mentioned in his video review, there are 2 points during the game where players must hurry back to the starting tile or they’ll lose one of their die for the remainder of the game. So yep – it adds another bit of tension.
But even though it makes Trevor nervous, that’s also what makes the game so fun. It’s the race against the clock that makes the game what it is.
And don’t leave others behind in your race to escape because if only 1 person fails to escape the temple, the whole group loses!
How does Escape: The Curse of the Temple score on the “Let’s Play Again” game meter?
Escape: The Curse of the Temple scores very high on our “let’s play again” game meter. Because it’s so fun and only lasts 10 minutes, we’ve never just played the game one time. We always play at least 2 games and most times many more than 2. This definitely goes on our list of Games That Are Hard to Play Just Once.
After all, if you’ve only got 30 minutes for a game – you can play Escape 3 times and have a blast.
Escape: The Curse of the Temple gets an easily accessible spot on our game shelves because it finds it’s way to the table often.
| The Board Game Family Game Ratings | |
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Caleb |
 |
Brooke |
 |
Jaden |
 |
Trevor |
 |
Mom |
 |
Dad |
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Average |
| Pick up a copy! |
