Castle Panic - A Family Review

Orcs and other baddies are out to destroy your castle! But don’t worry, you have your family at your side! This cute medieval game is a delightful, cooperative introduction to hobby board games.

Caste Panic is another game we’ve had in our collection for a long time. It’s the right blend of simple, with each turn having simple steps, and unpredictable, with monsters and cards combining in different ways each game. In one game, everything may fall into place perfectly and you’ll defend your castle with no issue. The next game? You may get boss monsters out of the gate and be utterly destroyed. The element of chance and luck give Castle Panic high replayability.

9yo: “It was fun to defend our castle!”

And speaking of your castle, it’s so cool! The castle you're protecting is actually a 3D castle you build with 2D pieces, including walls, towers, and barriers. The kids found it very satisfying to move the walls and towers as they got destroyed by monsters. The Castle Panic box recommends 10+ but out seven-year-old could play it with some adult help on her turns. And 10+ kids could absolutely pull this out with friends and play completely independently.

7yo: “I liked when I vanquished all those monsters at once.”

Castle Panic also relies on word- and colour-matching, which is great for pattern recognition. Unfortunately the different colours on the cards aren’t also made unique with symbols, so it may be a challenge for colour blind players. The ability to read is also key to the game, but play can be adapted by having another table member help the player with reading.

If you’re looking for a cooperative, light strategy game to play with the kids or introduce your friends to a hobby board game, Castle Panic is the fantasy-themed tower defense game you need.

Helpful hints

• Play with your cards face up for maximum cooperative strategy.