As my kids are getting a little older, I’ve really enjoyed playing games with them. It’s always great to hear the excitement in their voices when I ask, “Want to play a game?” So far, we’ve been limited to mostly HABA titles, with a little bit of My First Castle Panic thrown in.
Many of these titles are fun for kids and adults alike, but they lack a little bit in strategy. I’ve wondered for a little while what kind of game would be the “next step”, especially for my daughter, who just turned 5. While she loves the bright colors and fun illustrations of many of our games, she is picking up on the fact that many of these games kinda play themselves.
So I’m looking for something a little bit meatier. I want there to be a few choices that are more than random and truly impact gameplay. However, it doesn’t need to be something so substantial that it is overwhelming to younger players.
Could The Quest Kids be that? Let’s find out!
Adventure is Out There!
The Quest Kids from Treasure Falls Games is a dungeon-crawl adventure game where players explore Tolk’s Cave, fight off monsters, and gather treasure. Players choose from a set of four characters, which are all basically the same but with cool backstories and different looks. You’ll work together to explore a dungeon – a game board covered in cards. The cave tiles are color-coded: Green tiles are safe and offer rewards, Gray tiles are a bit riskier, and Red tiles are dangerous but offer the best rewards. The goal is to gain stars by collecting abilities that you’ll use to defeat monsters and to complete quests.
The game uses cards for everything – Ability Cards to help you fight, Quest Cards that give you missions to complete, and Health Cards to track… well, your health. There are also Kind Kid Cards, which players earn when they help others in battles, and these might increase your health, give you some more Ability cards, or even grant you stars.
Once all the tiles are explored, the player with the most stars from completed quests, defeated monsters, and treasure wins the game.
One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor
On a day off from school, my daughter and I tried this game out. The setup was a little daunting at first because of the sheer number of cards involved. Like, so many cards. I guess this is easier to use for a young kid than some sort of trackers, but it still was just a lot of stuff.
Explaining the rules to my daughter was easier than I anticipated, and we got into the game pretty quickly. I’m not sure if she completely understood the difference between the colors, but at least initially she seemed hesitant to venture into the more dangerous areas of the cave. She stayed in the safer Green zones, where she was able to collect items and complete a few quests. I, on the other hand, took a more daring approach, heading into the Gray and Red areas for the chance to gather better treasures and defeat stronger monsters.
By the middle of the game, my daughter had an impressive inventory of cards, and she was completing quests with ease. Meanwhile, I was struggling with an empty hand and frequently needed her help in battles. As a result, she was earning Kind Kid cards, which meant she earned even more stuff for assisting me, and she started to pull ahead.
As the game progressed, we moved into the more challenging Red zones where monsters were tougher, and the stakes were higher. My daughter was able to fight off monsters, gain treasure, and earn Kind Kid Cards. Meanwhile… I ran out of cards. I was going from Red card to Red card, hoping I’d find treasure but usually finding enemies that I couldn’t defeat.
At the end of the game, she had legitimately beat me. And as a dad, I thought that was awesome. Usually, I have to play poorly or even cheat a little bit to keep competitive games tight. Not in The Quest Kids. Sure, part of it was my poor strategy that I could adjust in the future, and some of it came down to the luck of the cards. But it was still a fun and unique experience to have with my kid.
Fortune and Glory, Kid
The artwork is cute, though it’s not necessarily my favorite. However, my daughter thought it was really cute, and she spent a lot of time thinking over which of the characters she wanted to be in the game. The iconography and layout of the cards is pretty good, if a little basic. The only issue was with the treasure cards, where some of the artwork is really small and can be challenging to discern.
The minis, though, are pretty awesome. There’s lots of detail – more than you might expect in a game geared towards kids. My daughter begged to play with them after the game was over, and I had to sneak them back into the box to make sure they didn’t get lost in the madness of our toy chest.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the game has a bit of luck involved, especially when it comes to drawing treasure and fighting monsters. While this can make the game unpredictable and fun, it could also lead to frustration if things don’t go your way. However, this can lead to some good lessons in teaching kids how to deal with losing and to focus on the fun of playing games together. And if it’s the adults getting frustrated… well, grow up.
Despite these small issues, The Quest Kids is a game I can see us playing again. It’s a great step up from simpler games, providing a fun experience that’s still accessible for younger players. I’m looking forward to our next round – hopefully, my wife and son will join us next time, too.
You can purchase The Quest Kids on the Treasure Falls webstore or online through Amazon today.
This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.
Highs
- Meatier than basic level kids games, but still easy enough to understand
- Some fun, engaging artwork that kids will love
- A kid can beat an adult, straight up
Lows
- Many too many components?
- The randomness might bother some
Complexity
Time Commitment
Replayability
