Small but Mighty
What will you do when faced with unknown peril behind a locked door? Flee, or face it head-on? Take care to watch your back; everyone in your adventuring party is looking out for number one.
Delve into the Dungeon
Munchkins got its start as a tabletop card game and is a time-old classic in my household. Munchkins Digital, published by Dire Wolf Studios in collaboration with Steve Jackson Games, is a must for any fan of the original. It’s almost a perfect one-to-one to the base game, with only a few different rules. Two of them have been adapted into the tabletop version, and one is exclusively digital.
Munchkins Digital is a turn-based game, although there are opportunities to jump in and play a card against an opponent. Play with up to six people online or jump into a game against AI to hone your skills. No matter which you choose, the setup is the same. Players are directed to a screen where they can specify how many players to add and whether they’re an AI or not. They can also choose the difficulty of the AI, with the options of easy, medium or hard. Players can also enable a couple of variants, such as gender-neutral and fast play. Lastly, there are the timer options. Players looking for a fast game can choose the short timer, while those who want to play at a reasonable pace can choose the normal timer. There’s also an option to pick no timer for those ultimate strategists.
Time For Battle!
After fiddling with all the settings, players can start a game. Each player starts with four cards from the Treasure deck and Door deck. Players can equip any viable items and choose a race and class card to play if they possess one. Some items aren’t usable by certain races or classes, and each one has different advantages and disadvantages. After making sure everything is in order, players must kick down the door. If it’s a monster, players must fight it; if it’s a curse, it immediately takes effect.
Anything else goes into the player’s hand to be played immediately or later. If a player does not encounter a monster after kicking down the door, they can either Loot the Room or Look for Trouble. Looting the Room allows the player to draw a card from the Treasure deck, and Looking for Trouble lets the player fight a monster from their hand.
The goal of Munchkins Digital is to be the first player to reach level 10. Players earn levels by defeating monsters or playing special cards. However, players can never use a card to reach the winning level unless someone draws divine intervention, and you happen to be a Cleric. This special card must be played the second it’s drawn, forcing all Clerics to go up a level immediately. If it’s the winning level, the card even states that the winner is awarded bragging rights and allowed to mock the other players.
Challenge mode exists for those looking for a change of pace. Each has a unique setup or rule change that players must navigate around to win, such as only gaining levels by running away. Players can’t change the settings like the other modes but can still choose an avatar and gender.
Look, but Don’t Touch
The digital edition uses the same art style as the tabletop. Both character and enemy sprites look to be almost cut out from the card and slightly animated. Sound effects and a jaunty tune add to the fun and cartoony feel of the game.
Before starting any game, players are free to choose a suitable avatar and gender. I was particular to Peaty Potter myself, an avatar based on the dreaded monster Potted Plant. During a game, avatars will swivel around in their frames, stretch and spin, and disappear in a puff of smoke. (Or under a boulder if you’re unlucky).
The user interface for Munchkins Digital is appealing and easy to navigate. Players can click the small rucksack button on the bottom left corner to review their race/class, equipped and carried items, and their hand. Cards in the hand are also visible from the bottom of the screen.
Other party members are displayed at the top of the screen, and clicking on their rucksack icon allows you to view their character in depth. There are three buttons on the top right side of the screen for settings, an action log, and the discard pile. The middle of the screen is left wide open for gameplay, leaving a nice and decluttered feel.
Overall, Munchkins Digital certainly pays homage to its table-top origins. With cross-play abilities, friends and family from all over can play together and stab each other in the back.
