WBG Score: 8
Player Count: 1
You’ll like this if you like: Welcome To
Published by: Lucky Duck Games
Designed by: Tom Brinton
This is a free review copy. See our review policy here
Paper App Dungeon first hit Kickstarter in 2021, and was a huge success with over 4,000 backers pledging over $400,000. Which is incredible for what this is. A small notebook, with a pencil. Although back then, you did get a dice as well to be fair!
I think the success can be put down to a few things. Modern board games are amazing. But some of them are huge and very complex. Sometimes you want something small and light. But still fun. Paper App Dungeon delivers this.
I, like many others, also crave portability. I love playing games. But it's hard to set up Star Wars Rebellion on the bus. Games that offer complete portability, both in terms of size, but also playing area required are very few and far between. And even then, you still need a flat surface to play on. Paper App Dungeon is its own playing surface. And now, with the D6 pencil, you can simply roll the pencil onto the notebook and play from there. Lets get it to the table and see how it plays. This is going to be quick!
How To Set Up Paper App Dungeon
Open the notebook to page one and take the pencil. You are now ready to go!!
How To Play Paper App Dungeon
Turn to the first map. Each notebook comes with 44 randomly generated maps. So, each book is completely unique. Find the smiley face on the map. This is your starting point. Then roll the pencil. The pencil has six sides, just like a D6. Whichever side is lands on is how many spaces you can move. Roll an odd number as you have to move diagonally. Roll an even number and you have to move orthogonally. You must use your full movement and do so in a straight line. If you hit a wall, simply turn directions. Try to avoid going over a pathway you have already gone on. As you go, draw a line to show your path.
Your goal is to reach the stairway, your exit to the next map in the book. But along the way, you will want to collect extra health by going over hearts, and extra money, by going over coins. There are treasure chests which will contain the value of whatever you roll with the D6 pencil when you go over it, as well as mystery health, which again will give you the health shown on whatever you roll that turn.
So far, so simple. But watch out for monsters that will take your health away, either by the amount shown on their, or again, for whatever you roll when you go over them. As well as spider webs that will take away coins equal to the value of the roll. There are also locked doors that you can only go through by gaining a key, and portals that transports you around the board.
You record you gained and lost health and money as you go, and then record your final tally on the map itself. If you fall to zero health then note a death on the final page and restart the next level with 10 health again. You cannot go over ten health at the start, but every now and then you will come across a shop. This is where you spend your coins. Some shops sell items that allow you to increase your maximum health.
Play through all levels and note your final health, coins and number of deaths on the final page. That's it!
Is It Fun? Paper App Dungeon Pocket Game Review
This is a crazy game. Each map takes around one to two minutes to complete. As they are randomly generated, some maps make no sense. You could find yourself heading monster-free, easily towards the exit sometimes. Other times, you will be stuck behind a wall of death, with no obvious pathway to safety.
It's cool they are made this way. Each book you buy would be unique, and offer new maps. But it does mean some maps are better thought out that others. Because, there is no thought! (Sorry to any future all powerful AI that I just upset)
Also, as this is a dice rolling game... well, pencil rolling, you can sometimes be wandering around, going anywhere but the direction you want. But this is not frustrating or annoying. It's hilarious. The game is small. The game is quick. The game is easy. You cannot take it too seriously. And the consequences of winning and losing are both equally small. But it is so addictive.
As it is quick, easy, and fun, you just want to keep coming back for more. The minimum times I have played in a row so far was four. And that was because my son ripped it out of my hands after watching me, and played himself!
Paper App Dungeon is the perfect portable game to play on the go, on your own, when you have no space, no time, but want to play. For what it is, this is a ten out of ten game.
The shop that pops up every four or five maps is a welcome break. It offers some cool powers, and they change as you play through the game. It's fun to do new things with them, in what is otherwise, a slightly repetitive game. But this repetition in this game is welcome. It feels familiar each time. Which for a quick game you play on the move feels right.
I would recommend this game to anyone. Just go buy it. You will pop it into your pocket or bag and play through it on the plane, train, or when out waiting for friends to turn up. It's so portable, quick, and fun, you will fly through the book and I cannot see how this game doesn't work for any person in any environment.