Locke & Key: The Game
Locke & Key: The Game is an interactive card game based off the Eisener winning graphic novel by Joe Hill. This dark fantasy novel about Keyhouse, a mysterious mansion in Lovecraft, Massachusetts, is filled with creepy characters and spooky keys with supernatural powers.
No prior knowledge of the story is necessary to play the game but if you have read the series you will probably enjoy the game much more since the thematic components in game will have more meaning.
Components
The game comes with 184 cards total, a large initiative token, and the customary Cryptozoic cardboard standee.
There are several types of cards in the game, key cards, strength cards, and challenge cards. The physical card stock feels standard and the print quality is very nice. Cards have illustrations from the graphic novel which may seem quite strange for those unfamiliar with the story. If you’re a fan of comic book artist Gabriel Rodriguez you won’t be disappointed as most of the card’s real estate is dedicated to his work.
The key cards are what shine in this game — literally. Each is covered with a luminescent foil and grant the wielder special abilities (that part is not literal, durp). Cryptozoic did a great job designing the key cards to look and feel special.
Cooperative Competition
The game mechanics in Locke & Key are interesting and have a semi-cooperative element. Players will be using their resources (strength cards) to cooperatively defeat challenges in competitive fashion. The gameplay is interactive but not in a ‘take-that’ kind of way. It is a game of deciphering what other players are up to and positioning yourself to reap the max reward. Some players may try and team up while others will take on challenges solo.
How it works
Each player will have a starting hand of strength cards. Strength cards come in 3 colors and have a number that indicates their strength. Some of the strength cards have additional abilities that could potentially come into play.
At the start of a round a challenge card is overturned. To beat the challenge players must collectively commit strength cards of the same color to the strength. This is sort of like battling one of the bosses in Defenders of the Realm but with some key differences.
The amount of strength each player contributes to a challenge is a secret, which adds a bluffing element and players will be looking at each other suspiciously. Players will be kept on edge until everyone reveals their cards.
The key cards players acquire will allow them to do special actions during their turn or after all cards have been revealed. For example, adding more strength to your play, changing the color of a strength card so you can use it towards the challenge, and other actions that add more fun and unpredictability to the game.
Only one person will actually win the victory points for defeating the challenge but there is also a second place reward. With that said, the game experience is very different depending on the number of players. With three players challenges are more difficult to overcome but with less competition rewards like key cards are easier to earn. More players isn’t necessarily better, it’s just different.
Who would enjoy this?
Final Thoughts
Locke & Key is very different from most card games that usually involve punishing other players and keeping them down. The cooperative element of this game and the really cool key cards make this game unique, and yet competitive.
Because Locke & Key: The Game has a cool theme and can be learned quickly, this game will have a lot of appeal to comic book fans who are new to gaming. It is a fun and attractive card game with a bit of a twist, fans and newcomers to the series will not be disappointed.
User Reviews (2)
Add a Review for "Locke & Key: The Game"
You must be logged in to add a review.
… and welcome to the card game about the great graphic novels written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez.
Components:
The game comes with nearly 200 cards and a cardboard first-player marker. The cards are beautiful. The images of the Strength and Challenge cards come directly from the wonderful graphic novels. The Key cards have the mysterious keys in shimmering foil printed on them which looks fantastic.
Gameplay:
Every player gets 4 Strength cards and one player gets the first-player token. At the start of each round the top Challenge card is revealed and every player gets an additional Strength card. The Strength and the Challenge cards are divided in three colors (white, black and blue) and each has a number on it. Now every player in turn can choose to play, pass or search for a key. Passing means to just draw an strength card and finish your turn and when you search for a key you can trade cards from you hand for a random key which gives you useful abilities to manipulate cards or gameplay itself. But when the player chooses to play he can play up to three cards from his hand face down. If the totaled numbers of his cards (on condition that they match the colors of the challenge) and the cards of all the opponents (again while matching the color) are equal or higher than the number of the challenge, then the challenge is overcome. The player with the highest matching numbers gets the points for the challenge and the first-player token. The player with the second highest numbers gets the second place reward. If the challenge is not overcome, no one gets anything.
Some cards have special abilities and give you a reward when the challenge failed, allow you to steal something from you opponents hand or even count cards to the total even if they have different colors. So it’s a game of permanent bluffing and guessing.
Replay Value:
This is a game that can be played over and over again without getting boring too fast. Anytime you loose you wanna play again and win this time while trying a different strategy and maybe getting better keys.
Pros:
- beautiful cards (especially the keys)
- quick and easy to learn
- bluffing is fun!
Cons:
- there is no punishment for failing the challenges
Last Words:
Nice and fast game. I really like the theme and the game got me started in the graphic novels. Some of the pictures on the cards spoil things happening in the story but it is not as bad as I thought.
Best wishes,
Blaine101
Even thou there isn’ t much “story” involved in playing this game, the cards themselves add to the enjoyment of this quick playing game. The game is fairly simple to teach others how to play. Players don’t have to know anything about the books to enjoy the game, but the artwork of the cards will probably make them curious about the story.
Gameplay is cooperative and competitive at the same time, thou the more players you have the more competitive the game will play out. One of the quicker games I’ve played, but replay is good if people like it.
The only thing about the game I’m not a huge fan of is the lack of consequence for failing to complete challenges, but this fixes itself when there are at least 4 players. That’s when the competitiveness makes it so players don’t have to cooperate somuch to comolete challenges.