Cooperative games like “Pandemic” are fantastic in that players get to work together toward a common goal. Unfortunately, some cooperative games are as tough as nails and take a while to play. “Magic Maze” is not only easy to learn, but takes very little time to play. In short, players will be moving four heroes around using actions, actions that only one player has access to. One player may only be able to move a character left while another can make use of the game’s portal / fast travel system. The goal is to coordinate all four characters onto their colored shop space so they can simultaneously steal their item. Once they do, they’ll all head for the exit. Did I mention this was all timed and normally, you can’t speak to the other players?
I decided to record a quick gameplay video in order to better explain how the mechanics work. The components are top-notch and the instruction manual comes with many scenarios to try out. I highly recommend that new players start with the first introductory scenario as you can talk to each other freely. We did so in the video below. As cooperative games go, “Magic Maze” is pretty darned good as it’ll force you to pay attention to what other people are doing as they may be waiting for YOU to take your action so that they can follow-up with theirs. All in all, this one is definitely a recommend. Special thanks to the folks at Sit Down! Games for providing me with a press copy for review purposes.
Final Verdict: 9/10
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