500 Games 1 Year - Lord of the Rings - Adventure to Mount Doom

 

I have spent must of the last two days playing the ‘The Lord of the Rings: Adventure to Mount Doom’ (2023), a fantastic 1-4 player co-op game as part of my ‘500 Games in 1 Year’ challenge.

 

The game involves the simple (or not so simple) task of getting the One Ring to Mount Doom. You (or your team) play as the fellowship who must travel through various stages to get to Mount Doom. This is a lot easier said than done, as in the 7 plays I have so far I am yet to get near to Mount Doom.

 

Each turn you are essentially moving your assigned members of the Fellowships via a dice roll, and selecting cards to take from the Encounter display depending on what you roll. This of course brings in a large element of chance, as a lot of the mechanics rely on the dice roll. But at the core of the game is a strategy element, needing to plan the use of cards, plan the progression of characters and ensure the Ring Bearer is kept safe at all times. If you aren’t a fan of dice games, don’t let that put you off what is a fantastic experience.

 

Each stage brings new cards and challenges. Battles are determined by dice, but you need to be prepared for them with your positioning and this is a good chance to mention the game is brutal. At every turn, the odds are being stacked against you as the various ways to loose mount up….acquiring too many Nasgul or lowering the Courage meter is something you are always battling against.

 

At the core though, is a game that is engaging, addictive, fun and perfect for all ages. Its shot to the top of my list of favourite Co-op games and the difficulty level is just about perfect. It will take us multiple attempts to get through this (and there is an option of a harder mode!) and there in lies the core reason for “just one more play”. Once completed on both normal and hard modes, I am not sure what replay value would be there…..BUT….the amount of time it will take trying and the fun we will have doing so will more than justify the cost of the game.,

 

All in all, I would really recommend this title for solo play as well as co-op with both friends and families. As it is entirely co-op, in the sense that individual decision and hidden cards etc are not a thing, this is a perfect game to introduce to families and due to the difficulty balance you will get a lot of play from this.

 

Check out my Tiktok on the game as part of my ‘500 Games in 1 Year’ series. - https://www.tiktok.com/@boardgameaddictuk/video/7335419286795717921