Unlocking a mysterious treasure chest can be hard work … especially when there’s other people around adding more locks to the chest! If you play your cards just right though, you may be able to uncover the treasure after all! Let’s start hunting for some keys!

What Is It?

A card game where players play one card per turn and do what the card says. They may subtract or add locks to the treasure chest, skip players, make players discard cards, play extra cards, and more. The player who gets the chest to zero or less locks during their turn wins!

Alternatively, you can score a point when you unlock the chest and play until someone reaches a certain number of points, based on player count.

There are also other additional, variable rules included to change up the game such as switching hands, using more dice (locks) at the beginning of the game, and more.

Who Is It For?

  • 2 – 6 Players – Playable at this count, but because of skip cards, I would recommend 3 – 6 players personally
  • Ages 7+ – The box says 14+, likely just because of having a die which is a choking hazard for young ones, but as long as players can read and understand the card instructions (which are fairly simple) it’s a good choice for kids and families
  • Players looking for a very light, quick card game

PROS

  • Rules – Small rule set, well-written; quick/simple to learn and teach
  • Aesthetics – Simple, but cute, art
  • Portable – Small box, and doesn’t take up a ton of space
  • Accessible to a large range of ages/players
  • You can combine multiple decks to play with more players, which is neat
  • I like the main alternative gameplay which has players play to a certain number of points instead of just one round, so it doesn’t end too quickly

CONS

  • Player count is not on the box
  • I’m never a big fan of “skip” cards in games; it often leaves players wishing they were playing more, if they get skipped a few times
  • In the main alternative gameplay rules, it says to have the first player roll the die, and that is the number of locks on the chest that round. This meant if a low number was rolled (1-3) it was possible for the first player to win a point without anyone else getting a turn, which actually happened pretty often, and was a little frustrating
  • To me, it’s a little off-putting when a rule book tells me to “make up additional fun rules,” which is done here

Final Thoughts

All in all, it’s a simple card game, which does come down to a lot of luck. You don’t always have a lot of choice of what to play on your turn, but with three cards in your hand to choose from, a well-played “add a lock” can definitely help you out a little bit in getting the game to go around the table once more so you have a chance to open the chest. I’m also not a big fan of skip cards myself, but since the game is so quick, it definitely doesn’t feel as mean, which is good.

Personally, I think it’s best suited for a younger crowd, or families who don’t want to learn a heavy rule set. If you’re looking for something light and quick, that you can bring pretty much anywhere, you might like it!

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 5/10
Mailing List