I Wish… Adding Labyrinth Magic to Stonespine Architects
Build the greatest labyrinth filled with twisting paths, colorful monsters, and dangerous traps in Stonespine Architects.
Did someone say Labyrinth?! As one of my favorite movies, I’m always drawn to clever game designs that might vaguely tie into it, and it sounded like Stonespine Architects was in the right realm! With a few additional components poached from another game, I had myself the perfect setting to build a labyrinth that Jareth might end up visiting…
Disclaimer
I received this copy for free from the publisher, with no expectations beyond playing the game and sharing my honest opinions! Always appreciated. My modifications to include some Labyrinth components were entirely of my own doing, because how could I not?! Ha ha! Just a quick note to confirm that those elements aren’t included with the game.
Game Overview
Game Name: Stonespine Architects
Publication Year: 2024
Designer: Jordy Adan
Artists: Damien Mammoliti, Lucas Ribeiro, & Diego Sá
Publisher: Thunderworks Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
During a challenging 4 years, the dungeon takes shape with all sorts of rooms. Different denizens and features align with scoring goals, while the challenge is in figuring out how to defeat the solo opponent, Jael. With clever planning, the labyrinth might be deemed the best yet!
First Play
April 21, 2024
Complexity
2
Latest Play
April 21, 2024
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
30 Minutes
High Score
115
Game Area
34" x 18"
Low Score
99
Into the Labyrinth…
Finding the door into a labyrinth can be the hardest part about starting. Ha! I was quite excited to utilize the board from Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: The Board Game.
I won’t go into detail about that one, but suffice to say I have it on my shelf purely for the times when I can use the components for something vaguely related to Labyrinth.
A-ha! Here was my moment to shine. The cards promised all sorts of rooms and features beyond the entrance.
It was nice to read the rules, which seemed easy enough to understand. Winning, however, was another story…
A Proper Background
Nothing is actually needed to add any flavor to the game, but I was quite pleased with this background map! It gave me a way to appreciate this fantastic and unique artwork.
Gameplay involves building each row of the dungeon over the course of 4 years, or rounds. This moves quickly, yet a market provides another way to buy additional features.
I loved this organizer where the entrance stood! Even on a simple game table or mat, it will keep the cards organized.
My only slight hesitation was in how similar a lot of the rooms seemed to look. Only one way to go: Onward!
Understanding Jael
All of the additional components are pretty easy to understand, too. Tracking the gold gained during a round is vital, as it’s used in the market and against Jael.
This solo opponent collects cards and tokens, while also scoring additional victory points and being a nuisance!
Although building the best labyrinth is the goal, it’s important to keep Jael in check. Sometimes, that means not taking the best card to block him from pulling ahead.
Blueprints and challenges also provided fun guidance for some of my choices… Watch out for all the slimes!
A Wonderful Dungeon
Success! My first play was a major battle against Jael, and I only won by managing to connect all of the rooms to the entrance and exit. Secret passages helped so much!
I liked the overall flow of how the cards overlapped each other to easily keep track of the rounds, although I missed seeing the room names at points. Lots of personality!
There were a lot of aspects to keep track of in an interesting sort of way that kept me engaged.
It just surprised me to see how the neutral color scheme didn’t do much to create a cool visual space. Small nitpick.
Going the Extra Mile to Make a Game Memorable
Sometimes, I find solo games that don’t quite mesh with me for whatever reason, even if I expect them to be great. Yet there are those interesting situations where I think a game might remind me of something I love, and when it doesn’t, I get disappointed. With this experience, I may have found something that will help me… I might need to do the work!
Games mean a lot of different things to different players, and I would hardly expect a designer or publisher to cover every angle. This is also why I bring random things to my solo game table. That often involves Calico Critters, but doing fun crossovers like this is something that I may try to do some more. After all, hobby time is all about having fun!
Drafting Decisions
I loved the card choices! Each round started with choosing to place 1 of 5 cards, then keeping another one. This was where I had to watch out for giving Jael extra cards.
Then, I had a choice of fewer and fewer cards until the row was completed. This provided chances to save cards, in the hopes they could be placed, or just kept from Jael!
Gold was more important than I expected, too. Scooping up market tokens was excellent when it could be done.
Decisions felt meaningful and wrapped up in a mixture of neat scoring conditions. I had a great time as an architect!
You’re Him, Aren’t You?
Naturally, I tossed Jael aside as my actual opponent early on… Jareth was the one judging my labyrinth skills. Ha ha!
And just like that, he appeared to scrutinize my choices and make sure I actually scored more victory points. Oh, it was true! Naturally, I told him he had no power over me.
I had a lot of fun playing the game itself, yet the ability to tie it into Labyrinth made it even more fun for me. I fully expect more miniatures to show up in my next few plays.
Sometimes, it’s all about finding a personal connection to a game to find more enjoyment. I know it worked for me!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 & 2
Expansion: Shrines and Fountains Mini-Expansion
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Standard Difficulty Level
Outcome: 99-92, 115-80 (2 Wins)
Success! My second play was a rousing success, likely because I embarrassed Jareth and showed him up in the song department. Ha! I got extra lucky with the cards, though, and managed to stop him from picking up most of them for extra victory points. The challenging difficulty level is up next for me… Dance magic, dance!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
9
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
6
+ Pros (Positives)
- The theme is a lot of fun and provides the feeling of trying to build with long-term and short-term goals.
- A major challenge is trying to connect every room to the entrance and exit, adding a fun way to build routes.
- Overlapping cards keep the play area reasonable and make it easier to find the connected paths.
- Scoring goals come from a variety of sources, and many decisions come down to choosing these scoring objectives.
- Following the blueprint is a fun element that provides guidance on the decisions without being a requirement.
- Jael is a great solo opponent with a challenging difficulty level that can make the experience more of a puzzle.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The visual variety can seem a little on the low side, as every labyrinth or dungeon will end up looking similar.
- Multiple ways to score means that there can be a lot to keep track of when making decisions about the cards.
- Tracing paths can sometimes be a little hard to do, particularly since hidden passages blend in a little too much.
- Final scoring is a little tedious with the different aspects that provide victory points and require lots of counting.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Earn the maximum victory points from the blueprint card.
Connect all 16 rooms to the entrance and exit.
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Stonespine Architects? Have you created a memorable dungeon? I might be the only one who’s using it in conjunction with all of my Labyrinth stuff, but sometimes, that’s the best way to have fun! I’m looking forward to increasing the difficulty so I can start yelling, “It’s not fair!” and building the Bog of Eternal Stench. Ha ha!
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