Keep the Heroes Out! (2022) Board Game

Keep the Heroes Out! is a fantasy board game released in 2022 by Brueh Games Inc. Designed and illustrated by Luís Brueh, the game offers a unique blend of action retrieval, area movement, cooperative gameplay, deck-building, and modular board elements. Players take on the roles of villains trying to keep the heroes from invading their lairs and causing chaos.

Game Components of Keep the Heroes Out!

45 Meeples

222 Cards

12 Dungeon Tiles

96 Tokens

1 Rulebook

1 Dungeon Book

Multilingual support through downloadable rulebooks in English, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

How To Setup Keep the Heroes Out!

To set up the game, players first arrange the dungeon tiles to form the modular board. Each player selects a monster to play as, and the corresponding deck and meeples are placed on the board. The heroes deck is also prepared and will be drawn from during the game. The main objective is to protect the treasures in each room from the invading heroes.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Game Objective: Players must protect the treasures on each room from the invading heroes by surviving three levels of threat.

Player Turn: Draw 5 cards and play them to move, activate tiles, attack heroes, and move units.

Heroes Deck: After each player’s turn, cards from the heroes deck are drawn and performed.

Win Condition: The game is won if the treasures are protected long enough; it is lost if the main treasure is taken.

Player Experience

**Keep the Heroes Out** offers a dynamic cooperative experience for 1-4 players. The game is particularly enjoyable solo or with two players, though it can be challenging with four players. The game’s difficulty levels range from easy to hardcore, with the challenging mode being quite brutal. Players appreciate the game’s aesthetic and the variety of scenarios and monsters available, despite some imbalance in monster strengths and limited deck-building options.

Pros

High Replayability: 20 tough scenarios and 9 different monsters to play as.

Multiplayer Flexibility: Supports 1-4 players, with a strong solo and duo experience.

Aesthetic Appeal: Attractive game components, including big wooden meeples.

Multilingual Support: Rulebooks available in multiple languages.

Cons

Imbalanced Monsters: Some monsters are significantly stronger or weaker than others.

Limited Deck Building: Minimal deck building and no card winnowing in the base game.

Difficulty Swings: Easy mode is too easy, while challenging mode can be very hard.

Four-Player Experience: Can be rough, especially for defensive monsters.

Personal Thoughts on Keep the Heroes Out!

**Keep the Heroes Out** is ideal for fans of cooperative games and those who enjoy a good dungeon defense challenge. It’s particularly suited for solo or two-player games, but it can still be enjoyable with more players, albeit with some adjustments needed. If you’re drawn to the game’s unique aesthetic and don’t mind the occasional imbalance in gameplay, this could be a great addition to your board game collection. For those looking to try it out, the digital version on Steam offers a demo that can give you a firsthand experience of the game’s mechanics and charm.

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