Kinfire Delve Review

The Kinfire Delve series was one that caught me off guard a bit – I wasn’t expecting it, wasn’t sure what it was all about, and honestly questioned whether I really wanted to review it or not. Here at GamesReviews, we get a ton of opportunities to review games, and we turn down just as many as we accept. I was SO close to turning down Kinfire Delve, but after some thought decided it would be a good game for my father-in-law and I to play. Thank goodness I made the request, and thanks to Incredible Dream Studios, we were able to try out all three entries in the series!

First and foremost, we need to talk about the game production value. I think this game is available in Canada for around 20 bucks, and honestly the quality of the production is much better than the price you are going to pay. The game comes with a lot of cards, cardboard counters, and a few dice. When unboxing the game for the first time, I fully expected the cardboard counters to be of Pokemon or Lorcana Trading Card Game quality, and I think I actually would have been OK with that as well.

Check out the How to Play video from Watch It Played. Fellow Canadian, Rodney Smith, does a great job explaining how this game works!

But they were far better. These are nice and thick cardboard pieces, and they not only feel great to use – and you will be using them a lot! – but they also punch great and have a nice finish to them. This is premium cardboard in an inexpensive package. Yes, I said premium cardboard, and I’m standing by that statement! The other components are top notch as well. I worry a little bit that the dice might wear off over time, as they are printed and not etched.

It is the cards, however, that draw all the attention. First and foremost, these are great quality cards. They aren’t quite Stonemaier Games quality – that’s a whole other level – but they are fantastic and I have no issues not sleeving these games. The back of the player decks are phenomenal, with some nice foiling accenting the cards and making them pop. The frontside of the gauntlet cards and the monsters at the bottom of the well also have a type of foiling to them, although these are a bit different – the characters themselves actually rise off the card just a smidge to make them unique, but also gorgeous at the same time.

When first getting Kinfire Delve down to the table, the rules felt a bit daunting. That might have been that we tried this for the first time at 11:30 PM after a long night of games, or could have been that understanding all the concepts might take a few hands to nail down. That being said, it took maybe 10 minutes of playing before we had everything down. We consulted the rulebook a few times, but ultimately found the game very intuitive, and it flowed logically from one player to the next.

In Kinfire Delve, you are attempting to get to the bottom of the well to fight the boss. Getting to the bottom is easier said than done as you will encounter issues along the way in the form of combat cards, obstacle cards, and puzzle cards. These need to be “defeated” by playing a card from your hand with a value, having it boosted by teammates with cards from their hands to add value to yours, and then ultimately rolling some dice. Ideally, the sum of your played card, along with the boosted cards from your partner and the dice rolled will equal or surpass the number on the card you are attempting to “defeat.” If it does, you get some kind of reward, which could be diving a certain number of cards down the well deck, or perhaps charging your powerful lantern.

Once you’ve made your way through the well deck, either by defeating cards or delving past them (essentially skipping them as you work your way down the deck), you will encounter the boss at the bottom. All of the monster cards in the various boxes will have some type of unique behavior, and will be surrounded by other cards that still need to be dealt with. Since you choose the monster at the bottom at random, you are never quite sure what you might get. When you get there, however, you will realize the journey was worth the effort.

There are so many little things happening here that just make Kinfire Delve such a fantastic experience. Card play is first and foremost, but using your character’s lantern wisely takes a few games to perfect, as does knowing when to boost and when to save your cards. Further abilities on your cards, as well as printed ongoing abilities and effects on well cards, will continually change how you play Kinfire Delve.

The best part of all of this? It’s so inexpensive to purchase, and there are a lot of games here for anyone interested. At the very least, you’ll need to play each of the three included monsters before you’ve “done it all” but even then, how you work down the well deck will be different each and every time. We HIGHLY recommend picking up Kinfire Delve, and giving it a go. I bet you will be back for more, which is great since there are three box sets to enjoy!