🌍 CLANK! CATACOMBS — a complete stumble
⭐ 1/10
Players: 2–4 (theoretically 5–6 with expansions)
Play time: approx. 90–120 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (rules-wise) / High (frustration-wise)
Type: Adventure / Deckbuilding / Push-your-luck
Mechanics: deckbuilding, tile exploration, randomness, risk management, negative interaction
It was supposed to be an epic adventure in dark underground catacombs. A dragon. Treasures. Deckbuilding. Exploration… And instead it felt like leaving the house in brand-new shoes without socks — technically doable, but painful, and you regret the decision very quickly.
I know Clank! Catacombs has a huge fan base. I tried. I really did. I played with different people, in different groups, always thinking: “Maybe this time it will click.”It didn’t. Not once.
🎯 Goal of the game
In theory, everything sounds great: you break into the catacombs, grab an artifact, make as little noise as possible, and then try to escape alive with more points than everyone else. In practice, it looks more like this: first you trip, then you make noise, and in the end the dragon eats you anyway.
🃏 What does a turn look like?
On your turn, you play cards from your hand, generate movement, combat, and skill points, move through randomly revealed catacomb tiles, fight monsters or collect loot, make noise, and buy new cards for your deck — hoping that next turn will be better.
And this is where the trouble starts. Literally. You plan your route, reveal a tile and… nope. A wall. A monster. Or something that completely destroys the logic of all your previous decisions.
🧩 What do I like about this game?
The idea of modular catacombs and exploration.
The theme of a dragon, a risky expedition, and escaping with an artifact is genuinely tempting.
The concept of combining deckbuilding with board exploration — on paper, it really sounds like a recipe for a great adventure.
💀 What didn’t I like?
First of all, the empty-feeling card deck. Too often I ended up with cards or situations that were simply useless. I enjoy games where I can plan ahead and randomness adds tension. Here, randomness often just took control away instead of enhancing it.
Then there are the ultra-tiny lockpicks. It might sound like a small detail, but it’s incredibly frustrating. They’re so tiny that they constantly get lost. Instead of immersion, you get logistics and irritation — and that’s never a good sign.
🏆 How do you win?
Theoretically: grab an artifact, get out alive, count your points. In practice: survive the chaos, hope the dragon doesn’t pull your cubes, and pray that randomness doesn’t kick you in the ankle — both literally and figuratively.
☕ Final thoughts
I really wanted to like this game. Honestly. But every single time it ended the same way: “Okay… let’s play something else. I’m not saying it’s a bad game. I see why it has so many fans. But for me, there’s too much randomness, too little control, too much small frustration, and not enough satisfaction from decision-making. The dragon wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was the feeling that the game gets in your way more often than it rewards you.
🎯 Final score: 1/10
🌍 CLANK! CATACOMBS — a complete stumble. For fans of chaos and “let’s see what happens.” Not for me.
These catacombs really dragged me through the mud. 🤷♀️
