Let’s Play the Night Cage, the chilling cooperative horror board game

Inducing fear with horror board games is a surprising way to do so. Usually it’s not from frightening art or gruesome settings, but from their ability to render you and your friends as utterly hopeless as the poor lot being terrorized in a horror flick. The minimalistic design and simple gameplay make this game a great choice for those who enjoy a more straightforward experience. The Night CageThis board game is a prime example of how it can do so much for so little.

The Night Cage takes place on a 6-by-6 grid (or it’s 7-by-7 if you’re playing with five people) where players take turns placing tiles that represent the corridors of the maze. The game is played in light and dark, where a single candle can only be used to see the tiles directly next to you. After you have moved from one tile to another, the tiles you no longer can see become subsumed in darkness.

The labyrinth changes constantly, and there are no bottoms or edges. You simply continue on the other side. You can fall down a pit and simply fall back to the Night Cage. Only if all players find a key, and gather on the gate tile can an escape be achieved. Tiles disappear when you lose track of them. Therefore, if you discover a new gate or key, don’t leave it.

Others reside in the Night Cage, including wax eaters that will snuff out your candle, and bigger monsters that threaten to consume everything you’ve uncovered in the maze. The only hope you have is to be able to collect your nerves and charge by a monster.

As you add and remove tiles from the stack, it quickly disappears. The game will end if you exhaust all your tiles. All players in the Night Cage are stuck forever.

The Night Cage, whether you win or lose, is an exciting cooperative game which encourages teamwork. Each player has the exact same skills and knowledge, so it’s a simple matter of working with them to think through every possible step. Each game is unique because of the random selection of tiles, including some that have extra-difficult creatures for more advanced players. The stark art work and game components also create a chilling atmosphere. There’s even a creepy soundtrack provided by the game’s creators.

This is how we dug into it. The Night Cage in our Let’s Play video at the top of this post. You can find the other episodes of Overboard on our Youtube channel if you enjoyed this episode.

The Night Cage board game is an excellent cooperative horror.

Prices are taken from publications.

Will you be able to help your friends and escape The Night Cage with the other players? The Night Cage is a chillingly atmospheric co-operative horror game that traps you and your friends in a cell with no walls, with just a burning candle as your only light source. There are 4 and 5 players boards.