Original price was: £17.00.£8.00Current price is: £8.00.
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An exciting race around a magical board, discovering and collecting powerful crystals to become the strongest wizard and win the game. Cast spells, drink potions and teleport to new locations as your wizards explore the board. But beware! Curses, warps and fireballs are just a few of the dangers lurking in the Crystal Hall…do you have what it takes to be the most powerful wizard in the Crystal Hall?
The game was developed by a group of four friends, John, Ben, Luke and Maren, who were mentored by the renowned inventor of Hare & Tortoise and Chicken Out, David Parlett.
| Weight | 1.16 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 26 × 8 × 26 cm |
Modern Games
Modern Games
Modern Games
Modern Games
Modern Games
Modern Games
Modern Games
Modern Games
David Orme –
It was a gift for someone else so can’t rate it – though the recipient seemed to be pleased to have it!
Paul Stewart –
This is a nice game, fun to play and accessible for the whole family.The components are good, although the wizard miniatures are slightly underwhelming – they’re all the same pose and a fairly basic sculpt, but this isn’t a huge deal as you’re not buying the game for the miniatures (and if you wanted to swap in some other, more detailed minis, this would work fine). The cards are sturdy, the board is well made and the dice is basic and large, but this exactly how it needs to be. The crystals are really nice too, and are a great shape so while they are all have the same geometry, they look different on the table due to the way each is oriented.The art is nice, the box looks good and the cards are bold and easily distinguished from each other. The rule book is clear and well printed and the rules themselves are very easy to pick up after a couple of turns. It’s a colourful game and uses a fairly limited palette, but this works with the style.The gameplay itself is interesting, and has a number of fun mechanics that you’ve got to use well to succeed. There is an element of chess to the game in the way you move your wizards – a couple of good moves leaves you able to “squeeze” and opposing wizard and have them removed from the board (until their controlling player is able to summon them back on). Using spells is a lot of fun and gives you the chance to possess other wizards, attack them, leap over them or many other things. The high number of spells is a big plus as it makes the game varied and unpredictable as you can never be sure what your opponent might do next, adding to the strategy.There is obviously a significant amount of luck involved with the way the tiles fall, the cards you draw and the dice rolls, but this is fine as it levels the playing field and can lead to some great moments when you get exactly what you wanted and are able to put a plan into action.It’s a good game, it isn’t as deep as some games, but is definitely a better and more engaging choice than most games designed for a younger audience and a lot of those aimed at adults too. The rules are easy enough for anyone to pick up, everyone will have fun and feel like they contributed to the session, and each time you play it will turn out differently and you’ll have to come up new strategies.
Tabita Fechete –
I love it
Scriptwriter –
We played this game with my 12 year-old niece, who loves Harry Potter and is getting into Lord of the Rings, and we had great fun! The first game lasted about an hour so it gives you plenty of time to really get into it without becoming endless (think Risk back in the day!).The aim is to get 4 crystals. It is part strategy and part luck, as you don’t know what spell you might get when you are about to win! At first it seems complex but once you get into the swing of things, it is fairly straight-forward.It is definitely refreshing to see a board game where you have to think about your next move and not just leave it all to chance. Great way to move teenagers away from their phones!
ArtichokesForAll –
We’ve played this game a couple of times since we got it, and it’s gone down really well in our family (parents and two children). The aim of the game sounds simple; travel around the crystal hall (i.e. the board) on which a number of face-down tiles are placed, and find which ones reveal four hidden crystals; the winner is the first to find all four crystals. It sounds easy, but at first glance it’s a bit daunting; there are lots of pieces, a very thick instruction booklet, and all sorts of ways to stop your opponents from finding the crystals. However, it’s actually very good. It’s a nice balance of luck v strategy, doesn’t go on for too long (our games took about an hour each), and keeps everyone interested. The best bit is when somebody gets hit by a spell just when they think they are going to win!All in all a really good game, and although it would perhaps confuse younger children, probably fine for around age 8+. It rather taps into the Harry Potter market for all things magicky, which is no bad thing.
Team B –
Finally, a board game with colour! Beautifully designed board and cards make the Crystal Game stand out from other board games. I think a lot of effort has gone into the feel and look of this game. When I saw the instructions/rule book I thought I would need to be a genius but my concerns were allayed when we started playing. It’s ideal for kids to play with adults or just kids by themselves. One of the key features of this game is that it is intended to make the players think – I can’t recall many games that do that.As my missus is a Harry Potter fan, she delved into this game and it became quite competitive between her and the oldest nephew. There are some nice little twists in the game that I didn’t see coming. The 70+ minutes whizzed by.For an alternative board game, the Crystal Hall Game certainly has a repeat playerbility quality about it and the design of the board and cards is a notch above other board games. Highly recommended.
JB –
As a family of four (2 daughters aged 11 and 8) we’ve played this game quite a few times and it’s really great fun. The girls are very keen on anything involving magic and spells so this really does captivate them (and as adults we enjoy the game too).The task is fairly straightforward … get your wizard shaped counters around the board to find 4 crystals hidden in the 36 face-down tiles which also have enchanted swamps, curses, potions and cauldrons. It sounds easy and whilst it is, there’s a good mix of strategy and luck which really adds to an exciting hour or so.I did wonder if my 8 year old daughter would grasp the game, but whilst it took her a little longer than her sister, she become rather adept at winning from an apparently losing position.Definitely recommended!
Taliesin_ttlg –
Battling wizards – this is essentially what you get in this game and it turns out that it’s a good bit of fun with a cerebral twist.A sectioned map, with centre area for effect tiles (you reveal them as you land on them) the wizards are in a quest to get four crystals and prevent the opposition from doing the same. The wizard figures are, unfortunately, low detail and whilst that doesn’t impact gameplay it would have been nice to see some effort with the pieces. The art work on the tiles and cards (which are spells) was bold, not massively special but professional and illustrative. The spells mentioned have a series of effects that influence the game but are nicely balanced, so there wasn’t a specific spell that we thought overpowered.Whilst it sounds simple enough as you go through the rules, the game is actually deceptively strategic. The wizards can be killed and the more crystals you have the higher the cost of resurrection – meaning that the gameplay is deliberately slowed as the game progresses (there is a quick game rule set as well as the standard game, however). As we played it we were impressed at just how strategic the game became with us thinking moves ahead.Definitely worth a play.
C.E. –
A hot pot of magical fun that rewards thinking logically and creatively. It says ages 10 and up, but some younger children definitely enjoyed it today! Can’t wait to get my copy! 😀
Anonymous Customer –
Played this with my 3 kids (8, 11 & 13 – youngest is a girl other 2 are boys) all of us had a great time.Much chuckling, groaning and swearing of vengeance occured as we schemed and fought in our race for the crystals.There is an element of luck in terms of the cards you draw and the tiles you uncover that gives a chance to all. Having said that there is definite element of strategy and planning. Getting on to a crystal isn’t too difficult but staying on it long enough to collect certainly can be.The rules are simple and we were playing very quickly after unboxing.