Mythe (Passport Game Studios)

Any child of the 1980s and 1990s remembers The Legend of Zelda and going on an epic quest that is 8-bit in nature. It was the first video game I remember beating, and I did it on both difficulty levels. Well, imagine going on a tinier quest, but no less epic. Instead of being the hero Link, you are a little mouse. Instead of trying to save the Triforce, you are trying to save the Sacred Cheese! I present to you the board game Mythe. Mythe is a game for 2-5 players, ages 6+. It takes about 20 minutes to play and retails for $30.

Setup
1. Open the pop-up game board and place it in the center of the table. (It is recommended to bend it a little more than necessary, to get the pop-ups to stay up, but be careful!)
2. Place the Sacred Cheese on the last place of the board and the Red Dragon in the second to last space.
3. Choose a color Mouse and take the corresponding reference sheet. Then, place all the mice in the enclosed area known as the Village.
4. Depending on the number of players, you may need to remove some cards for 3, 4, or 5, players.

Game Play - A turn consists of two phases:
1. Draw Cards - Draw one card from another player and place it face up in front of you. You may then continue to draw cards one by one, until you decide to stop and Advance on the board or you draw an Obstacle card. To Advance add up the total number on your cards and move based on the the points of each space. If you drew an Obstacle, your turn immediately ends, and you don't Advance.
2. Give Cards - Take all the cards you drew your turn and add them to your hand. Then, distribute cards, face-down, one-by-one to other players. You can distribute zero cards or all but one. The only rule is that every player must have at least one card in their hand.
3. Repeat these steps with the next player. The game ends when a player defeats the dragon. To do this, they need one of three cards (Sword, Shield, or Fairy). They must then land on the dragon's space per normal advancing rules.

Review
This game is a masterpiece of production value in a little box. For starters, there are mice meeples and a dragon meeple. This is a nice touch over cubes or generic pawns. The Sacred Cheese is made of metal and has a nice weight to it. The board is a pop-up, which is crazy in a good way! And let's not ignore the gorgeous art on the cards, which are of a size much more substantial than playing cards. It's hard to believe that this game was designed for children ages 6 and up. With all that said, I do fear for the pop-up board and wonder how long it will last, as I have a son, who isn't that gentle at times, and with a $30 price tag, it would be a bit expensive to simply replace the game if the board was destroyed.

The game play itself is simple, but not overly simple. You press your luck in deciding how many cards to draw each round and knowing when to stop. You also strategically re-distribute the cards, so you can steer your opponent into only being able to draw certain cards from you and hopefully stacking the odds in your favor. The game has a two-player variant, but I did not find it enjoyable, as I think the game shines with at least three players and preferably four. Overall, this was a fun game for both the family and light gamers. I can't say I would pay $30 for it, but if you can pick it up for under $20, it's worth it for components, artwork, and all around fun.

This game was provided to me for free by Passport Game Studios in exchange for an honest review.