My two kids, A (age eight) and W (on verge of five), are three years apart in age. W has not quite started elementary school yet, and A’s favorite board game of the moment is the full grown-up version of Ticket to Ride, which can make finding a game that they can play together a tricky endeavor. When an opportunity came up for me to give an honest review of the Harry Potter Triwizard Maze Game in exchange for a copy for our family, it looked like something both of my kids might be able to enjoy together, so I jumped at the chance.
What is Harry Potter Triwizard Maze?
Harry Potter Triwizard Maze is a board game variation of the classic game Trouble for 2-4 players ages 5+ that takes about 20 minutes to play. Like Trouble, the objective is to get all four of your movers home, but with some Harry Potter twists.
Harry Potter Triwizard Maze Components
The component list is delightfully simple and decently sturdy, being made up of the following:
- Plastic Game Board with Built-in Die Popper
- 16 Movers
- 48 Maze Cards
How to Play Harry Potter Triwizard Maze
The game rules are fairly simple and located right on the box, which makes it way easier for my boys not to lose, which is a big win in my book.
The Goal
The game goal is to be the first player to get all four of their movers to HOME.
Setup
The setup is extremely simple, only requiring players to shuffle the maze cards into a pile and then to pick a character and place the corresponding movers on that character’s START area. To decide who goes first, players take turns popping the die to see who gets the highest pop. The player with the highest pop goes first and play moves from that player to the left.
How to Play
A player must pop a “6” to be able to bring a mover out of their start area and into the maze. They then get an extra pop, which can be used to move any of their movers that are out in the maze. During gameplay, a pop of 6 can be used to bring a new mover into the maze or to move an existing one, but it always grants a bonus pop. All movers are to go clockwise unless a maze card says otherwise. Players continue to take turns moving their movers around the board until they reach the HOME area. Players can only reach the HOME area with the exact number required, and other players may not enter another player’s HOME area.
Draw Cards
The draw cards are part of what gives the game a fun Harry Potter flavor. When a player lands on a DRAW space, they must select a draw card and do what it says whether good or bad. The cards all have spells, encounters with magical creatures, or maze events that can cause an effect on the drawing player or one of their opponents.
Landing on Another Mover
Just like in Trouble, if a player lands on another’s player’s mover, their opponent gets bumped back to start. You cannot land on one of your own movers, however, and if this comes up you must re-pop the die and take whatever result puts you on a different space, even if it’s a lower number.
Game End
Players continue popping and moving until someone successfully gets all four of their movers onto their HOME area.
Why You Should Play Harry Potter Triwizard Maze
Harry Potter Triwizard Maze is a fun and simple game. I will note you can run through streaks where it takes a number of turns to get a mover out into the maze, which did cause minor frustrations with the boys, but worked out in the end. Like a game of Trouble, the taking out of other people’s movers can also quickly kick up a ruthlessness reminiscent of Slytherin versus Gryffindor Quidditch games. (For the record, having given someone life does not give you immunity.)
A went after other movers like Oliver Wood himself had told him to knock us all out of the game, but A got knocked out a few times himself and no major meltdowns occurred over this. The game does require at least one player who can read the cards, but that was not a problem for us. A liked the game because of the Harry Potter aspect, and it was simple enough in gameplay that W could play with him.
The boys requested to play it at least three more after our test drive of it, so I would say the game went over quite well. The suggested retail price is $9.95, which seems fair for a simple game with a lot of replay in it that my kids of varying ages can play together. Pressman Games even provides a convenient list of retailers who carry the game. If you have young Harry Potter fans in your house, this should be a fun addition to your game nights.
