I was recently given the opportunity to review Disney’s new Jungle Cruise Adventure Game, a board game sent to me by the company Ravensburger. It’s based on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland parks, which also has a movie based on the story coming up, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, due out next year. The game is for 2-4 players, ages 8+, and is described as follows:
Attention Skippers! Get ready for mystery and misfortune in this adventure along the perilous jungle river to the Jungle Navigation Headquarters. Keep your cargo and passengers safe from the jungle dangers that await you and find out which families have fallen out of Company owner Alberta Falls’ favor. If you present the most valuable freight of cargo and passengers, you will win – a cruise back home!
The game has a great board, and pieces and parts that are well-made and nice to look at. The first time play is very involved, with a lot to set up, and a lot to read about how the game is played. After figuring out how to play, and how to begin, there are quite a few things to remember at each turn. Younger players do need guidance in remembering the steps at each turn. Once the game gets going, it gets a little easier to remember, and everyone was having fun.
The best part of the game is the Navigation Cards you pick up with each turn to determine the adventures you have to complete for that round. Each one has a joke, which you, as the skipper read aloud to the other players. Even if a card has the same adventure as before, you get a new joke or pun to read. This was everyone’s favorite part, as we are big Disneyland fans and know the jokes from the ride.
The game takes an unexpected twist as you play, when you come across the clue cards that are located across the board. This gives you a hint as to who you should be rescuing on your boat, and who gets priority, as they may be a part of the family on the final card who has been selected by Alberta Falls as the caretakers of the Jungle Navigation Company.
The game was a little long for our taste, as first-timers who were still figuring it out, but after knowing the rules, my son and I played again, and it went by a lot quicker. The game was especially fun for veterans of the Jungle Cruise ride, but anyone would understand and enjoy the jokes, as they only wink to the “insiders.”
This is a fun, family friendly game, and I definitely recommend it to those who like to sit down to play games together. Just be patient, and follow the age guidelines. Pick up your own copy of Jungle Cruise Adventure Game, available in stores now.
