Delicious in Dungeon, which became a massive hit as a Netflix anime, has officially hit our tables. Published by Mandoo Games, 'Let’s Eat the Monster! Delicious in Dungeon Board Game' (hereinafter 'Delicious in Dungeon Board Game') is the subject of today’s deep dive. I started with the anime, moved on to the manga, and now find myself playing the game—a trajectory I suspect many fans will follow. Let's see if the tabletop adaptation truly captures the flavour of the source material.

The roots of this new release run surprisingly deep; it is effectively a re-skin of 'Monster Maker,' a board game originally launched in Japan back in 1988.

Before we dive in, let’s look at the components. They are divided into cards and tokens. The cards include tutorial/explanation cards, 'Labyrinth' cards for adventure, item cards acquired through the exchange event, monster cards, and, of course, the character cards from the series.

Other components include dice for combat checks, food tokens to recover exhausted characters, staff tokens to track the mage’s spell usage, gold coin tokens, and depth tokens (shallow or deep) to mark your current location in the dungeon.

 

It might sound like a lot, but the game fits into an A4-sized box with an organizer that keeps everything tidy. It’s portable and clearly shows that the publisher put genuine care into the production.

The artwork is the real standout here. It faithfully reproduces the manga’s style, characters, and monsters, making it a worthy collector's item. The food illustrations are particularly appetising, visualising the 'monster cuisine' hook that makes the source material so unique.

True to the source, the core of the Delicious in Dungeon Board Game is exploration and cooking. You traverse the dungeon, roll dice to hunt monsters you encounter, and turn them into culinary points.

The game proceeds through four phases: Combat, Exploration, Encounter, and Rest. You play Labyrinth cards to explore, and when you bump into a monster, it’s time to roll. Defeated foes are converted into food cards for points. The 'Encounter' phase is where things get cheeky; you can pass encounter cards to other players to disrupt their progress. It’s a nice bit of friction that keeps things from getting too dull.

Strategy hinges on the fact that you can only hold a maximum of five scoring cards. You must carefully decide which ones to keep before the game concludes. Since taking down the boss is a major competitive goal, the timing of your Labyrinth card plays is crucial.

The game supports up to five players with a runtime of about 40 minutes. It’s quite accessible—a bit more complex than the Minecraft board game I introduced earlier, but still very approachable for newcomers.

I tested it with various group sizes. Two-player sessions are fine for learning, but the interactions feel a bit predictable. With three or more, however, the uncertainty of who might sabotage you next adds a layer of genuine tension.

The highlight for me was reminiscing about specific episodes from the manga with friends. For fans, experiencing the story through gameplay is a special touch.

I recommend playing with the canonical parties for your first run, then mixing and matching with card drafting later. Keep in mind that every character card has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Take Laios, the protagonist; he starts poor but has decent attack power. His real strength, however, is cooking. He provides a +2 bonus to dice rolls, making it easier to score points after a hunt.

What about the Elf party, arguably the most powerful? They have high magical prowess and heavy attack stats. However, they lack any culinary bonuses, making the cooking phase a struggle.

When their powerful abilities exhaust them, they’ll find it difficult to scrounge up the food tokens needed to recover. Since their magic can only be recharged via specific Labyrinth card events, poor management can lead to a very frustrating experience.

The game’s greatest strength is its fidelity to the original. It weaves episodes and characters into the mechanics seamlessly, providing a treat for fans. The rules are simple, and the components are clutter-free, making it highly accessible. The level of player interaction is just right—enough to be bothersome, but never enough to ruin your day.

That said, the downsides are glaring. Because it relies on 1980s mechanics, it feels a bit bland compared to modern titles. The reliance on dice rolls for combat and cooking means luck plays a heavy hand, which might turn off some. It also relies heavily on player-versus-player interference to be fun, which simply might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

If you love the Delicious in Dungeon series or are new to board games, this is a solid recommendation. It translates the charm of the manga perfectly and offers a memorable shared experience.

However, for those unfamiliar with the series or strategy-focused 'Eurogamers' seeking depth, it might feel a bit lightweight. If you have an emotional attachment to the series, you’ll likely enjoy it, but if you’re purely looking for deep mechanics, tread carefully.