Clank! Expeditions: Temple of the Ape Lords

I love Clank!, I also love the expansion Expeditions Gold and Silk. So surely I will love Expeditions Temple of the Ape Lords? To find out continue reading to see if it is swinging majestically through the trees or falling hard to the ground.

Do You Own Clank

Once again please be aware this is a review for the expansion and not the base game which is required to play this expansion.

If you are new to the Clank! series I can highly recommend it especially if you enjoy running through dungeons trying to steal the dragons gold and treasure all before he wakes up and destroys you. This gameplay is achieved with a deck of cards which constantly evolves as you add new cards via the deckbuilding mechanism. Games last approximately 30 to 45 minutes and will always be exciting as you push your luck for just one more bit of treasure before you get caught.

What’s In The Box

For such a small package and price you get quite a lot for your money. Firstly a double sided game board with two new maps ‘Welcome to the jungle’ & ‘Monkeying around the temple’. A new monkey boss meeple, four new player meeples, a 33 point artifact (to replace the 30 point artifact whilst using these maps), eighteen ‘ape-aratus tokens, two time winder items for the market, eight rotation of numerous gears (RNG), nine gear tokens and finally three campaign tokens.

I’m The King Of The Swingers

Just like with Expedition Gold & Silk, Temple of the Ape Lords adds so much without changing the core concept. Both maps play different to any other map released and I feel one side is easier than the other which makes this expansion perfectly suited for both new players to Clank! and experienced gamers who want a challenge.

As previously mentioned with both maps you replace the 30 point artifact with the new 33 point artifact which looks suspiciously like a golden barrel, now if only I could think of a game series which included a barrel and a monkey…..wink.

Both maps also require you to add a new item to the market, the amazing Time Winder. This item not only provides 5 points it also allows you to go back in time and remove three of your Clank! cubes from the dragon bag. I love this mechanism so much I include it with any map I am playing of Clank!

Welcome To The Jungle, We Have Fun And Games

This is the easiest of the two maps and is more suitable for less experienced Clankers. There isn’t too much to take in with one new gameplay mechanism added of set collection. During set up you will place one of each type of ‘ape-aratus’ below the bronze guardian and then the rest are placed face up randomly on the spaces in between rooms. Whenever you use boots to move along tunnels with an ‘ape-aratus’ on it you automatically pick it up and add it to your collection. If you use teleport to move you will not collect it.

Some of the tunnels are marked with Clank! icons. If you move along these tunnels you add a Clank! cube for each icon. If you use a teleport you do not add any Clank! cubes.

On your turn you can spend three swords to defeat the bronze guardian and claim one of his ‘ape-aratus’. These are limited and when they are gone they are gone.

So why are you collecting all of these ‘ape-aratus’? At the end of the game you will score for each type. One of these will net you only one point but if you managed to collect all six of any one type you would be awarded with a massive thirty six points.

I really enjoy this map, it feels easy to move around and the set collection adds an easy but fun new mechanism to the mix. The extra Clank! given on some of the tunnels can be negated by purchasing the time winder and doesn’t feel too punishing.

Hey, Hey We’re Monkeys & We Like Monkeying Around (The Temple)

Things get very interesting in Temple of the Ape Lords with the Temple side of the map. You will now have to accommodate for an ever changing map with easy paths turning into treacherous ones or even dead ends. This is all due to the gears that are placed randomly (matching their shape) at the beginning of the game. You also shuffle and place (face down) the rotation of numerous gears tokens (RNG) on the spaces marked out on the monster rage track. You place the remainder at the top of the rage track in a pile. Finally for set up you give each player 3 randomly chosen ‘ape-aratus’ tokens.

The tunnels you can use may not always be passable (even with a teleport if it is a dead end) and you can be blocked into a room with the path out being changed right behind you. This all occurs with gear rotation which is controlled by the players and randomly through the RNG.

The gears comes in three colours which match the ‘ape-aratus’ colours. When you approach a gear (the room next to it) you can spend one of your ‘ape-aratus’ to move the gear in any orientation you want. You could do this to make your path easier or to block in a competitor.

When the monkey boss moves up to a new level on the rage track you turn over the next RNG and carry out its instructions. It could be you move all gears of one colour one rotation clockwise or maybe you have to move all nine gears or you could be lucky and it could be blank. Once the monkey has reached the highest level on the rage track you turn over a new RNG every time the rage level should increase (new artifact stolen, dragon egg revealed).

This map and its turning gears makes for a harder experience as a clear path to safety may disappear before your very eyes. This is why I would recommend this map for the more experienced player.

Ooooh, Banana!

You can play a mini campaign with this expansion. To do so you play both maps back to back by playing the jungle side first and then the temple. After the first game you award the bonus 20 point campaign token to the player who won, second place gets a 10 point token, and finally third place gets the 5 point token. Then when you start the next map each player will keep the ‘ape-aratus’ tokens they obtained in the jungle and can use them to move gears in the temple. At the end of the second game calculate your score normally and then add the value of your campaign token (no points are awarded for the ‘ape-aratus’). The player with the most points wins the campaign.

Top Banana

What a wonderful expansion. So much added and it all ties beautifully into the core game. I love both maps for different reasons and would be able to easily teach them to new players. Once again the artwork and component quality is very good and the rules are clear and easy to follow.

I actually rate this expansion slightly higher than Expedition Gold & Silk but only because it feels like there are two difficulty levels with the maps. But in reality if you like Clank! you must own both of the Expedition expansions.