Picture it. Family games night, and nobody is yelling “that’s not FAIR!” Nobody is flipping the board. Nobody storms off to their room because their sibling won again.
Sounds made up, right? We thought so too. Then LEGO® NINJAGO Destiny’s Bounty Adventures landed with our Mum Central reviewer Lauren and her family, and her kids (aged 10 and 12) put it to the test. The verdict? You’ll have to stick around for that. But we can tell you it involved a whole lot of teamwork and a few dodgy Ninja voices.
Thanks to our friends at Asmodee, we have 10 prize packs to be won, each containing a copy of LEGO® NINJAGO Destiny’s Bounty Adventures plus the addictive LEGO® Brick Like This! Game! Each pack is valued at $74 and guaranteed to be a hit in your LEGO-loving household!
But first, let’s find out why this new game was such a hit for our reviewer!
What is LEGO® NINJAGO Destiny’s Bounty Adventures?
It’s a cooperative family board game from games publisher Asmodee, made in collaboration with the LEGO® Group to celebrate 15 years of LEGO® NINJAGO. If you’ve got a LEGO® NINJAGO fan in the house, you already know that’s a big deal. (If you don’t, you will soon. They’re very vocal about it.)
The story goes like this. Villains are attacking Destiny’s Bounty, the Ninjas’ flying ship, and they’re scheming to activate their evil masterplan. Your job is to GO FULL NINJA as Kai, Nya, Cole or Zane and defend the ship before it’s too late.
Here’s a Quick Rundown:
- PLAYERS: 2 to 4
- AGES: 8+
- GAME TIME: around 20 to 30 minutes
- IN THE BOX: 124 LEGO® pieces, 4 customisable Ninja Minifigures with gear, plus an exclusive Nya Minifigure
- SCENARIOS: 6 different adventures to play through
- STYLE: Co-operative, so you win (or lose) together as a team
Hang On, There’s No Winner?
Nope. Well, sort of. You all win, or you all lose. There’s no single champion sitting smugly at the end of the table while everyone else sulks.
And honestly? This is the bit that sold us.
Anyone who’s played a board game with siblings knows how it usually ends. Tears. Accusations of cheating. Someone “accidentally” knocking the pieces everywhere when they’re losing. Cooperative games flip all of that on its head, because the only enemy is the game itself.
Lauren nailed it: “It was fantastic that we would all win (or lose) together and it saved any arguments about the kids beating each other or accusations of cheating.”
Her favourite moment?
“The feeling of winning the game together is wonderful. You don’t have any kids upset that they were beaten by a sibling (or a parent), so everyone is trying their best to win together as a team.”
We’ll take that over a sibling showdown any day of the week.
How Do You Play LEGO® NINJAGO Destiny’s Bounty Adventures?
Fair warning: when you first open the box, it looks more complicated than it really is. Lauren found the rules clear, and after a couple of turns her family didn’t need to check them at all.
STEP 1: Build your Ninja
This is where the magic kicks in. Before your first game, you’ll build your Ninja Minifigures using real LEGO® bricks, following the included instructions. Each Ninja becomes your playing piece.
A tip from us: keep the builds intact between games. You don’t want to rebuild Zane every time someone wants a rematch.
STEP 2: Set up the board
Here’s a clever touch. The board is reversible and comes in two parts, so it changes depending on whether you’ve got 2, 3 or 4 players. Set out your villain tokens, mastery tokens and adventure cards, pick a scenario and you’re ready.
STEP 3: Take on the villains
On your turn, you move your Ninja around the ship and use your unique Ninja powers to take down villains. Each of the four Ninjas has different abilities, so you’ll need to work out who’s best placed to tackle which threat.
STEP 4: Level up (with actual LEGO® bricks)
This is the bit Lauren’s kids went nuts for. Beat enough villains and you upgrade your Ninja, which means physically adding cool new LEGO® pieces to your Minifigure. You also earn mastery tokens as your skills grow.
STEP 5: Beat the snake
Here’s the catch. While you’re busy fighting villains, the Great Devourer Snake is growing on the board. Your team needs to reach Master Level before the snake is complete. If he finishes first, the villains win and everyone’s going down with the ship.
Only together will the Ninja succeed. No pressure!
What We Loved:
- Everyone plays together. No winners and losers, no cries of “you cheated!”, just one Ninja team.
- It’s quick. Lauren’s games ran 20 to 40 minutes, so it fits into a school night without blowing up bedtime.
- Real LEGO® Minifigures. Levelling up means adding new LEGO® pieces to your Ninja, and Lauren’s kids kept playing with them long after the game was packed away.
- Easy to pick up. It looks trickier than it is. A couple of turns in, nobody needed the rules.
- Very replayable. 6 scenarios and surprise plot twists mean no two games are the same.
- Kids get right into it. Expect Ninja voices and sound effects. Lots of them.
- It’s screen-free. Need we say more?
In other words, it fits into a school night without blowing up bedtime. Winning.
“It’s perfect for a sit-down board game that doesn’t take all day. Sometimes our kids need to take a break if games go much longer than this, so we found this a great length of play time.”
What Age is it Best For?
The box says it’s for ages 8+, and Lauren reckons her 10 and 12 year olds were “right in the sweet spot.”
But because it’s cooperative, younger kids can join in with help from older players, especially if they’re already LEGO® NINJAGO fans. Nobody gets left behind when everyone’s on the same team. And the grown-ups? Lauren says the whole family enjoyed it.
LEGO® NINJAGO Destiny’s Bounty Adventures
The Bit that Kept Everyone Hooked
Two things make this game work for families.
- The first is the surprise plot twists. Adventure cards throw curveballs that change each game, so you can’t just learn one strategy and coast. The kids have to adapt fast, talk to each other and change their plans on the fly. Which, if you think about it, is pretty good practice for real life too.
- The second is the race against the Great Devourer Snake. As Lauren put it, “Those last few turns racing the snake had everyone on the edge of their seats.” There’s real tension at the end of each game, and it’s the good kind. The kind where everyone’s leaning over the table, yelling suggestions and holding their breath.
And because the scenarios are replayable, no two games feel quite the same. That matters when you’ve got a kid who wants to play it seven times in a row.
Anything to Keep in Mind?
It’s a fairly unique game mechanic, so give yourself a couple of turns to find your rhythm and work out the best strategies.
The box says 8+, and Lauren reckons her 10 and 12 year olds were “right in the sweet spot.” Because it’s cooperative, though, younger kids can join in with help from older players, especially if they’re already LEGO® NINJAGO fans.
And here’s a bonus no one saw coming. The kids kept playing with the Minifigures and their upgrades long after the game was packed away. So you’re really getting two toys in one box.
“We really creating our LEGO® NINJAGO Destiny’s Bounty Adventures review! It’s a fantastic cooperative board game, where you work together to stop the villains.
The Verdict: Is it Worth it?
For families who are over the board game meltdowns, LEGO® NINJAGO Destiny’s Bounty Adventures is a ripper. It’s quick, it’s fun and it gets kids working together instead of against each other.
Lauren would “absolutely recommend this game to any families with LEGO® NINJAGO fans, and also to families looking for cooperative games to play together as a team.”
It’s also a top pick for the LEGO® NINJAGO-obsessed kid in your life, whether that’s for a birthday, a rainy weekend or (dare we say it) Christmas. It’s closer than you think, people.
Mum Central reviewer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
So grab your team, pick your Ninja and GO FULL NINJA to defend Destiny’s Bounty!
LEGO® NINJAGO: Destiny’s Bounty Adventures is available now from Kmart for $49.
Thanks to our friends at Asmodee, we have 10 x prize packs up for grabs, each containing a copy of LEGO® NINJAGO Destiny’s Bounty Adventures PLUS a copy of the highly addictive game LEGO® Brick Like This! Each prize pack is valued at $74 and is sure to be a hit for any fans young and old!
To enter, simply complete the entry form below in full and we could be sending one your way!
GOOD LUCK!
This review is brought to you by Asmodee. All opinions are those of our reviewer Lauren and her family.
