Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
I sit down to write this review with two questions on my mind: first, are twelve cards worth a full review? And second, with a game as near-perfect as Castle Combo, are twelve extra cards worth the risk? I’m going to assume the first one is a yes. As for the second, maybe.
By the way, if you don’t know Castle Combo, check out our review before moving on.
Where’s the bubble gum in this thing?
This pack of a dozen cards adds six cards each to the Village and the Castle. Along with new characters to make you smile, these cards introduce mechanical twists and a few delayed effects.
The delay is marked by a (free!) key that is either turned in to unlock the ability or retained for endgame scoring. Whether the cards are resetting the market (with perks) or raining blessings on the current tableau, they are in high demand as soon as they appear. As far as I can see, this will be the big knock on Oubliette, an extension of one of the few legitimate gripes with Castle Combo: when player experience depends on managing cards as they are randomly revealed, some will cry foul if their opponent is fed consistent opportunities with some of these doozies.
As for the new mechanical twists, having even a one-time market reset that also pays based on the features of the discards can create a major opportunity on several levels. The new scoring abilities motivate new strategies—finishing without face-down cards, collecting expansion cards or cards of different cost, and summing costs in a given row to name a few. Some provide a more hefty tally than others, but I tend to like when an expansion introduces new aims.
I’ve been known to knock expansions pretty heavily (and, occasionally, weirdly) in the past for changing beautiful games, especially my favorites. When new rulesets and new motivations intrude to the point of demanding attention for contention, I tend to pass. Everdell Pearlbrook? Sadly, no. Wingspan Oceania? Again, a no. The additives in these just take over the original experience and dominate existing strategies, less a new haircut and more a beehive wig.
Sure, but what about Oubliette? Tough call. When the new cards see the light of day early, they are almost a must play, which makes me skeptical. As long as you have time to build the tableau to match, they absolutely force your hand. The delayed effects are sweet and go a long way to pulling off endgame results. Late game, however, they are a crapshoot like every other card in the game. If they don’t fit, they’re not worth it. I find this little point of balance to be critical in the final assessment. While they might take over, they also might not.
For now, I say they stay, especially for players who know the game well and are looking for a change-up. They don’t break everything all the time, just some of the time. Like I said for the original, if something breaks, it’s over quickly and you can play again. The cards don’t mess with the tune, they just adapt the lyrics in the first verse. And if or when the game keeps (inevitably) expanding, who knows what role they’ll play?
Perhaps the bigger question: is Out of the Oubliette! a must buy? Castle Combo is amazing all by its lonesome. I’ll not sit idly by and hear you say it needs anything. But Oubliette is an affordable off-speed pitch to bring your well-worn appreciation up from the ‘ol dungeon. Easy to buy, super easy to play, easy enough to enjoy, easy enough to remove if you want your gem back in its unblemished form.
Castle Combo: Out of the Oubliette! details
- Designer: Grégory Grard, Mathieu Roussel
- Artists: Stéphane Escapa
- Publishers: Catch Up Games, Engames, Evrikus, Feelindigo, GateOnGames, Hachette Boardgames UK, KOSMOS, MINDOK, Pandasaurus Games, Reflexshop, Siam Board Games, White Goblin Games
- Release Date: 2025
- Player count : 2 - 5
- Age range : 10+
- Time range : 10 - 25 minutes
- Mechanism(s): End Game Bonuses, Multi-Use Cards, Open Drafting, Set Collection, Tags, Tile Placement
- BGG Geek Rating: 8.00916 - converted to Meeple Mountain scale: 4.0.
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