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.
Wonder Boy, Hercules
I’m a fan of mythology in general. There’s a childlike wonder that comes from reading stories of epic heroism, self-sacrifice, memorable characters wrapped up in the hero’s journey formula. I remember when Disney’s Hercules came out in 1997, I was engrossed in the mania of toys, picture books, and even the promotional plates in partnership with McDonald’s (yes, back then McDonald’s had tableware!).
Fast forward to today, and while I don’t have kids of my own, the inner kid is always drawn to mythological stories. Though the actual story of Hercules and the 12 Labors is vastly different from the children’s cartoon, complete with graphic violence and other adult themes.
I was excited to link up with Mathue Ryann from Envy Born games last year, both over our mutual Friendsgiving of bourbon and board games, and at PAX U, where Hercules and the 12 Labors debuted. This title, with all the gold foiling and pizzazz, follows a format of grinding through a deck of cards in the similar vein of Kinfire Delve, One Deck Dungeon, and Witchcraft!
On a nice Sunday afternoon, I find myself playing solo games with a cuppa tea, and this experience is one perfectly crafted for that setting, complete with stories of mythical monsters, betrayals, and the never-ending quest for immortality on Mount Olympus.
The Twelve Labors
Hercules and the 12 Labors is a solo-only, dice manipulation game simulating the famous quest through a deck of cards.
Each labor starts with a card describing the story of that trial and how Hercules triumphed through it. Every labor card has a specified “health” value that must be defeated in order to advance through the deck. A random “mood” card is drawn as well, which applies a positive or negative effect for that labor’s run. The player starts with a pool of dice and a starting bow that allows one die to be changed at the cost of 1 spirit.
If the player ever loses all their spirit, or if the labor die reaches the final mark on its track (essentially a time limit), the run ends. To win the game completely, players must succeed through all 12 labors and reach the top of the divinity track.
On a given turn, the pool of dice is rolled and must match a certain condition in order to lessen the value of the labor die. This can mean numerical values, sequential sets, multiplicative relationships, or other constraints that have to be met. Dice can be manipulated through card abilities such as changing value, rerolling, and more. Each victory over a labor card grants a new card (or choice of cards) that further enhances your dice mitigation abilities and can even add more dice to the pool.
The journey doesn’t have to happen in one go. The game can be resumed or started from any labor, using the rewards from previous trials. However, there is a cost to your starting spirit based on each piece of equipment.
Hydras to Herecles
First off, this game is absolutely tough. The first few labors were a breeze, and I even thought I should up the difficulty (more difficult = fewer starting dice). I was quickly humbled about halfway through the gauntlet as those labors became well…laborious.
The gameplay loop is pretty simple: roll dice and manipulate them to fit whatever parameter the labor needs. But like any dice game, the dice don’t always cooperate, and time is your enemy. The longer it takes to defeat a labor, the more it “hits” back through spirit loss, dice removal, or even an increase to the labor die’s value.
There’s nothing more disheartening than chipping away only to have that progress undone. Luckily, it’s all predetermined. You can see what the labor card is going to hit back with and plan accordingly.
As you get further into the deck, labors show up with multiple labor dice, all contributing their own treachery that can quickly snowball into a loss. Then each labor die has its own dice condition, and things start getting deep into the dice math if you want to stay successful.
I love rolling dice, and luck be damned, it’s always a good time doing so. But this game is entirely dice rolling, so expect to be punched in the face and only occasionally rewarded with the perfect rolls. The skill comes down to how well your dice mitigation game is. Each card has blue squares that change a die in some form, and those spots can only affect one die at a time. The newly changed die can be applied to your total damage. Then come the gold squares, which trigger after the blue, and there can be some juicy combos to be had. There’s no better feeling than rolling a bunch of trash but mathing out the equipment abilities to turn it into a glorious roll.
On top of the dice mitigation comes the spirit track management. Some card abilities require you to take damage, and it gets scary when you’re hovering in the single digits and wondering if the juice is worth the squeeze. While the dice rolling is always luck-driven, the rest of the game is deterministic, with all information presented ahead of time.
And if that isn’t enough, the divinity track needs to hit the top by the time you finish the last labor. That’s right, you could beat the final boss and still technically not win the game if this hasn’t been met. No one said getting to hang with the gods is easy!
I love the simple but challenging dice system shown here. Some labors took 30–45 minutes alone from excessive dice matching. One had four different labor dice, with two different dice requirements, and another required multiplication values of other dice. Sheesh, who knew there’d be so much math in a dice game?
I can’t say I successfully made it through all 12 labors, but I at least tried all the scenarios once. Each one somehow felt thematic to the specific story and offered its own singular challenge that rewarded deep strategic rolling. And man, that final boss is insanely hard.
Solid Climb to Mount Olympus
I’ve played a ton of roguelite video games (Absolver, Mewgenics, Slay the Spire, and Children of Morta, to name a few), and this felt like an analog port of that experience. You can start off fresh at the beginning or pick up where you died or didn’t succeed, carrying in the rewards to help make the next run a little better. Many of the labors offer a choice of cards that change how your dice mitigation engine is built. Starting a run lets you pick and choose which of these to go with, which gives you more agency over your strategy.
Aside from the mechanics, the production is absolutely outstanding. The dice are small but crafted with quality, and the story writing condenses heavy Greek epics into nice, digestible vignettes.
I’d love to see more mythology (specifically other cultures) adapted into this system, as it feels intuitive and unique. Dice manipulation isn’t new, but here it feels like you’re building an engine as you grind through the deck. The engine can be swapped around to try new combos. Each loss felt like a learning experience, and you go in a little bit better prepared.
Though the game doesn’t offer a ton of replayability, the constant loss will keep you coming back to try and beat it again, much like any soulslike video game (Elden Ring, Sekiro, Nioh, etc.).
However, I do wish there was a player aid, as constantly flipping through the rulebook for symbology was a bit cumbersome.
Otherwise, if you’re a fan of solo games, dice rolling, or Greek mythology, there is an impressive challenge wrapped up in a nice, small box. It’s a Herculean effort to get to the end, but if you do get there, it will be an extremely satisfying win.
