Title: Munchkin: Disney
Created By: Steve Jackson Games
Published By: The OP
Released: 2020
Player Count: 3-6
Time to Play: 60-120 Minutes
Are you a fan of Munchkin? Do you sing Disney songs all day long? Have you ever wanted to battle against your favorite Disney villains while working to be the ultimate Disney Fan? Well, get ready! *Cues singing *
"I can show you the world...", the world of Disney Munchkin that is! That's right! Steve Jackson Games and The OP have teamed up to create the Disney-loving, Munchkin fan's dream, Munchkin: Disney.
For those familiar with the original version of Munchkin by Steve Jackson Games, Munchkin: Disney will feel very familiar but with a good helping of Disney magic thrown-in. For those who are new to Munchkin, let me start by offering you a brief overview of the game, and then we will talk about what makes Munchkin: Disney extra special.
In Munchkin you play as an adventurer who explores a dungeon, fighting all the evil monsters you encounter along the way. You strive to level up by beating up bad guys and looting their treasure. Work to help your friends to gain favors, or throw the world into chaos and backstab away. Munchkin involves a lot of "take that" moments, where players will have the opportunity to hinder their fellow player's race to the top. The first player to get from level 1 to level 10 is the winner.
Munchkin: Disney follows the same basic idea however, rather than being an adventurer fighting monsters, you are a Disney fan battling against all of your favorite villains. To start, each player gets a role card, four cards from the door deck, and four cards from the treasure deck. Each role will have a special ability that will stay with the player throughout the game. Examples include Animal Friend (if you can name an animal friend from a Disney movie, give +2 to either side during combat) or Sidekick which allows you to have an additional ally. Your role card will also have a tracker on the bottom that is used to keep track of what level you are on. Make sure to give each player a token to track their level with as well.
Decide who is going first and you are ready to go. The first bit of Disney magic is the suggested method for picking who goes first: whoever can name the most Disney villains in 30 seconds.
On their turn, players will kick open doors and face whatever lurks behind it. Encounters can take the form of villains, curses, or other cards. If it is a villain you must battle it; more on that in a minute. Curses also happen immediately if drawn. Other cards can either be added to a player's hand or used if a player wishes to do so.
If the player drew a non-villain card when flipping open the door, they can then choose to look for trouble (which involves playing a villain from your hand and fighting them just as you would if you had encountered them going through the door), or choose to loot the room. If the player loots the room, they draw a second card from the door deck and add it to their hand.
If a player flips over a villain card (or choose to look for trouble) they must defeat whatever villain is present or face "the bad stuff". Yup, that's right, the bad stuff! To defeat a villain, your strength just needs to be greater than theirs. A player's strength is equal to their level, plus or minus any bonuses or penalties they receive from other cards in play, such as armor, allies, curses, their role card, etc. When a player defeats a villain on their turn, they increase a level. If they fail to defeat the villain they must pay the price of whatever bad stuff is shown on the card.
Battles are where the real fun of Munchkin begins! If a player is not strong enough to defeat the villain on their own, they can either face the bad stuff or ask other players for help. Players may choose to help other players out of the goodness of their heart, or for bargains such as "I will help, but I want all of the treasure when we win". Players can then fight together to take down the villain and split the spoils according to the deal previously made.
Now here is where things get really interesting, Munchkin has a lot of cards that allow players to increase the difficulty of the villain their opponents are battling. Play them at the right time and you might just stop someone from leveling up and winning the game.
Once the actions above are resolved, a player's turn is almost complete. Before a player can finish their turn they need to play enough cards that they only have 5 cards remaining in their hand (either treasure and/or door cards). If a player cannot give use enough cards to get down to 5 cards remaining, they must give cards to the player on the lowest level until they have only 5 cards remaining.
Play will then pass to the next person. This continues until someone reaches level 10. That person is declared the ultimate Disney fan!
*Cues more singing* "Let's get down to business..." to talk about all the stuff we loved!
Let's start off by stating the obvious, Munchkin: Disney takes all the things we love about the regular version of Munchkin and incorporates loads of our favorite Disney characters. This makes Munchkin: Disney a great choice for those looking to try out Munchkin but who aren't fans of the standard dungeon explorer theme.
Do you have what it takes to team up with Mickey and Minnie to take down characters like Hades and Maleficent? Will you be a fairy godmother and get Cinderella to the ball before her evil stepsisters capture the eye of the prince or will the pumpkin just remain a pumpkin? Can you wield Robin Hood's bow, Mushu's fireworks, or Rafiki's staff? Will the magic mirror curse you or will you use its power to inflict curses on others? The game itself is bright, colorful and features both new and classic Disney story characters, meaning that no matter if you are a kid or a kid at heart you will find loads of familiar faces behind the doors.
In Munchkin: Disney, you can even harness the power of Disney Magic bonuses. Some cards have extra abilities that can be triggered, but only if a player quotes a line or sings a song from a Disney movie. We recommend singing....loudly!
Because of the potentially cutthroat nature of Munchkin: Disney, it is best played with gaming groups that enjoy messing with other opponents and who's players can handle being ganged up on from time to time. If you have a gaming group who can laugh when someone is at level 9 and gets sent back to level 1, then Munchkin: Disney is for you.
Personally, we really enjoy the chaotic, competitive nature of Munchkin. We like letting our friends think they are close to victory before knocking them down a few levels and rushing in for the win! Being able to play cards on other players turns, is also a great way to increase engagement throughout the entire game. Players do not need to just sit patiently in between turns and wait for their turn to come around again, they are able to get involved no matter whose turn it is. We enjoy a game where there is less downtime between when every person can play.
If you are looking for a loud, laughter-filled night, put on your favorite Disney flick, make some Mickey pretzels, grab a copy of Munchkin: Disney, and get ready for "a whole new world" of fun!
More information on Munchkin: Disney can be found on The OP's website.
Pudgy Cat Games makes no profit off reviews. Should you wish to purchase Munchkin: Disney, you can help support us by purchasing the game through our Amazon Affiliate Link below. It will cost you nothing extra, but will help support our site!
Comments