Monkey Palace – A Lego® Board Game Replayability Review

Monkey Palace is a LEGO® board game that combines the joy of building with light strategic gameplay. Players construct the palace during setup and then compete to collect bananas while navigating their monkeys to the top. It’s a delightful blend of physical building, tactical movement, and family-friendly competition that brings the familiar LEGO® charm to the tabletop gaming world.

Board Game Scores & Ranks:

• BGG Weight: 2.06
• Play time: 30-45 Mins
• Player Count: 2-4 players
• Year Published: 2024
• Game Designer: David Gordon (I), TAM

Game Mechanisms:

• Modular Board
• Set Collection
• Light Take-That
• Pattern Building

First Impressions

Our first encounter with Monkey Palace was a delightful surprise. Opening the box revealed the familiar LEGO® pieces we’ve come to love, but with a purpose beyond just building – they form the game board itself! The construction process is part of the experience, and the colorful monkeys and banana tokens immediately appealed to both the LEGO® enthusiasts and casual gamers in our group.

In a nutshell, you are giving a set of starting resources in the way of lego pieces. You must start a build from the bottom and you will try to get your set of stairs as high as possible. There are 3 distinct building pieces, one of which is an arch. Your score for the round will be based on how many arches you play. Typically, the more you play the more resources you will collect instantly and as future income, as well as VP. This creates a snowball effect and income engine. If you build the highest route of starting at a certain board colour you get bonuses, including a monkey lego piece that acts as a blocker on routes and gives a card worth VP

Setting it up for the first time was half the fun, and while the gameplay rules are straightforward enough for younger players to grasp, we found enough decision-making to keep things interesting for the adults at the table. We were curious to see how well the game would hold up over multiple plays, especially with our mixed group of gamers and LEGO® fans.

Review

After several game sessions, Monkey Palace continues to be a hit with certain groups, particularly families and those new to gaming. The core gameplay loop involves placing Lego pieces of various sizes, trying to move higher up and collect a better income. The game snowballs as the rounds continue as you’ll be bringing in more pieces.

The physical nature of the game adds a tactile element that’s often missing from traditional board games. When a monkey reaches the top and blocks a spot, there’s a genuine sense of accomplishment, especially for younger players. The game creates moments of tension when monkeys are close to reaching the summit or when players need to decide between prioritizing banana (VP) collection or position.

The construction aspect remains novel, as the palace can be configured differently each time, though the gameplay implications of these changes are minimal. The components are durable as you’d expect from LEGO®, and everything fits well with the playful theme.

Replayability

Variability Factor (1/2) – While you can reconfigure the palace layout, the core gameplay remains largely the same. The modular nature provides some visual variety, but doesn’t substantially change the strategic considerations from game to game.

Strategic Depth (0.5/2) – The game offers basic strategic choices around timing, movement, and resource collection, but the options are fairly limited. There are a few distinct approaches but not a deep well of strategies to explore.

Content Volume (0.5/1.5) – The game includes enough components and variety for several plays, but you’ll see most of what the game has to offer within 3-5 sessions. There aren’t hidden cards or scenarios to discover in later plays.

Decision Space Evolution (0.5/1.5) – As players gain experience, they may develop better timing for when to climb versus collect pieces, but the decision space doesn’t dramatically evolve. The choices remain relatively straightforward across multiple plays.

Depth of Mastery (0.5/1) – The game maintains a consistent level of enjoyment rather than revealing new depths with mastery. Experience helps with tactical decisions, but doesn’t transform the game experience.

Play Experience Variety (0.5/1) – Session experiences share many similarities, with occasional standout moments when the dice create unexpected situations. The narrative arc of most games follows a predictable pattern.

Ease of Getting it Back to the Table (1/1) – The rules are intuitive and easy to remember, making it simple to return to after time away. The LEGO® element creates an immediate hook that helps the game get back to the table, especially with younger players or LEGO® enthusiasts.

Who is this game for?

Monkey Palace is ideally suited for families with younger children (ages 6-12) and LEGO® enthusiasts who enjoy seeing their favorite building blocks in a gaming context. It’s a perfect gateway game for introducing non-gamers to tabletop gaming concepts through a familiar medium.

The game has found a permanent place in our collection, not as a regular feature for our gaming nights, but as our go-to option when hosting friends with children or introducing new people to board gaming. It sits alongside other accessible games like Ticket to Ride and Catan Junior in our “gateway game” section.

For serious gamers seeking strategic depth, Monkey Palace will likely be an occasional play rather than a regular rotation game. However, its charm, accessibility, and the joy it brings to younger players and LEGO® fans more than justifies its place in our personal collection. The physical building aspect adds value beyond pure gameplay, making it a unique hybrid experience that bridges toys and games.

While it may not offer the strategic depths of heavier games in our collection, Monkey Palace continues to create joyful memories, especially when gaming with mixed-age groups, and that’s a different kind of replay value altogether.