Published on: September 2, 2025
written by Kiomye Thompson
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Looking for the perfect game to kick off spooky season? The Night Cage from Smirk & Laughter Games delivers eerie tension, a haunting aesthetic, and a collaborative challenge that feels like navigating a shared nightmare and all in under an hour. Whether you’re a horror fan or just enjoy tightly knit co-op games with a twist, this one’s worth a playthrough… preferably with the lights low.
We’ll be demoing The Night Cage on Tuesday, October 1st from 6–8 PM, and those who come in qualify for 10% off the featured game. Stop by if you’re ready to get lost in the dark—literally.
Designers: Chris McMahon, Rosswell Saunders
Artist: Christopher Ryan Chan
Publisher: Smirk & Laughter Games
Player Count: 1–5 (best with 4–5)
Playtime: 45–60 minutes
Ages: 14+
Gameplay
In The Night Cage, you and your fellow prisoners awaken in a pitch-black labyrinth, each with only a single candle to guide the way. The goal is simple: find a key, find the gate, and escape together before the candlelight runs out. The execution, however, is anything but.
Each player starts in darkness on an empty grid. On your turn, you move one space, and in doing so, reveal new tiles around your current position and lighting the way just far enough to see your immediate surroundings. But light in this game is fleeting. As soon as you move again, tiles behind you vanish into darkness, lost forever unless they’re re-drawn from the dwindling tile stack.
Most tiles are corridors, allowing you to travel, but scattered throughout the deck are keys, gates, and Wax Eaters and other horrific creatures that extinguish your candle on contact. To win, each player must find a key, and all players must converge on a single gate at the same time. With only so many keys and gates in the deck, coordination is essential.
While the rules are easy to grasp, the strategy lies in movement and communication. Since you can’t see far ahead, you’ll need to explore carefully, conserve key tiles, and avoid splitting up unless you’re confident the others can find their way back. There are advanced variants that add new monsters, darkness events, and stricter communication rules for groups looking to up the difficulty.
It’s claustrophobic, it’s cooperative, and it’s one of the few games where the tile deck itself acts like a timer and your lifeline.
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Review
My first playthrough of The Night Cage was a two-player game, and even with just the two of us, the atmosphere was tense and surprisingly immersive. The tile-laying mechanic stood out immediately and it’s simple, but incredibly effective. As your candle “illuminates” just a handful of tiles and then erases them behind you, it truly feels like wandering through the dark with only flickering light to guide your way. The result is a puzzle that always feels fresh, full of mystery, and just a little unnerving.
But the part that really stuck with me? The sense of camaraderie it created. Despite the gloom and isolation, every discovery sparked conversation. Every Wax Eater encounter led to a shared groan or gasp. And when someone finally spotted a key or gate, it felt like a group victory. I can imagine the game being even better at its full player count—more voices, more chaos, more collective dread as you watch the tile stack dwindle.
That said, The Night Cage leans heavily on luck. You’re at the mercy of the tile draw, and even with smart planning, a bad shuffle can turn a good run into a dead end. Some players might not mind that—it fits the theme and adds tension—but if you’re looking for deep strategic control, this game might not be your ideal maze.
Still, the presentation and experience make up for it. The stark black-and-white art, the minimalist design, and the eerie candle theme all work beautifully together. I also appreciate that the game includes solo and advanced modes, allowing those who want a quiet, introspective session or a full group challenge with harsher rules, it’s flexible.
If you do plan to play, I recommend dimming the lights and putting on some ambient horror music. It really adds to the immersion and helps bring out the game’s strongest feature: its ability to tell a story through silence, shadows, and shared unease.
Whether you’re navigating a shifting labyrinth, dodging Wax Eaters, or just trying to find your way back to the group, The Night Cage offers a uniquely tense and cooperative experience perfect for fall game nights. It’s best enjoyed with friends, a little patience, and a lot of imagination.
Looking to get in the Halloween spirit early? Give The Night Cage a shot and don’t forget to bring your candle.
