Monkey Palace – A Lego Board Game Review
*By Robert “TheChirurgeon” Jones, Contributing Writer – GoonHammer
November 27, 2025
🧱 Monkey Palace: A Lego Board Game Full of Creativity and Strategy
I’ve been a Lego fan for as long as I can remember. When we moved to Texas five years ago, one of the first things I did was dig out the 3–4 boxes of old Lego bricks I’d left at my parents’ house two decades earlier. I eventually passed them down to my son, who has broken and lost more of them than I’d like to admit (he was four, so I’ll allow it).
Now that he’s older, he’s become a Lego lover too. So last year when Christmas rolled around, Monkey Palace, a Lego-style board game from Dotted Games, landed on his wish list. We bought it…and then it sat unopened on a shelf for nine months. (We play a lot of HeroQuest around here.)
But we finally pulled it out — and it turned out to be a delightful surprise.
🐒 What Is Monkey Palace?
Monkey Palace is a competitive building game where players earn banana points by constructing the titular Monkey Palace. Each build adds height or structure to your palace, and points are awarded for the tallest build and for using special bricks.
Gameplay begins with a simple layout of empty spaces and arches. Every turn, players must build upward from ground level in a stair-step pattern. The rules for how each structure must be built can be a little tricky at first — we ended up watching a YouTube walkthrough to clarify things — but once you get the hang of it, the game flows well.
Each player also has a personal board where they collect Monkey Cards. These determine which bricks you gain each turn:
-
1×4 arch bricks
-
1×1 columns
-
3×1 columns
Some cards give big one-time bonuses, while others offer slow-and-steady brick income.
There are also plant pieces and monkey figures, which add fun visual flair and allow players to block each other — a mechanic kids particularly enjoy!
🎲 How the Game Plays
Despite the Lego pieces, this isn’t a dexterity game. Nothing is meant to topple over, and the goal is thoughtful construction rather than precarious stacking.
The game ends when the brick supply runs out. At that point, banana points are tallied, and Catan-style bonuses can give players a last-minute boost. Planning around that brick depletion is key to securing a strong finish.
There are multiple starting boards, which add variety and replayability. And once you get past the first round — which tends to look the same in every game — strategies diverge quickly.
👨👩👦 Who Is Monkey Palace For?
The box recommends ages 10+, but I think most kids 7 or 8 and up could enjoy it, especially if they’re familiar with Lego building.
My 9-year-old had a blast. He loved the building, the monkey pieces, and the opportunity to occasionally sabotage my plans.
Adults will appreciate the underlying strategy of managing your brick economy, choosing when to grab points, and planning the perfect final turn.
👍 Final Verdict
Monkey Palace is a solid, engaging family game — and a great value at $30–$35.
You get a generous number of high-quality Lego-compatible bricks, thoughtful game design, and a build-and-play experience that feels fresh without being complicated.
-
✔ Fun for kids
-
✔ Strategic enough for adults
-
✔ Quick to play (1 hour the first time, 30–45 minutes afterward)
-
✔ High-quality components
-
✔ Multiple boards for replay value
We enjoyed it enough to play again immediately after our first session.
If your kids love Lego or creative building games, Monkey Palace is well worth adding to your next family game night.
Originally posted by Robert Jones on
https://www.goonhammer.com/gam