The Haunted Mansion: Call of the Spirits Review

Disney and Funko have released a new board game all about the Haunted Mansion! Since I love this attraction I knew I wanted to play this and share my thoughts.

In Call of the Spirits, you will explore the Haunted Mansion and socialize with the happy haunts inside in order to earn points. There are different types of ghosts, from the stretching portraits to the singing busts, and you have to create certain sets to maximize points in your favor. But be careful, because the Hitchhiking Ghosts are moving around the mansion and will give your haunt cards, which are penalty points. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

The gameplay is quite strategic with having limited actions you can take in a turn, trying to create sets of ghosts that benefit you the most, and try to avoid or get rid of haunt cards. You can also make strategic decisions that can affect your opponents. It is not a heavy strategy which I like because it makes it more playable with more people when the strategy is lighter.

The art is fantastic and does a great job setting the full scene of being in the Haunted Mansion. It is also fun to recognize all of the ghosts, because they are all in the attraction. No detail went unnoticed when making this game, and my Haunted Mansion loving self really appreciates that.

I will say this game is better played with more people. I played with four players and two players, and the four-player game was more fun and involved more strategy. The game felt too easy with only two players, but I think that can be adjusted with some house rules.

Overall, if you are a Haunted Mansion fan you will really enjoy and appreciate this game. It is family-friendly as it is not too difficult that younger ones can’t play but also has thought and strategy to make it interesting for older ones.