Indiana Jones: Sands of Adventure turns Raiders of the Lost Ark into a raucous party game

There’s a moment in every Indiana Jones movie where a fight breaks out and things quickly spiral out of control. Perhaps a man with a great sword stands in the way of finding Indy’s companion. Perhaps a clean escape in a minecart turns into a deadly chase. Or maybe a Messerschmitt dogfight turns into a crash landing when someone accidentally shoots out of the biplane’s tail. Whatever the odds, Indy and the gang always find a way to win the day – usually through teamwork and improvisation.

It is precisely those action-packed moments that Funko Games’ Indiana Jones: Sands of Adventure trying to reproduce in a board game. And while I usually avoid products that use an hourglass, in this case it’s absolutely crucial to the pace and suspense of the game.

In Sand of adventuretwo to four players each play the role of characters Raiders of the Lost Ark — Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Sallah el-Kahir and Marcus Brody. At the heart of the experience is an adaptation of the classic matching card game Uno, where players match colored cards with symbols such as hats and spades instead of numbers. If your team can play enough attack cards before the timer runs out, you win. But as with Indiana Jones’ most chaotic action sequences, there are many complications for players to contend with.

First, the game board itself is randomly generated from seven double-sided tiles, each with different effects. That means you can’t rely on the same strategy every game or even every round. Second, enemies become more powerful in each of the following stages. Colonel Dietrich, for example, is a real laughing stock compared to Major Toht. Later, rival explorer René Belloq strikes hard.

Photo: James Paul Correia Photography/Funko Games

Finally that big old hourglass looms. At various points in the game, players must drop a plastic gem into the bucket on top of the timer. That extra weight eventually causes the timer to topple over, resetting the timer and immediately triggering the final stage of the battle. What was just a casual little strategic card game suddenly turns into a full-blown scream-a-thon when everyone at the table stands at attention and starts shouting advice and throwing punches – in the form of cards – left and right for the timer runs out. It’s great and it makes the game attractive for the whole family.

As with almost all of Funko’s board games, the manufacturing quality here is excellent – especially for a $29.99 mass-market product. The miniatures are large and full of character, and the art isn’t just a pile of recycled stills from the movie. Every image feels lovingly crafted, from Marion’s flamboyant grin to Marcus’s flamboyant fountain pen jab. My only complaint is that a few of the minis that came with Polygon’s set are a little warped, but it’s nothing a little hot water and a gentle rest can’t fix.

You can find Indiana Jones: Sands of Adventure available exclusively at Target, both in stores and online.

Indiana Jones: Sands of Adventure was reviewed using a pre-release copy from Funko Games. Vox Media has partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy here.