Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: The Board Game will give you another chance to get a miniature David Bowie codpiece in time for the movie’s 40th anniversary
There’ll be a new expansion and figures for those who already own it.
The board game based on cult eighties fantasy flick Jim Henson’s Labyrinth is returning with a 40th Anniversary Collection, adding a new expansion and miniatures - plus another chance to grab a tiny codpiece-sporting David Bowie - ahead of the movie’s big 4-0 in 2026.
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: The Board Game - which will become even wordier and headache-inducing for grammar pedants as Jim Henson's Labyrinth: The Board Game - 40th Anniversary Collection - first released back in 2016, around the time of the film’s 30th anniversary.
The co-op board game, the first official tabletop adaptation of the movie from the late Muppets creator, tasked up to four players as Sarah, Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus (mounted on Ambrosius) with rescuing baby Toby from Bowie’s goblin king Jareth, whom a fifth player could take limited control of in a rules variant. (Complete with a, uh, bulging miniaturised representation who would follow the other players around the board.)
The game itself was fairly simple, with players rolling dice to run around the maze surrounding Jareth’s castle before rolling more dice to deal with various encounters and challenges along their journey. Drawn cards are often left on spaces around the board, creating a different layout of spaces and obstacles each time you play.
Once the group eventually discover the gate to the goblin city by completing enough challenges, they can confront Jareth directly (after battling through his goblin army and Humongous as a series of mini-bosses), finally recalling the incarnation to save Toby and win.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan at all when I played shortly after release back in 2017, but I also have no real affinity for Labyrinth the film - so it may well just not be for me. If you are a Labyrinth fan, you’ll have a fresh chance to pick up the board game later this year, as the 40th Anniversary Collection brings back the original game - albeit with a revised rulebook, introducing some “challenging” extra rules - plus a new Humongous expansion and some new miniatures to join those already in the box.
British publishers River Horse and Mantic will launch a Gamefound crowdfunding campaign over the summer, with a release date yet to be announced. Expect it to likely hit tables before the movie officially turns 40 in 2026, though.