It's really amazing set. At first it has one of the best building experiences I've ever seen, also I belive the desginer/s didn't designed a Ninjago set before, since some building techniques are just mind blowing. Minifigures are great, you can have a lot of playability which kids will enjoy and older collectors like me can appreciate its beautiful and unique look on the display. So overall one of the best Ninjago as well as $100 sets on the market right now to me.

As someone who has been into Ninjago ever since its first wave in 2011, I feel it’s fair to say that certain parts of the series do sometimes feel a bit stale, whether it be the minifigures (there’s been three different series and four waves with snakes as the main villains not counting Legacy), the builds (i.e. the dragons, mechs, and temples) or even the general aesthetic. The Lego Ninjago Movie sets did a great job in changing the series’ feel while still keeping elements of classic Ninjago, but even then some aspects of the series still felt a little too similar. This year’s sets saw perhaps the most dramatic departure from the “standard” Ninjago formula we had ever seen. In the first wave everything was video game-themed, leading to a very unique techno style. This time, the sets have a distinct medieval fantasy flair, sort of reminiscent of the Lego Castle sets of yore. Skull Sorcerer's Dungeons stood out to me both because it was a large location set and because it had that classic castle vibe in spades. The large skull on the front in particular reminded me of an old set I always wanted as a wee lad, Skeleton Tower. Thus, I had to buy it.

The Minifigures

If there is one thing Ninjago is great at, it’s giving you a great selection of minifigures. This set is no slouch in that regard, featuring a whopping eight. On the side of the heroes we have Llyod, Cole, Zane, and Princess Vania. All of the ninja are armored and are more similar to knights than ninja, which I think is a fun change of pace. The new helmet pieces are interesting but I don’t know that they’ll be used for more than one wave so they seem like something of a waste. The shoulder armor is nice and doesn’t restrict movement too much. All of the ninja have some nice printing on their torsos and legs, although I think Zane should have incorporated more of the blue color from his legs on his torso, since his design is a bit lacking otherwise. Cole and Llyod look more complete to me, and I like Cole’s brick-built mace (or whatever it is). Princess Vania looks quite impressive with some excellent printing on both her torso and legs, which would no doubt be useful on other custom minifigures as well. I do wish that the printing was separated so that it didn’t overlap between the legs and torso since there is always at least a small gap, but that’s a larger issue with Lego’s printing for minifigures so I won’t hold it against this particular one too much. I also like her golden hair piece, which is rubber. For the villains, we have Murt, Grinkle, an Awakened Warrior, and the titular Skull Sorcerer. Murt’s design is simple but I think it’s still quite nice, and his recolored armor is also good to have. Grinkle is a decent enough goblin character, but I wish Lego would phase out the short leg piece in favor of the medium ones that can move, or at least use them more, since the unmovable short legs just don’t do it for me anymore. The Awakened Warrior is fairly bland aside from its face, but it still looks great and its black color scheme makes it distinct from the preexisting Skulkin. Last is the Skull Sorcerer himself, and he’s pretty awesome. His robes are cool and the printed talisman around his neck adds to the dark wizard feel of the character. He has some decent back printing too, though the wings cover it. The torso printing continues on to his dress piece as well, though in this case I think the printing extended down so far adds enough to the design that I don’t mind the multi-part design too much. He also features a new mask component that is attached to his black hat. I do wish the hat and mask were separate, but I get that it would’ve been difficult to make that work and it still is a great part regardless. He also holds a green skull that I assume is used for his dark spells or some such.

The Builds

This set is almost entirely one large structure, although there are two small stands for minifigures used in the game. In case you don’t already know this, essentially this whole set is one large board used for a game that I don’t know the rules of (they’re around if you are interested but I haven’t gotten around to reading them). The two stands that hold the Ninja and some extra gear are pretty basic. They each have three golden hearts attached to clips that can be folded down to indicate a loss of health. That’s about it really, I don’t mind them but they don’t really add to the main section of the set. Luckily, they don’t seem to have adversely affected the main build at all.

The primary build here is of course the Skull Sorcerer’s lair. I assume that the name is referring to the overall set in the way it might be used in Dungeons and Dragons or The Legend of Zelda, because it doesn’t really make sense to name the whole set after the tiny little cage on the side. Anyway, the goal of the characters in this set seems to be to get the special swords included, one of which is inside the structure and the other of which is atop the build. I appreciate the strategically placed orange plates that highlight the fiery fate awaiting anyone who might be knocked off the structure, which isn’t too unlikely given the precarious nature of the small bridges featured. Despite the thin appearance of many of the paths, the whole structure feels quite stable, which is obviously nice. Appearance wise, I love the look of this set. The skull on the rock looks plenty intimidating, and the narrow bridges the ninja must cross to face their foes nail the treacherous look of the whole place. I also enjoy the lava barring the entrance to the interior of the dungeon, which is moved by a feature that pushes the entire platform. It’s simple but effective. Speaking of features, there is a more complex one that spans much of the build. The large stone pillar to the right of the structure can be turned, which causes the blades on the nearby bridge to spin, the ground in front of the building to move, and the cage on the opposite side of the main structure to lower. It isn’t the most complex mechanism ever, and one of the pieces of floor sometimes doesn’t move, but I still found it fun. Last is the lever that causes the rib cage-like structure surrounding the sword on the roof to move, allowing easier access. It too is simple, but effective enough. It’s my least favorite of the three, but I don’t think it takes away from the set at all. Overall, I think this is a great build. It looks great due to the combination of buildings and rock formations, but where it truly accels is in playability, with its multiple functions and the myriad of paths for the heroes to take.

Parts and Miscellaneous Thoughts

As this was the first of the Summer 2020 Ninjago sets I purchased, several parts stuck out to me. Most notable are the two new swords which use a new mold, the white Ivory Sword of Deliverance and the black Shadow Blade of Deliverance. They both look plenty cool, but are in a strange place in terms of size. They’re far larger than a normal Lego sword, but almost not oversized enough compared to say the swords from Chima. It’s not a huge issue but I find it sort of odd. And while some people might find this to be an odd complaint, the fact that there are only two collectable items this wave is a little disappointing to me. Even if it’s not the end of the world, it just would be cool to have another one or two. I already touched on the new ninja helmets and armor as well as the Skull Sorcerer’s mask, all of which I like. Otherwise nothing stood out to me too much, though admittedly I’m more into making minifigures than making builds so that may be why other new parts didn’t pique my interest. I should also mention that the building process was fun and distinctly not repetitive, which I am a fan of.

Overall

I found this to be a great playset. It looks nice and plays even better. The minifigures range from good to fantastic, and the build was interesting too. The price feels very fair to me both in size and the PPP. I don’t have much else to say, if you like Ninjago or even Fantasy Castle this set should be right up your alley. Definitely check it out if you like the look of it.