Publisher: iello
Ages: Package says 8+. That is probably about right, but some of the strange rules that pop-up, and the interactions, might be a little difficult for anyone under 10 or so.
Time to play: Package says 30 minutes. I find that the younger the players, the longer the game. We found it to play in just over an hour, generally.
Pros:
- The basic mechanics are fairly simple. The initial game is like Uno with a little Fluxx thrown in to make it more interesting.
- The art is great! The cards have very stylized and interesting art. We actually have nicknames for a lot of the cards: George Washington - Monkey, Teddy Roosevelt - Walrus, Tiger Millionaire - Tiger (this reference I did not get), so on. The back of the tiles are very cool too. Our 10-year-old loved to look for interesting things on the tiles.
- The gameplay can get "foam-sword-cutthroat"-meaning, you can do things to other players, but the level of the interaction never gets bad enough for there to be hurt feelings.
This tile was the bane of my existence last time we played. Argh! - The adding in of tiles as the game progresses makes for a "fresh" round each time, while keeping the continuity from the round before. This really helps the younger kids play along easier, as there is only one new thing to remember each round.
- I have to take a moment to mention how much I liked the packaging too. Everything fits in great. It also has a great little box that "seals" itself.
Cons:
- We found a few of the tile interactions to a bit complicated. We debated for a bit as to how they carried out in-game. This slowed the play some.
- My wife found the art to be a little difficult when trying to discern some of the creatures, "Needs bigger pictures," she says.
One sentence reviews from the rest of the family:
Mom: "Fun, fast-paced, Fluxx-style card game that builds in complexity with each round."
Teenager: "A quick-paced, easy-to-learn, but challenging game."
Tween: "A really good family game!"
Final Comments:
This is a fun little game that is often called for around our house-we actually call the person who won last "The Pirate King (or Queen)". Also, it is my belief that if you develop nicknames for characters or cards or the other players, the game is probably well-liked.
My wife is a fan of the game because it reminds her of Fluxx, but is more of "game" than Fluxx. Our 10-year-old loves the way the game flows and gets really into it when she gets down to the last few cards in her hand. Our 15-year-old seems to be the interpreter of how the tile interactions work, and as a lifetime gamer, I have to admit, he is really good at it. And I enjoy it too. It's light and fast-paced (usually) and it keeps you engaged.
You play a game of it in an hour or so, or you could just play a couple of hands for a fun little interlude between other games, or while waiting for someone to get ready. The compact nature of the components and the ability to start up a game quickly also made it a big hit on our vacation (the theme of the high seas and the fact we were at the beach helped too).
Final Family Tally (1-10 Scale):
Me: 8
Mom: 8.5
Teenager: 9
Tween: 10
Total: 8.875... we're going to round that to 9
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