Posted by Cause Russian roulette with kittens …that …explode.
Designer: Matthew Innman, Elan Lee, Shane Small
Publisher: Ad Magic Inc., Asmodee, Exploding Kittens, Rebel
Number of Players: 2 – 5 players
Playing Time: 15 mins
Age Limit: 7+ (18+ for the NSFW edition)
Sorry for the hiatus folks, the month of November has been a busy one for my family. It does however get me thinking about games that are easy, quick to play and with the added bonus of near zero difficulty. One of my favorites game that checks these boxes is Exploding Kittens!
Exploding Kittens is just a simple Russian roulette style card game where players take turns drawing cards and trying to force other players to …explode. Players are able to play cards that can either skip their turn or force another player to give you a card from their deck. All the while hoping to not draw the explosive feline themselves. Basically if you explode the kitten, you lose!
Set-up is very simple and only takes as long as it would to shuffle a deck of cards! Each player starts with one defuse card along with four other random cards from the deck. Be sure to then add one “exploding kitten” card into the deck, equaling the number of players minus one. Now the deck is set and its time to play!
Players take turns playing any number of cards they choose. Your turn ends by drawing a card from the deck. Players have no limit to hand size and therefore can collect quite a collection. Cards such as “see the future” which allows you to peek at the top 3 cards from the draw pile, enabling you to make sure you are safe. Or “Nope” cards, which can be played at anytime to cancel any card in the game. Unfortunately it doesn’t work for a “defuse” or “exploding kitten” card. Playing any matching cards that don’t have specific instructions on them allows you to steal another player’s card at random.
Once a player draws an “exploding kitten” and is unable to “defuse” it, they have exploded and are out until the next game. Not too worry it is not a long wait for the next game. If the player does manage to “defuse” an “exploding kitten” card they must discard the “defuse” card and secretly place the “exploding kitten” anywhere in the deck they want, leaving quite a surprise for whoever its intended for.
Overall its super fun for a quick light game in between larger games. Its one that can be traveled easily with. The game is also super easy to teach and can be played by most ages (unless you get the NSFW expansion). The game does have a couple of flaws such as player eliminations, which is almost always a con and this game does not offer a lot for strategy. Which for some might consider that a pro. The flaws nowhere outweigh the pros in this delightful, fun easy party game.
I’ll cover any expansions in future reviews, otherwise happy gaming gamers!
Pros
- Quick
- Very easy to learn
- Super portable
Cons
- Almost no strategy needed
- player elimination (even if this is a quick game)
Reality Break Gaming 