We never, ever accept money to review a product. While the game’s player limit can be increased via the various expansions (as touched on above) this will mean additional purchases. The £14.99 Imploding Kittens expansion is available for this purpose, and adds 20 new cards, although speaking from a purely personal point of view, paying for a card expansion that costs almost as much as the core game leaves a slightly bad taste in the mouth. So that’s the easy part. That’s no criticism of the product, just something that needs to be considered for any card-based game that’s likely to see regular use. What to Watch, Read, and Play While Your Kids Are Stuck Indoors, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Stoke kids' love of reading with great summer stories, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews, 7 consejos para criar niños bilingües usando los medios y la tecnología, Wide Open School: recursos para el aprendizaje a distancia. Like say, it’s like a more simple version of X or a faster version of Y? Testing it out with three players, it only took one pass round the table before we were all comfortable with the mechanics and could concentrate on winning. Which action cards should they hold on to? Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Rather than attempting to prove themselves the superior edgelord, players take turns drawing cards from the deck. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. The original game alone offers a lot of replay value, especially after a few passes through it so all the players get a feel for the flow of play. © Common Sense Media. In fact, the instructions only take up two sides of paper! Potentially great but flawed version of the card game. There are also in-app-purchase opportunities that will be very enticing, and there's no privacy policy at the time of writing, which will be even more critical when it adds online play. Exploding Kittens, the most-funded game in Kickstarter history, is now available for iOS. Families can talk about strategy and the need to think ahead to succeed. Despite the name, it's not an especially violent title and does not feature any sexual references or foul language; it's important to note that the goal of the game involves trying to get someone else to get the exploding kitten card, so younger players who aren't as ready for this kind of competition may have hard feelings when people deliberately take their cards. One slight complaint is that the five-player limit may be an issue for some who like to host games at the larger social gatherings where party games like this tend to be best received. Make sure your kid is ready for the card stealing and sabotage, which feels a bit like playing Sorry!. It’s a school year like no other. There are also action cards such as Shuffle and Nope!, which negates whatever card the previous player used, and other comically named cards such as Tacocat, Abracrab Lincoln, and Catterwocky, which -- when used in pairs or threes -- let you steal cards from another player. Whether that’s worth an extra £10 is your call. Quick to learn, thanks to simple, elegant rules system and clear instruction sheet, Perfect for fans of The Oatmeal, or anyone else with a warped sense of humour, More sensitive players may find some of the humour distasteful, even if you don’t opt for the NSFW edition, Five-player limit may be a problem at larger social gatherings. Creat ed by Elan Lee (Xbox, ARGs), Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), and Shane Small (Xbox, Marvel). They shuffled smoothly right out of the box, although if you’re planning on playing regularly, sleeves may be a good investment to protect the cards in the long term. Potentially great but flawed version of the card game. Parents and caregivers: Set limits for violence and more with Plus. Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). On the other hand, the ‘First Edition’ offers the same core components in a slightly more luxurious box that meows when it opens (seriously) and offers space for additional cards and sleeved decks.