Players: 2-5 | Ages: 8+ | Game Time: 20-40mins |
Summary
Anger Smash by How Am I Weird Games is a 'family friendly' set collection game in which you aim to collect sets of four matching cards so that you have a set of both Anger cards and Zen cards. Once you've done this, you have achieved the ANGER SMASH! and have won.
Gameplay
The game is very simple to start, with each player being dealt eight cards face-up, which are then immediately grouped by set. Each turn players draw from the main deck and look at the next card. If it doesn't match any they currently hold it will go into the 'market' in the middle, if there is a matching card in the market they may now collect both of those cards.
On the other hand, if they already have that set started they may add it to a set, or pass putting it into the market for later.
Instead of an Anger or Zen card, you may not draw one of the Action cards, such as a Blood Boiler, which allows you to steal a card from an opponent or a Disruptor, which has a unique effect to help you or do even more damage to your opponent. These can only be played on subsequent turns though, so plan when you use them carefully.
If there is already a matching card in the 'market' you may choose not to draw from the deck instead take the card from the market, which ends your turn immediately preventing you from playing action cards.
Production
There's not much here other than a couple of sets of cards, so not much to talk about. The card stock is fairly standard with a linen finish. Whilst I personally like the linen finish on cards, I know some of us don't as it can be difficult to read or see text depending on lighting.
The other main thing to talk about is the art, the style is clear and consistent throughout and is aimed right on point to appeal to children and families - well it could be if the content of the pictures was appropriate! I'm not going to repeat specific cards here but a lot of them are certainly not family friendly!
Conclusion
So let's break it down for you in our key areas:
Replayability | The game involves random decks so there is a degree of replayability, but it's limited by how simple the game is leading to the game feeling the same each time. |
Production Value | In terms of components, the game is fine with fairly standard materials. The linen finish on the card can be a bit polarising for some when you need to read text on the cards. |
Theme | The art style is consistent throughout but doesn't match the family friendly design aspiration as there are far too many cards that go over the line of risqué. |
Complexity | The game is a very simple set collection with the only minor complexity coming from action cards that are limited in scope. |
Rules | The rules are generally easy to read but overly complicated using the FAQs to add explanatory text which should have been included initially. |
Uniqueness | Kids have been making card games with standard decks of cards for years and I'm not sure this is any better than those games... |
Value | The price is what you would expect for a game of this size... so overall value I would say is poor as there are many competitors which give you much more game. |
Whilst I'm a bit of a gamer gamer and therefore not really the target audience here, I still expected better, so it's a generous 2/6 from me. For a game which is supposed to be family friendly, the content is far too risqué for me to give it anything higher and it's only really rescued by the fact that it's technically a functional game.
Your friendly DoaLG Rules Lawyer
George E Ohh
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