Our staff reviews games to help your family find new games to play that are worth your time and money! Please see our review policy for more information.
Even if you never go past the four walls and 120 cards of the Gateway box, this is a full and wonderful Lorcana experience.
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Your goal in Flip 7 is to be the first player to score 200 points. But you cannot do that in a single round. Each round, you’ll score points based on the cards in front of you. But you’ll bust and get zero points for the round if you have two cards with the same number.
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I suspect almost every game-loving parent has had experiences similar to mine. I used to play Dungeons and Dragons with my friends…
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I think this is a great step up from traditional memory matching games. The storytelling aspect is a nice twist, and when everyone feels invested in the stories, it actually makes it easier to remember what item was placed where.
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Lost Ruins of Arnak isn’t kidding when it says it’s for players 12+. The decision-making space is probably too much for kids much younger than that. But it’s a great game for teens and parents alike.
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Another Man’s Treasure is a great option for a game to take out if your family only plays games with regular playing cards and you just want to mix it up. And if you’re playing with multiple generations, I suspect you’ll run into more than a few situations when you throw down grandma’s canner and have your own story to tell about your own family’s weird kitchen gadgets.
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There are lots of different kinds of tasks involved here – matching, dexterity, memory, logic, and following instructions. And the combination of the timer and group participation on the Hide-and-Seek task means that no one has time to get bored.
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Roll a die or flip a card, then use chopsticks to grab the right food in Octo Grabbo, a dexterity game that’s best for kids age 4-10.
EVERY kid under 12 years old that played this with me loved it and couldn’t get enough.
When it comes to spicy food, less is definitely more. My taste buds don’t handle heat well. That’s why Jalape-No! hit the spot for me.
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Reign of Dragoness is a light, approachable game that plays well across generations. If you’re familiar with traditional card games, you’ll pick this up quickly.
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Looney Labs did some fun and clever things with how they want you to put your words together for success in this game.
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Flutter is a beautiful, thematic game. But the petal tracking and some of the complexities set the experience back. It’s a fun puzzle, but I would wait to bring it to the table until the kids are a little older and have better fine motor control.
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“The dual nature of the cards forced me to keep swapping back and forth and think of both aspects of every card – how it could be used for its scoring condition, and how it could contribute to the goals I’d already set out.”
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With so few points in play, you’ll quickly realize that every single point matters. But all of the combos and non-point bonuses fill the gap to keep every turn satisfying.
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Little Alchemists is a “room to grow” game all by itself, starting at a very low level and slowly adding more complexity. You can stop at any time on a level you feel comfortable with and just play that for a while, or even move back a level if you or your kids aren’t ready to move up.
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Choose clothing and accessories to fill your suitcase, and don’t forget the cute cats! Pack the Essentials is a cute board game for 1-4 players that’s best for ages 12+.
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I had picked up this game because I heard great things about it – and the new version fixes some small issues with the first edition. Is it worth it?
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We love Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now we can work together to fulfill Aang’s destiny, while building each character’s strengths.
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I’d recommend Mezen to two distinct audiences: Families who want a jumping off point to study more about folk art, especially in Russia or Scandanavia – and gamers who want a puzzley game with no player interference and challenges that never feel punitive.
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