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Card games have made a massive resurgence in recent years, with the likes of Love Letter, Sushi Go and of course, The Mind, the controversial card game taking the world by storm. One title that features in this category that I have wanted to play for a while is The Game, a co-operative card game that has 1-5 players working together to lay cards labelled two to 99 in four piles to try and clear the whole deck.
Unfortunately for the players, the piles need to either go in ascending or descending order, meaning if someone makes too big of a jump in numbers, then 'The Game' will win. It challenges players to take their time and with vague communication, try and get all those cards sorted into those piles.
Set-Up and Play
The Game is simple to set-up and is one of those games that can be played anywhere, anytime and with anyone! Once the four cards dictating the piles have been laid out, you simply deal six cards to each player (seven if it’s two players) and the “game” begins.
Each player must be able to lay down at least two cards on any of the piles in front of them, the only rule being you must follow the rule on the card (either ascending or descending order). You can lay all eight cards if you want, but it must be at least two. Play continues until the draw pile is empty and, if you’re lucky enough to get that far, you can then proceed to lay one card per turn.
You win and beat the game if all players manage to get rid of all their cards while adhering to the rules. One exception to this rule is if you find yourself with a card that is either greater than or less than 10 of the card that is on top of that pile. If you find yourself in that fortunate situation, you can then play that card and it gives you a little bit more wiggle room for later on in the game. For example, if a player had put a 55 on top of 46 on the ascending pile, and the next player had a 45, they could place that card on top of the 55. This is the only exception to the normal rules.
Final Thoughts on The Game
For a card game, this is as simple as it gets but this game has created many a tense moment and has kept me entertained for hours. As of yet, after playing this nearly 50 times, I have not yet been able to beat “The Game” but in a way, that doesn’t bother me. A game that keeps you playing and going back for more like this, I feel, is a sure fire winner. Yes, it does get repetitive and it is the same thing over and over again but the need to want to beat the game will have players always coming back for more.
I played this at a game night with a few friends and it ended up taking up triple the amount of time it should’ve done as we all had that desire to beat it. I think I have found myself playing this more than The Mind recently as it has more to offer and I think it provides a more tense game than that of The Mind.
The simplicity shines through with this game and I think the fact you can teach it within seconds to someone is why I love this game so much! When has laying cards down in piles ever been so tense? If you are a fan of The Mind then I strongly suggest you check this card game out. It is so easy to play and being so simple means you can really take it anywhere! See if you can beat The Game!!
