Sunday, November 20, 2016

Drink till you're wonky

No, actually drink responsibly!  Today’s review we returned to Redemption Alewerks for a very light segment to bring you a dexterity game known as Wonky.  I once again, enjoyed the Taxman Deduction, and did not have so much that it impaired my ability to stack the cubes!  This is a very unique approach to stacking objects to keep them from falling.  It’s very different from other dexterity games like Jenga, or Kewbz.  Follow us into what will most likely be one of the most straight forward games that we have reviewed to date!  

In Wonky, players have a bag of 9 cubes, but these are no normal cubes.  The cubes come in three different sizes as well as being purposefully warped on two sides.  They’re made to be warped or….wonky on purpose so that your opponent can make it more difficult to stack them, increasing your chance at collapsing the entire stack. Players take turns going back and fourth stacking one cube on each turn.  One of the key components that sets Wonky apart is that it’s a cube and card game, providing a hand management mechanic to the gameplay.  Players draw cards, and choose which card/s to play which indicates what kind of cubes they will decide to start stacking.  When you choose a card to play, you will play it face up and resolve whatever actions or cube are on that card.

If for some reason you get further into the stack, and cannot play a cube that has already been stacked, the active player draws cards until they have a card that allows them to either take an action, or stack an available cube.   As you can see from this picture, I managed to stack one more cube on top of the stack from Claire’s last turn so she had to then take a chance at stacking the final cube that would either spell victory or defeat. I honestly did not think I was going to successfully make this work, but that’s why you stack them at different angles to help counteract the weight distribution and warped edges to work for your advantage on that card.

Looking closer at the cards, you have options in this game. You can choose to skip your turn and go to the next person placing the risk in their hands, or you can also play a reverse card to go back to the previous player if you want to put it back on them again. However, if the other players have similar cards, they can also choose to retaliate against you and play cards that could counteract what you just did, or at least push the risk into the hands of someone else. It can be a very sneaky game if you play your hands right.

I would say all in all, we do enjoy this game. Even looking at the creativity of the warped box that the game comes in, makes you want to play it because you realize you and your friends will be bringing something more silly to the table. This is obviously no serious game. This is an excellent family game and having your children take part in it would certainly add to the enjoyment of the gameplay. This would not be for your more serious game nights, but if you and one other friend or family member, or better yet a group would like to play, that is the type of environment Wonky would excel in. It could be a fun filler game if you are in the right group too because it can take only a few minutes, or up to 10 or 15 minutes depending on the group. If you’re looking for something silly and just playful, this would be a fun little addition to your collection. I wouldn’t say it has a lot of replay ability, we can play it a few times and then we need to put it away for a while before coming back to it, but we have played this game time and time again just for fun. The artwork is sleek and clear, the game mechanics are obviously simple, but well thought out. Check this one out if you ever just want to take some time away from the competitiveness of tabletop gaming and just be a little silly.


Wonky
Overall Meeple Rating: 6/10


Game Mechanics:
1) Dexterity 
2) Hand Management

Have any thoughts or questions?  Leave a comment below.

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