Apples to Apples is a social judging game that was published by Out of the Box Publishing, Inc as a physical card game. The game is intended for individuals ages 12 and up, but it is fun for adults as well. The dynamics of the game target any group of people who is friendly with one another and has some leisure time for play. There is some level of maturity required to understand some of the terms on the cards, but it is generally appropriate for all ages.
Game Play:
The game is multilateral and can be played with between 4 and 10 players. Players are dealt 7 red cards and there is a stack of green cards in the middle On each round, there is a judge who picks a green card which specifies a characteristic. The players in the round then choose a red card from their hand that specifies the object they think is best described by the word on the green card. The player who put down the card best described by the green card, as deemed by the judge, wins the round, collects that green card, and becomes the new judge. The player who collects enough green cards in order to win based on the number of players wins the game. For this playtest, I played with 5 players, for which 7 cards are needed to win.
Reflection:
This game is fun per the aesthetics of submission and challenge. The challenge comes from coming up with the most creative red card to use for each round such that it beats out other players in the eyes of the judge. This can mean the added challenge of playing up any inside jokes between players and the judge. Apples to Apples also has benefit of it being a great game for submission. Not a significant amount of attention is required to play the game, and attention can largely be devoted to enjoying the time players have together.
I have not played Cards Against Humanity in a while, but I appreciate that Apples to Apples is more family friendly in nature. You don’t need to be vulnerable at all which also makes it easier to play with people you aren’t particularly close with. This makes the game ideal for family events and to pass the time with acquaintences. But, there is versitility in the game in that it is still just as enjoyable for closer groups of friends. Granted, for closer friends, they may opt for games that allow you to get to know players on a deeper level, so the creators of Apples to Apples may benefit from considering a raunchier version. Judging by their branding and existence of the junior version of the game, however, I would posit that they are targeting a lighter form of game play that allows them to retain the family friendly nature of their reputation.
