Random Review: Exploding Kittens Combines Strategy and Zaniness

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by Mason Waldron, Jag Rag staff writer
Kittens, explosions, lasers, and burritos are but a small part of the strategic and spectacularly crafted game of Exploding Kittens.

Exploding Kittens is a family-friendly card game that boasts funny cards with equally entertaining art, excitable strategy mixed with a bit of chance, and laughs all around. When it was first released to the public in late 2015, it was the most-funded Kickstarter project ever, and even now it still holds ninth place for the number of funds raised on the site. It was created by partners Elan Lee, Matthew Inman, and Shane Small. It is priced at $20 on Amazon, and many people have given it positive reviews. It also claims to be rather easy for anyone to play, regardless of age. It comes with a clear set of instructions, and easy-to-follow instructional tutorials can be on the Exploding Kittens website.

While Exploding Kittens does provide a fun, enthralling way to stay entertained, you do need to have at least two people to play it (although three or more is preferable). It also takes a bit of time to set up and may eventually become boring with extensive use, although expansion packs are offered that add even more content to the game. There is also a party pack, which allows for double the maximum amount of players (making for ten in all).

When playing Exploding Kittens, players start off with a “defuse” card and are given random cards from the deck (that aren’t defuses or exploding kittens). Then the defuses and exploding kittens are shuffled in with the rest of the deck. After it has been decided who will go first, the player whose turn it is can use as many cards as they want that are allowed to be played in their situation, then draw a card to end their turn. The goal of the game is to avoid being exploded by an exploding kitten, which happens when a player draws one of them from the draw pile at the end of their turn. There are many ways players can avoid being exploded, such as using a defuse card when an exploding kitten is drawn, playing cards such as shuffles and attacks before ending your turn, and strategizing to make their hand as effective as possible at avoiding kittens. These instructions are explained in a simple, understandable way in the game package and on Exploding Kittens’ website.

In my opinion, Exploding Kittens is an excellent game for anyone who wants to have a bit of fun with their friends and family. It will provide you with hours of entertainment and a way to keep friends distracted as well. I have had plenty of fun with this game and its expansion packs (Imploding Kittens and Streaking Kittens). While this game does have its flaws, it is an entertaining pastime, along with being a unique game overall, and belongs in any family’s repository of time-passing material.

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