Our blood is boiling and our penguins are being precious in ANGER SMASH; a fun, fast, viciously addictive set collection game by Weird Games!
How much do you hate stubbing your toe? Or getting a fly in your eye? Well, channel that anger and try to find the zen in your life in this easy to learn game.
The rules for ANGER SMASH are super easy to learn. Ultimately it is a race to collect 4 matching Anger Cards and 4 matching Zen cards. But there are going to be some bumps a long the way (and I don’t just mean bruised toes and butt boils!)
After removing the Action cards (Disruptors and Blood Boilers), shuffle and deal 8/7 cards (depending on player count – note that in 4/5 player games, players also get a secret Action Card too) to each player – these go face up in front of them. Shuffle the Action Cards into the remaining Anger/Zen cards and place the draw deck in the centre of the table.
Group any matching cards in front of you and then first player draws a card. If it matches one you already have, you can keep it and add it to your collection. Or, you can choose not to and place it in the centre. If you draw a card that also matches the card in the centre, you can take both. If you draw an Action Card, keep it secret for strategic use later in the game! Blood Boiler cards have to be used on your next turn, but Disruptors can be applied whenever suits you. After the first turn, if you prefer, you can take the card in the centre if it matches a card you have rather than top-decking the pile.
As soon as a player completes a matching set of 4 Anger cards and a set of 4 Zen cards, the game is over – they have won and you can release your ANGER about it! haha
Dastardly Disruptions and Brutal Blood Boilers!
This could be a simple, run of the mill, forgettable set collection card game. But we were talking about it after we finished. And that’s a good sign! It’s fast, it’s fun, and there’s some real teeth grinding moments when your carefully curated sets are almost complete…….and then someone goes and uses a disruptor power and blows your hard work out of the water! And with 10 different disruptor powers, although you have to focus on zen, you can never relax!
The powers are also varied, and timing is everything – knowing when to use your Angel Light to “kill” an Anger set of 3 or 4 cards (unless they are a SuperSet in which case the Angel is as much use as a chocolate teapot). Likewise, tactically employing a Tiger Tamer to stop an opponent taking their turn could be the key to winning, or at least just making them even more ANGRY! haha
Don’t ignore me!
It’s easy to put blinkers on when collecting sets of cards – you know what you want and you’re out to get them. And it seems obvious to say it, but, if you want to WIN in ANGER SMASH, you have to make sure that your opponents DO NOT WIN! And by that I mean, you will need to stop them taking the cards they want as much as you need to take the cards you want! And with only 4 cards per Anger/Zen set in the deck, if they have started collecting specific ones, then you are going to have to start disrupting double quick!
This game makes me so ANGRY (in a good way!)
We have been having fun with ANGER SMASH, and with just two small decks tucked into a catch box, we have played it at home and at the pub. The artwork is striking and funny – anything with butts is a big hit with our almost 9 year old (of course!). Plus we like hatey-takey-that play in our board games, so the good-natured meanness in ANGER SMASH works well for us. It’s easy to learn (age 8+), easy to play, and, if you are like us, it will leave you ANGRY enough that you will want to play again!
Check out this link for a How To Play video prepared by the publisher!
Stockists: Available from Amazon
Social media: @howamiweirdgames
[Please note that a copy of this game was kindly provided by the publishers for review. I am not paid for my comments, however, and all opinions are my own]. I am also not affiliated to or sponsored by any retail store.]
