We all get sad sometimes, and that’s okay. That’s why our friends are there to try and cheer us up! Right now, you have a sad friend, and your goal is to turn their frown upside down by matching their feelings and brain goop (ya know, that weird stuff in our heads that gets to us and sometimes makes us sad). You can do it! Now go, go, go!
What Is It?
A hand management and set collection game for 1-4 where players are trying to get the right sets of brain cards in hand to collect cheer up cards and work their way toward cheering up their friend. They may also get some life cards along the way the way, which might give them a special ability … or might hurt them somehow – life’s unpredictable that way. A player wins when they’ve earned 13 cheer up points, or have a set of 3 of the same type of sadness on their cheer up cards, and they earn the privilege of flipping their friend marker over to the happy side!
Who Is It For?
- 2-4 players – There is a solo mode, but it fell flat for me, so I’d recommend it to 2-4 players instead
- Fans of simple set collection / hand management
- Ages 10+ – I think the mechanics are simple, and it could be a nice way to introduce a discussion about sadness to a younger audience
- Fans of quick play games / looking for fillers
Components + Quality
The game is mostly cards, and they have an overall nice quality; they have a nice finish on them as well. The life and cheer up cards are well designed, very clear on what they do / need. The brain cards are square and smaller, which I wasn’t big on. It’s hard to tell what you have in hand without frequently flipping through them. The brain goops have colored lines up top, which help, but the feeling cards are (also) blue and you don’t know which feeling it is until you see the image or text at the bottom. The art across all the cards is awesome, very aesthetically pleasing.
The turn marker is a nice wooden marker, nice size, weight, and design. The rules are very easy to read from and learn from. I do wish there was a little turn reference card instead of it only being in the book, to help with the first few plays, but the rulebook is small, so it’s easy enough to leave out if you need it. Finally, the box is a nice size for what’s in it, more of that cute art on the front. It has a tiered insert to fit everything pretty perfectly, and is also a magnetic box which stays closed well.
Variants
Solo – Very similar set-up / flow overall, but life cards are used only as a timer for the game’s end (10 to start, but you can add more on) instead of for their effects. Removing that element of the game made sense, since many deal with player interactions, but it also made the game feel more dry to me, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as the multiplayer.
PROS
- Small box / doesn’t take up a ton of table space
- Very simple mechanics almost anyone could learn
- Plays fairly quickly
- Smooth turn flow
- Nice art across the board
- Multiple ways to win
CONS
- Small, square brain cards are hard to easily look at in hand, I wish they had been normal card size like the rest
- Randomness of the life deck can make it so in some games a player can continuously be rewarded while another is consistently punished
Final Thoughts
While this game can be pretty luck heavy, and has a bit of “take-that” between players at times, I thought it was pretty cute, and simple enough to play with just about anyone. The concept is relatable and, while a little tongue-in-cheek, doesn’t make light of a serious topic. It’s good for a filler game, or maybe something to try with friends or family who aren’t into heavier stuff, or even with kids to teach them about cheering up a friend 🙂
My Final Ratings:
Overall Game – 6/10
Aesthetics – 8/10
Replay Value – 5/10
Difficulty – 3/10
*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*
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