Logo (c) Evan’s Games

Robots, get ready! You all have a lot of junk, and it is time to pass it off to the next sucker … uh, I mean, robot. Strategize to the best of your abilities to force your opponents to take on all your the unwanted trash! Blow up the pile, skip opponents’ turns, do whatever it takes, because you need to get rid of your trash fast if you want to earn those coveted credits everyone is raving about! Ready, set, go!

What Is It?

Robo Junkyard is a card shedding game for 2 to 4 robots where players try to empty their hand first in order to score credits. Cards are numbered 0 through 10 and each number has its own ability (these are the same in each deck). Additionally, each robot has one special card in their deck with a repeated number and a unique ability.

If players can blow up the pile and avoid picking cards up at just the right times, they will win the round and some credits! The first robot to 6 credits (or less if you’d like a shorter game) is the ultimate victor!

Who Is It For?

The game box recommends ages 8+, and I’d say that’s accurate. It’s definitely family friendly and I think younger audiences would be attracted to the cute art. I think robot fans would also like it because of the adorable theme.

Finally, I think that fans of card shedding and trick taking games would enjoy this because it does the classic mechanic well.

PROS

  • Really cute theme
  • Plays quickly and smoothly
  • Family friendly
  • Easy to learn, teach, and play
  • Customizable length (changing number of points needed to win)
  • One hidden card per player each round gives reasons for swapping and “risking” it for the win

CONS

  • Turns/rounds can be repetitive if points are evenly distributed, making the game last longer
  • “Skip next player’s turn” cards – it’s never fun to skip/lose turns in my opinion

Difficulty

I think I’d give this a 2.5/5 for difficulty on this one. Overall, it’s pretty simple to play because you just have to play a higher card, unless an ability lets you do otherwise. But, between blowing up the pile and trying to play cards in just the right order so that the next person can’t play, there’s definitely some strategy here!

Final Thoughts

I thought this was pretty cute! It’s easy enough to teach non-gamers, but has enough strategy that it’s a fun filler for gamers as well.

I’m not a fan of the “skip the next player” cards, as I mentioned, but other than that I think that the abilities are fun and I like that they can change effectiveness round to round (i.e. you can only use one of them if you have the least credits).

I think it’s a good game that is definitely worth hitting the table if you have the chance to check it out.

Happy Gaming~

My Final Rating: 7/10

Additional Information:
Designer – Evan Gibbs
Artist – Holly Fowler
Publisher – Evan’s Games
BGG
Website

*I was provided a prototype copy of this game to do this preview*
*All components shown are subject to change*

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