Barking Kittens

At the time of writing this there are mountains of reviews (rightly) praising Exploding Kittens for its accessibility, production values, presentation and general excellence. There aren't really any reviews explaining what exactly a 'Russian Roulette' card game actually entails, so as endlessly charming as the game is (and it really is), I thought I'd explain how the game works and why it is an excellent game in its own right.The mechanics are pretty simple. Each turn you will (generally) have a number of cards in your hand that allow you to do a number of different things (more on those in a second). You END your turn by drawing a card. If you draw an Exploding Kitten card, you are out of the game and the card is removed from the deck. Hence the 'Russian Roulette' element. In every game there will be one less Exploding Kitten card in the deck than there are players, so in the end one person will win when everyone else has drawn an Exploding Kitten card.The game is spiced up by all of the other cards in the deck. It is worth mentioning to begin with that everyone starts with one Defuse card, and others can be drawn from the deck during the game. Defuse cards are the only cards that can save you from an Exploding Kitten. If you draw an Exploding Kitten and have a Defuse card, you can play it and place the Exploding Kitten card back in the deck wherever you want, in sight of the other players or not (in case it's not obvious, that element adds a really devious strategical element to the game).All of the other cards can be played prior to you drawing your card and ending your turn, and generally in some way reduce your chances of drawing a card. For example, the See The Future card allows you to look at the top three cards of the deck before you draw a card, the Skip card skips your turn entirely, and the Shuffle card does what it says on the turn and allows you to shuffle the deck before drawing a card. There are also cards with art on them that have no actions, and you can collect these and play them in sets to allow you to take cards from other players.The action cards are perfectly balanced and designed to add strategical and (to some degree) bluff elements to what is essentially a game of luck. There is no getting away from the fact that luck plays a heavy part in this game, but actually the playing of the actions cards and subtle attempts at deceiving the other players make this game feel far more strategic than it actually is, which is a good thing. Ultimately every game will include some element of trying to mislead other players and trap them into drawing an Exploding Kitten card, and that is part of what gives the game its high replay value.Games are quick, normally taking no more than 15 to 20 minutes, and much like other casual card games like UNO, there is normally a strong desire to 'to just play one more time' before finishing or moving on to something else. I was an initial Kickstarter backer for the game, and have played it as part of game nights as well as with various combinations with my family in more casual settings, and everyone has taken to the game well and wanted to play a few games in a sitting rather than one.When I was younger I remember playing UNO and various traditional card based games with my family either on family holidays, after meals, or at family gatherings and such. For me Exploding Kittens is that sort of game for a new generation, a game that is most certainly casual and can be won by anyone due to the luck element, but that contains enough charm, strategy, and that all important 'just one more game' factor to make it a stable for any family or group. As such I would heartily recommend it; in my view this game is a genuine classic that deserves to be as highly owned as the likes of UNO.On one final point as to whether this is suitable for children or not, given that the game inherently involves explosions and kittens there are some morbid elements that parents may think are unsuitable for very young children, but actually the game is presented in a very comedic way, and I would have thought that the game would be suitable for any children that are old enough to understand the rules. The box says it's suitable for 7 and up, which feels about right to me. I do reiterate that this is a review of the standard deck though; the NSFW (Not Safe For Work) deck contains explicit cards with very mature themes, and is most certainly not suitable for children. If you take my recommendation and buy one of these to play in a family, make sure you buy the right one if you're playing with children!

This game not only is extremely easy to play but it is also so much fun! Every single friend that has come over to mine to play ends up buying one for themselves. For the price, it is so worth it. You will have several good board game sessions with this one. And the quality of the cards and the art style is great. Would really recommend it, and if you can afford the expansion packs, do it. They add even more fun

Great game. Don’t enjoy many but this is a lot of fun and gets better the more you play especially with the expansion packs. Couldn’t recommend it enough. Strategy, gambling and the deadly exploding kittens

Brought to take it n holiday as needed a different card game to play with my 12yr old.The instructions are about complicated but after a few reads we understood what to do . A great game if you have a competitive side. Great travel game, could play this game from about 8 years and old to very old so has a good age range .

This pack will transform your game by adding an extra layer of strategical cunning! We found it very easy to learn the rules and started applying them instantly. Very addictive! Tremendous fun, and not just for nerds 🤓

This game is just brilliant! Our six year old picked it up really quickly and now we battle as a family. Another great game for journeys with the kids. It's portable and fun for all ages.

Really loved this expansion pack! Works really well

The media could not be loaded. All in good condition, very good, the game is entertaining, BUT it arrived with the melody broken, with the speaker burnt, and the sound was discontinuous.

Quick to learn and easy to play.

If you're not playing an iteration of this game yet, get on it! Seriously - so devious and fun.

Such a fun game that still gets played on board game nights after close to 10 years. It’s laidback, easy to learn and is the perfect combination of luck and strategy. Fun for most ages too! Being under 30$ is also a huge plus and we have gifted it at least once that I remember.

Compré el juego con un vendedor tercero y resultó ser una copia, al regresarlo lo volví a comprar pero directo con Amazon y es fabuloso.Las diferencias entre el original y la copia son las siguientes (por si a alguien le sirve)Original:-Caja de cartón de calidad y con impresión de imagen perfecta.-Holograma de autenticidad de Exploding kittens.-El diseño de la caja es diferente porque es más reciente. El nuevo diseño no trae música, se destapa completamente y las letras de "Exploding Kittens" son doradas, mientras que la copia del primer diseño (exactamente el de las imágenes) debería traerla, y sólo se destapa de un lado (del frente). Al parecer la música sólo la traían los primeros lotes.-Calidad de las cartas con buen grabado y textura.-Vendido y enviado por Amazon o Amazon Estados Unidos.Copia:-La caja se ve algo opaca y en la parte de atrás no se distinguen bien las letras ni los colores de las imágenes de las cartas, y trae la impresión de el primer lote.-La caja es más pequeña.-No trae música (siendo el diseño del que sí debería, pero ya no las hacen así).-NO TRAE EL HOLOGRAMA DE EXPLODING KITTENS. (El nuevo diseño lo tiene en un costado, mientras que el viejo diseño lo trae en la parte de atrás de lado izquierdo y abajo.-Vendido por terceros (en mi experiencia fue así (copia), pero hay vendedores terceros que venden originales)Mi sugerencia es preguntar al vendedor tercero si la caja trae holograma, pues es lo que indica que es original.

The Streaking Kittens Expansion Pack is an absolute game-changer for fans of Exploding Kittens! If you've played the original game, you’ll quickly notice that once you add this expansion, it feels like the game is finally complete. Without these extra cards, the base game can feel like it’s missing a layer of excitement that Streaking Kittens brings in effortlessly.What I love most about this expansion is that it adds a ton of extra fun and variety without complicating the gameplay. Sometimes, you just want to unwind after a long day without diving into overly complex rules, and this pack does exactly that. It maintains the simplicity and humor of the original game while introducing fresh elements that keep things interesting and engaging.The design of the cards matches the original perfectly, both in style and quality, which is a bonus. It feels seamless, like it was always meant to be part of the game. The new streaking kitten cards create more strategic moments and hilarious outcomes, making every round even more unpredictable and fun.If you already love Exploding Kittens and are looking to add a little more excitement without overhauling the entire game, this expansion is a must. It enhances the experience while still keeping things lighthearted and enjoyable. Definitely worth it!