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Will Jumanji Fluxx bring the game of Jumanji to life even more, if that's even possible? Find out for yourself...
In Constant Fluxx...
In 1997 Andrew and Kristin Looney brought a game of ever changing rules to the world that quickly became the marmite of card games. Presented as a deck of cards of very simple design, Fluxx threw out the rules, or to be more specific, took all the rules, shuffled them up, and threw them all together in a mad game of random chance. To start, each players receives three random cards and each turn consists of a draw one, play one mechanism. From then on there are a number of different types of cards to play. First there are Keepers. These green cards are placed in your own personal play area, some coming with unique powers.
Then there are pink Goals. Goals are how you in. Each goal card will show a collection of keepers and if that goal is in play when you have the matching keepers in your play area, you win. This forms the basis of the game. Get keepers, find the matching goal and win. However, there are other types of cards that will mess with this system. There are action cards that perform instantly, enabling you to steal keepers or draw extra cards. And the cards that give the game it’s name, the rule cards. New rules can be added at any point and change gameplay considerably. Some of the classic rules might be that you draw or play more cards each turn, or that you have a hand size of one. It is these cards that build up into a crazy haze of chaos that will either make you love or hate this game.
A Game For Those Who Seek To Find A Way To Leave Their World Behind
After a few reimplementation's, themed around generic subjects like nature or science, Looney Labs expanded into the world of intellectual property. Since its launch it has released versions including Batman the Animated Series, SpongeBob SquarePants and Star Trek. In 2019 came the jungle drums that was Jumanji Fluxx. The 1995 film, lead by the late great Robin Williams is an absolute classic to any millennial. The film was such a success it spawned an animated TV series as well as computer games and even twenty years later, there were two sequel films lead by Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart.
Jumanji Fluxx takes the characters from all of the live action films and a shuffles up the game with some great additions. The deck itself comes in the same size box as the more recent predecessors and contains many of the same cards as any other versions. You will still get to take the action allowing you to draw three extra cards, or play the rule that allows you to trash any goals in your hand for new cards but there will also be plenty new ones to keep you interested. If you are a fan, You will recognise all of the keepers, with characters including the original Alan Parish and Van Pelt through to Dr Smolder Bravestone and Ruby Roundhouse. However, it is the new thematic rules and actions that make this version unique.
Stampede!
One of the new additions is the “Danger” cards. These work like any other action cards being a one time effect, but they are all linked to the keepers that are in play. However, the biggest element that these introduce is…death. Well, not death as such but player elimination. For example. The Danger card, “Rhino Attack” means that any player with the Rhino keeper is instantly eliminated.
There are a variety of Danger cards that mean that you have to be very careful when playing wild keepers into your play area. Anything from the world of Jumanji such as animals, quicksand or killer plants can be deadly and so playing them out early in the game means that there is a constant tension that someone can play a Danger card and you are out. There is always the chance that you will have the matching Danger card so can feel safe though right? Well wrong. You might, without warning have to play your entire hand and the sudden change in confidence is what makes this version of the game feel a lot more exciting.
In The Jungle You Must Wait
Two new basic rules are added. The “Jumanji” card is slipped somewhere random in the deck and when it is revealed it is played immediately. Once that rule is in play, in order to win you must shout “Jumanji” as well as satisfy a goal. There is nothing like the drama of slamming down your final keeper in order to make the winning move, only to be told it doesn’t count because you didn’t shout the magic word.
The other card is “No More Lives”. Until that card is drawn, a player elimination is only temporary and they can rejoin the game on their next turn by drawing back up to three. This gives you a little time to get into the swing of the game before that tension of the Danger cards really kicks in. As well as a bunch of thematic new rules and actions, these two new cards really change up the feel of the game.
A Hunter From The Darkest Wild, Makes You Feel Just Like A Child…
The final new edition comes with the truly terrifying character of Van Pelt. Included in the game is a collectable poker chip with Van Pelts face on it. There is also a new rule card, “move the coin!”. You must now end your turn by moving the chip from in front of you to the next player. If you fail to do so then you must discard a random card. It may seem like a small rule but it is one of the easiest and more frustrating to forget. This mechanism adds a great addition of tension. Watching the current player, carefully waiting to pounce is so much fun.
At the time of writing, with dozens of version still on sale, not counting the dozen now out of print, Fluxx continues to grow from strength to strength. How you chose a version will highly depend on your fandom. However, for anyone who has a fondness for the franchise, Jumanji Fluxx would be a great addition to the collection.
That concludes our thoughts on Jumanji Fluxx. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy Jumanji Fluxx today click here!
