Baffled Review

I remember vividly a few years back, when I was just starting my now somewhat monstrous board game collection, a friend bringing me for Christmas a copy of Baffled. I remember tearing off the wrapping, only to be met with a somewhat crudely drawn elephant, and the phrase: 'You'll need the memory of an elephant!' written above. This, combined with the age rating that was comparatively young against the majority of my other games, did not fill me with much joy. Great, I thought, gritting my teeth as I smiled him a thanks, a kids' game. Just what I need.

How wrong I was.

Baffled is the perfect example of why you should never judge a book by its cover, or rather, a game by its box. The cover art, whilst very funny, simply doesn’t do this game any justice; presenting what is actually quite an enjoyable, challenging game as something very juvenile and 'above' the average board game enthusiast. It was only when a few weeks later, on a wet January afternoon, I begrudgingly pulled Baffled down from its untouched spot on the top shelf to play with my family, and was met with the epiphany that I had completely misjudged this poor game. Since then, Baffled has earned a firm spot in my family and I's favourite games, and it's easy to see why. It's quick to learn, easy to introduce to the table, and super fun and engaging.

Having celebrated my fourth anniversary of unwrapping Baffled last Christmas, the past years have taught me a lot. First impressions can be very deceptive. Not all 'kiddie' games are terrible (though you still won't catch me dead with Hungry Hippos). And while friends may come and go, a good board game like Baffled will more than last you a lifetime.

Outline

You start by shuffling the 12 picture tiles, covering each one with a plastic cover, and distributing them onto the letter-squares. Everyone now has one minute to look at which tiles are where and memorise as best they can, before they are re-covered and the game begins. In Baffled, players take it in turns rolling the dice and moving their elephant piece clockwise around the board. Along the way, there are lots of different spaces that they might encounter. Most basically, they may land on a space depicting an object. The player must now try to remember the space and respective plastic cover-piece on which the tile is located.

Conversely, they may get the easy job of swapping the positions of two tiles (for example, A and F), or two tiles of their own choice. As well as these, players may also be able to ask others about the locations of certain tiles (or the tiles of certain locations) or have to name two or as many as three mystery tiles/spaces for a reward.

Failure to correctly identify a tile or space when asked will result in the player losing a life – depicted by reversible red and green cards. Losing all your lives = eviction from the game, and thus the stakes are pretty high. The last player standing takes the trophy, but as you'll find out, having the best memory only gets you so far as the other players scramble to swap, deceive, and steal the victory!

Spaces

I went briefly over the spaces earlier, but I want to cover them again. What with Baffled being as simple a game as it is, the main element of gameplay (board spaces) are an integral part of any strategies or plays an opponent might want to try on. The nice thing about Baffled is that you are working even when it's not your turn. Say another player swaps A and D, now you have to find a way to remember that change, which piece moved to which space, and which pieces were moved in the first place! It's not all hard work though; when another player is head-scratching over a tricky symbol and pulls off one of the covers to see if they were correct, you've all learnt something whether your opponent got it right or wrong (though incorrect answers from other players are always a bonus!).

Some of the more complex spaces also open up some interesting possibilities too. One of my favourites is the 'swap any' space – if, for example, you knew that Frog was on A and Apple was on F, you could swap the two to make remembering easier. Or if your opponent has just swapped two round and left you confused, you can just swap them back! Other spaces have bonuses, like the four corner spaces requiring you to find three items in exchange for one of your lives back, or more interestingly, the 'name two letters' space, which when succeeded allows you to move an opponent to any space of your choosing. If your memory's good enough, using these rewards wisely could allow you to cause serious problems for your opponents, especially if you've been cunning enough to figure out their weak-points…

What's Good?

There are so many things to love about Baffled! A big factor in my admiration for it is how refreshingly simple it is to play and learn. Lots of truly amazing games with lots of depth are great fun to play but require lots of homework and an equally 'read-up' and captivated group of players to enjoy. This simply isn't the case with Baffled; while the strategic depth is still there, none of the extensive rules or difficult introductions are. Another honourable mention has to be Baffled's application of memory into the game, which makes it unique since it's not something you see an awful lot in board games today. It's really nice to be able to play with such an interactive and tangible mechanic as this – it keeps the game fresh and means the player is always involved.

What Could Be Better?

Baffled is a special case, because some of the things that give the game its novelty also work to its detriment. Take its simplicity; the game is easy to introduce and learn, as well as being quick to play. The downside of this, however, is that more seasoned game-enthusiasts may see the game as being too shallow, and not having enough for them to sink their teeth into. Another issue – not one that affects my family personally, but one I can see posing a problem for some others – is that a game based mostly on having good memory could be very easy for some, and very tricky for others. There are ways around this, however; one way I've found is to increase the number of lives given to someone who might struggle, and likewise decrease the number of lives given to pros!

To Finish

I was desperate to write a review of Baffled, and I hope you can see why. I feel like games like this might not always get the recognition they deserve, whether that's because they are seen as too simple, said to be very juvenile, or be based on a concept that doesn't seem interesting enough to play. If there's one thing I that I hope everyone can take away from this review, it's that board-gaming isn't about owning the most popular or expensive games, it's about trying new things and spending time with the people you love. And with that heartfelt message out the way, go and give Baffled a try. You might just find a new favourite game!