Whether that’s worth an extra £10 is your call. On the other hand, the ‘First Edition’ offers the same core components in a slightly more luxurious box that meows when it opens (seriously) and offers space for additional cards and sleeved decks. If you opt for the original box, you get everything you need to play straight away, in a neat and tidy 2.5”x3.5” box: 56 cards and the instruction sheet (hey, it’s a card game, not Arkham Horror!). Victory therefore depends on skillful application of each card’s capabilities, and successfully out-bluffing the other players, in order to force them to explode first.Ģ-5 players can take part, with the number of exploding cards mixed into the deck dependant on the number of players, so the game should offer a consistent level of difficulty regardless of the number of players involved.

Players are able to stall for time via the various effects of the other cards in the deck, allowing them to take cards from other players’ hands, check the next cards in the deck, or hold off an explosion. Whenever a player draws one of the titular exploding kittens, they are eliminated.

Rather than attempting to prove themselves the superior edgelord, players take turns drawing cards from the deck.

While fast gameplay, sick jokes, and easy-to-learn rules are definitely the order of the day, there’s a surprising element of skill required here that should appeal to both serious and casual gamers. You’re probably already thinking that this is just a Cards Against Humanity clone, but fortunately Exploding Kittens offers a totally different experience to that perennial ‘grown up’ party favourite.

Exploding kitten game