Looney Labs recently sent us here at Spaghetti & Meeples copies of Batman Fluxx, Adventure Time Fluxx and Fluxx Dice. For those unfamiliar with Fluxx it’s a card game that starts out with simple rules: everyone gets a hand of three cards, on your turn you draw a card and play a card. Very simple. Except the cards you play may change those rules and you can wind up drawing 4 cards and playing six. What? Yes. Additionally, the win conditions can change with each player’s turn. One wins by having the right combination of “keepers” and/or “creepers” that match with the current goal card.
I (Brandon) have previously done a review of Zombie Fluxx for Zombease. Aside from some of the standard zombie tropes (shotguns etc) Zombie Fluxx didn’t have a lot of personality and I recommended getting another Fluxx theme that allowed for more inside jokes or a feeling of connection. After playing Batman and Adventure Time Fluxx I stand firmly by that assessment. One of the things I enjoy about Looney Labs’ games is that they are all, for me, basically abstract games. This is great because you can slap on any theme and it will work. The drawback is that it means that if you aren’t a fan of abstract games then the theme is all that more important. So let’s get to these themes.
Batman Fluxx. Oh, Looney Labs. You sly dogs. You clever velociraptor. You really tricky people who jacked straight into the mainline of my early adulthood that was still awash in the hormones and memories of my youth. You picked the best Batman. The only really real Batman.
Batman The Animated Series Intro
Yes! Batman The Animated Series that ran in the early to mid 90s. If you’ve never seen it, kids, I highly recommend you watch the whole series. Shhhhh, the whole series. And then you will truly be able to enjoy the Batman version of Fluxx. Don’t get me wrong. You can still enjoy it if you have never seen the best version of Batman that ever was or ever will be, but I definitely felt some nostalgia while playing it.
“Oh great, now I have to feel nostalgic to enjoy this game”
No! No you don’t. How do I know? Enter Adventure Time Fluxx.
Adventure Time is a series that started in 2010, not 1992, and I have only seen maybe three episodes of it. So, does it hold up? It does for me. The art is great. It plays just as good as standard Fluxx, Monty Python Fluxx, or Batman Fluxx and I enjoyed it more than Zombie Fluxx. Did I mention the art? The art is great. The art is wonderful in both versions of Fluxx we were sent because it’s the art used from the shows. Even if you aren’t someone who watches Adventure Time the cards have such a pleasing look that it is really enjoyable to play.
Ok, folks. Now we get to the last part of this review. The part I was most excited about. The part I was most worried about. The part that, quite honestly, I was most dubious about. Fluxx Dice adds two dice and a few cards to any version of Fluxx you may choose to play. “How gimmicky” I thought. “What a cynical cash grab” I thought. “Look at that really quite stunning box art” I exclaimed. Look at it!
How does Fluxx Dice work? Well, you shuffle in a few extra cards and then set out the rules cards that came with it and then you roll the dice at the start of your turn. One die tells you how many cards to draw and one die tells you how many to play. It’s so simple, but it really increased my enjoyment of the game. Mostly because I love rolling dice! Who doesn’t love rolling dice? You don’t? Well, tough. Go roll some dice! Sincerely though, if you are someone who has enjoyed playing Fluxx and has found it’s lost its luster, definitely give Fluxx Dice a try.
Where does all of this leave us? Can I, Brandon, and we here at Spaghetti & Meeples recommend Batman Fluxx or Adventure Time Fluxx? Yes, in as much as Fluxx is a fun party game. We much prefer games of Fluxx with four or more people. It can be played with two, but the more the better. Get yourself on up to six players if you can. And even if you are brand new to Fluxx go ahead and get Fluxx Dice, because, well, dice.
Batman™ Fluxx available 8/7
Adventure Time™ Fluxx available 8/21
Fluxx Dice available 9/4
You can pre-order through Looney Labs website:
http://store.looneylabs.com/Web-Store/Fluxx-Products
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