Piñata
2
13+
30
In Piñata, the players compete to collect the colored candy that is inside the piñata. Playing pieces that might otherwise be "cubes" are instead wooden markers with a bow-tie shape that mimics the shape of wrapped candies, coming in 5 different colors. When a player has collected enough candy of a given color, he earns the medal card for that color. The first player to earn 3 medal cards is the winner!
User Reviews (2)
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When I seek out 2 player games I’m trying to find a game that I can get into with my daughters or my wife. That usually means the gameplay must be fast paced, simple to learn, wraps up in 45 min or less, and have a suitable theme. Ideally, the game that I select should also be portable as it will often times be played in restaurants or cafes. Being a fan of some of the previous 2 Player Kosmos line, Pinata seemed like a solid choice.
GAMELPAY
The object of this game is to collect various numbered sets of various candy meeples to gain you the corresponding candy medal cards. Netting 3 of the 5 medal cards is the victory condition of the game. The theme of this game (which is stretched paper thin) is a child’s wild attack swings of a pinata at a party and racing in a candy scramble to grab all the candy they can. While the theme is quite weak, its not completely absent as swings at the pinata are represented by numbered cards; high numbers gain success at the pinatas in the high position; low numbers for pinatas in the low position.
The game is very simple to teach. Gameplay is very simple being that all one can do on a turn is play a single card to one of 4 pinata panels. Despite the fact that gameplay is simple doesn’t always mean that there are easy choices. Players must be continuously monitoring all 4 pinatas as well as candy colour distribution for both players. Simple mistakes can be costly. This gameplay plays rapidly and wraps up in around 35-40 min.
COMPONENTS
The components of Pinata are standard sized cards, candy meeples, a fabric storage bag (for candy meeples), and 4 reversible pinata boards. The artwork contained on the cards and panels is very nice. There is plenty of colour displayed, the information is clearly displayed, and the illustrations are very cute having been appropriately drawn in a cartoonish manner depicting a child striking at a pinata. The candy meeples are a nice touch given that the general standard is painted cubes. Having meeples that are manufactured to look like wrapped candy pieces is a definite bonus. The card stock and cardboard are of quality thickness, while I generally prefer linen finish card stock, these cards are suitable quality. The overall presentation of the game is beautiful and inviting!
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Pinata was a hit in our house. I was a little surprised, but not disappointed, that this game could get a little thinky. There is a deceptive amount of strategy that is packaged up in this little 2 person candy scramble. The game is very replayable and has been a hit with anyone that I have taught it to. Pinata is an enjoyable game and I would recommend it to all but the most intense power gamers.
One of my favorite 2 player games of all time is “Balloon Cup” from Rio Grande Games. Now comes Pinata, a re-implement of “Balloon Cup” in a new package with a few new rules from designer Stephen W. Glenn. I was excited when this came in the mail because it’s something I new my daughter would also love. It is rated at about 45 minutes or less to play and for ages 13 and up although like I said my 10 year old daughter has no issue playing this game.In order to win you need to be first player collect three of the five “medal” cards. The rules are a bit simpler than “Balloon Cup” and provide an easier time learning the game and a slightly easier dynamic.
In Pinata you must play on your side if can before playing being able to play on your opponents side. This takes away much of the “screw your opponent” mechanic although it does say to use the old rule as a “variant.” Also new are the “wild cards” which can be used at any time on any side. The cards aren’t numbered as high in this version and you can start with the mats in any arrangement as far as high or low sides.The mats are at least twice the size as before and very thick in stock. The come with two sides, one being the “high” side and the other the “low” side. The card quality is nice and the art work is great and I am sure will be loved by the kids. After testing it out with my daughter, she loved the version just as much as the original.
Candies are used in place of cubes in this version and the colors red, green, yellow, purple and pink. The number of colored candies on each tile is the amount of cards you need to play on each side. For example, if you had a green, pink and purple candy on the mat 3 with the high side up, then each player plays on card of each color (or a wild/s) as high in value as their hand allows. When a player plays a card, they draw a card from the draw pile to keep their hand size at 8 cards. When all six cards have been played, then whomever has the highest total on their side gets the candies. The cards are discarded, the mat flips over and three more random candies get put on the low side. Once you get low on candies and can no longer fill a mat, the mat is discarded and the game continues until with fewer mats until some one wins.
The wild cards add a different feel to the game but a positive one. When the wild card is used on a mat, the player doesn’t announce the color of the wild card. This way it doesn’t restrict the placement of cards on the mat later in the game.All in all, Pinata is still a fun, quick game to be enjoyed by people of all ages. The suggested retail price is $29.95 and I feel it is worth it and justified based on the quality of the components. A great game for couples and kids!
I give it 7 out of 10 stars.