Super Nova Smash! Preview
/Overview:
We have been seeing more and more integration of apps and technology in board games lately, however most of these games end up being large, intricate, and time-consuming games. Super Nova Smash! however leverages your smartphone to create a very new and unique experience. This fast-paced card game plays more like a party game where you are quickly playing cards while getting thrown into different challenges and mini-games to complete. Sound exciting? We are just getting started!
How it plays:
In Super Nova Smash you will first need to download the Super Nova Smash app on each player’s phone. No worries, it is a free app and it is pretty small so it does not take up much room on your phone. Each player launches the app and follow the prompts to start up and all connect to the same room. Then you deal out the whole deck of cards to each player to form each player’s individual draw pile. Each player draws 5 cards, flip the top card of your draw pile into the play area, and press start on the app. Now the crazy times begin.
Each player is going to be going as fast as they can to play cards from their hand. Each card is numbered between 0 and 5. You can play cards on any players pile in the play area but you can only play a card if it is one number off whats in the pile, with the one exception being that you can play a 0 on a 5 and vice versa. Be careful, however, as each 0-card in your pile will count against you at the end of the game. The catch is that you can only play a card on a pile if the phone in front of the pile says ‘Go!’ on it. If you play a card on a pile and it is an invalid play, the player whose pile you played on can put the card face down on your pile and it will count as a 0-card against you at the end of the game.
Occasionally as you play a Shockwave will start, which is a quick minigame you need to complete on your phone before you can go back to playing cards. These are all quick little games where you might need to tap your phone really quickly, move your phone around all over the place, or yell until a bar fills up on the screen. Once you are complete you can play on any pile until everyone completes and then you are restricted if the pile closes like before.
Once someone has played all of their cards from their deck they tap their screen to say they are done. Once everyone is finished then the app scores you! You get points based on how many 0-cards you have in your pile, how well you did in the different minigames, and how quickly you went through your deck.
Conclusion:
If you are not a fan of mixing technology with your games or dislike real-time speed games then Super Nova Smash might not be for you.
However….
If you are looking for a fast and frantic card game, if you like the idea of a Mario Party like experience that plays in a matter of minutes, or if you are just looking for something unique and interesting then you should check out Super Nova Smash!
If Super Nova Smash! sounds like fun, it is live on Kickstarter now! You can check it out at kickstarter.com or their website supernovasmash.com!
