Fun for the family

❓Are you into fast-paced party games? Lately we have been preoccupied with some stuff, so we weren’t in the mood for big games, which is how Dobble Connect got on our table (well tbh, Asmodee surprised us with a review copy). It’s a spin on the original Dobble, basically adding a connect-four aspect to it. If you don’t know Dobble itself, it’s a mathematical marvel: there are always 10 symbols on a card out of 91 possible symbols, but if you compare any 2 cards they only ever share 1 symbol! 😮

So how does the twist work here? 🕵️ There are teams playing against each other, everyone using their own colored cards. During a round everyone simultaneously reveals cards of their deck one at a time, and have to place it next to another card - ☝️ actually every card can go next to any, because each one shares a symbol, but you have to notice and say that symbol out loud before you are allowed to do so! So it’s the same pattern recognition challenge but with an added spatial aspect, as you are trying to connect 4 of the hexagonal shaped cards, while trying to block your opponents.

Rounds can be over in mere seconds, but you have to win multiple rounds to win the game, and you also have to shuffle some rival cards into your deck as a counterbalance each time you win. Of course you often struggle with noticing the common symbols, so the round could go longer. 😄

Due to this frustration of searching for symbols, Dobble isn’t really our cup of tea (Reni is REALLY bad at it, but luckily the gaming table is too heavy to flip 🤭), and 2-player is probably not the best play count. I do think the concept of the game is interesting and a frantical multiplayer game would probably add to the enjoyment a lot. 👍 It could also be an ideal game to play with children, as rules are simple and it’s a nice challenge to spot the differences between the colorful cards.