Game Review: Ouch!

I love all things wildlife, but I especially love the look of a beautiful cactus. They are unique in style compared to almost everything in the garden. But what happens when you accidently grab one? Sometimes you can get stuck with a needle and a big scream may follow! Today we are going to take a look at a game that does just that in card form!

Ouch! is a new card game from Romain Caterdjan and Theo Riviere. Art by Fran Collado. It is for 2-5 players and plays in 10 mins. It is published by Devir Games.

Overview

In Ouch! players take turns picking cards by a corner and flipping them over to see if you can keep it. If you grab a thorn you lose the card but if not you keep it!

Gameplay

Players start with shuffling the deck and placing six of the cards Cactus side up on the table. Starting with the first player, players will pick a card and grab it by a specific side. They will announce that and flip it by that side only. If there are Cactus thorns on that side you say OUCH! and have to Discard the card. If you grab it and there are no thorns you keep the card.

Each card taken is replaced with a card from the deck face down. Turns continue to the next player clockwise and the game moves along like this until the end of the game is triggered.

Red flowers are more dangerous and you run the risk that a cactus needle prick from one of these will cause you to lose one of your cards also. If you have the most red flowers at the end of the game though it is worth an extra find points.

The game ends when a player has eight cards in front of them. Score one point for each flower, then score for sets of flowers of each color and for the player with the most red flowers. The player with the most points will be the winner!

Impressions

Ouch is a fun little card game that our family has been playing as a great after dinner game to unwind with together. The game is very simple to learn and play, we are able to run through the rules with new players in less than 3 minutes. It’s got a really nice and easy entry point and that makes it a stand-by game for us often.

There is a bit of luck in this one, more than some may like. We found that the same players aren’t always winning and based on the ages and temperaments of your players this might be a good thing. I don’t mind a game that leaves things to the luck of the draw when there are ways to mitigate the luck aspect. And the nice thing about Ouch! is that there are ways to be more or less risky based on the cactus card you pick. In this manner it gives players higher risk and potentially higher reward.

Overall this game is a cute and easy to learn and play card game that is sure to be a fun times for families and those looking for an easy entry experience. For your next casual night around the table I would recommend you give Ouch! a try and see if it something that “sticks” for you as well!