Chaos & Confetti

Life is a beautiful, miraculous, and fragile thing.  In Doomlings, players will compete to evolve and grow their species of Doomlings, while the ticking clock of catastrophe and world’s end looms.

This is a quick paced card game which revolves around playing cards (traits) to build up a powerful species while also triggering effects to push towards victory (or to hinder your opponents’ success). 

Player Count: 2 – 6 players

Ages: 8+

Playtime: 20 – 45 minutes

GAME PLAY:

Game setup begins with putting together the Ages deck. Grab nine random age cards and create three piles of three cards.  Then, mix one random catastrophe card into each pile.  Place the piles on top of one another, making a twelve card deck.  Place the “Birth of Life” card on top of the ages deck to complete it.

Next, shuffle the Traits deck and deal five cards to each player. Finally, give each player a gene pool card and set it to 5, which represents how many cards players will end each turn with.

Now, the game begins. The player to the left of the dealer is the first player and will flip a card from the ages deck (this will be the “Birth of Life” card). Whenever an age card is flipped over, all players will follow its effects.  Sometimes it will apply a special rule and other times players will all take the same action. 

After the age card is applied, players will take turns playing a trait card from their hand. Traits are worth points, which are shown in their bottom left corner. A played trait will be added to a players board, slowly building up their species. Traits may also have effects. For the most part, they play out exactly as they are written, allowing a one time action, giving some sort of powerup, or stating how they may impact points at the end of the game.

After every player has played a trait and applied any effects, another age card will be flipped.  Once again, any special effects from the age card will be applied and then another round of cards will be played. 

Players will try to synergize their card plays while also trying to score big points, boost their board, and hamper their opponents’ plans. It should also be noted that Dominant Gene cards (with gold borders) are powerful traits that can’t be stolen, discarded, traded, etc.  They are great to have, but players can only have two on their board.

Mixed within the age deck are three catastrophe cards.  When these appear, their effects are also applied, impacting gene pools and other factors.  This will also rotate the first player.  For the first two catastrophe’s played, the “World’s End” effect will be ignored.  However, once the third catastrophe is revealed, not only is the “World’s End” effect in play, but the game is officially ended (hard to keep playing when all life has ended). With the way the ages deck is prepared, players know they will get at least nine rounds, but they are kept on their toes for exactly when the game will end.

After the third catastrophe is resolved, players will tally up their final scores to see who created the best species around (until they were all wiped out).  

OUR THOUGHTS:

Doomlings works well as a quick card game. The fast setup and explanation should have most gamers getting to the actual gameplay in no time.  

Despite being a turn taking game, the flow is speedy enough that there isn’t much down time, helping players stay involved and keeping the games in a sweet spot in terms of length.  The duration is long enough to feel meaty without ever dragging out.  Players will have the flexibility to squeeze this one into a tighter time restraint or to player multiple games in a single session.

The game hits an interesting balance that would probably make it best for newer gamers or those who appreciate a lighter experience with some random elements. There is a level of strategy as players attempt to synergize their cards and optimize their plays, but it never gets too too deep since the card draws (both traits and ages) are random and there is always a chance another player will mess with your plans. This gaming style works for light competition that pushes for more of a have fun and savor the chaos attitude.

We appreciate the art style and the fun illustrations throughout the game. It adds some nice theming and cuteness to the experience, which is appreciated.     

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS:

Doomlings is perfect for those looking for a quirky, cute, and quick gameplay experience. There is enough strategy for players to feel like their decisions matter without getting players too bogged down.  Doomlings is great for beginning gamers or those simply looking for a lighter experience.

Disclaimer: we were sent a copy of Doomlings to review on our blog – however, all opinions are our own.