Although I have never attempted to review a game before, Dropmix is so awesome that I figured I had to give it a shot.
An easy game that is surprisingly fun.
Even though I have absolutely no affiliation with the creators of this game or Hasbro (the company that makes it), I have to admit that I am totally biased. I want this game to become super popular so Hasbro is motivated to produce more card packs for it.
Let's just get this out of the way first. I realize that I am pretty nuts and I tend to blow everything out of proportion. I find significant meaning in just about everything. Sporting events, books, movies, television shows and even comic books all have some deeper meaning to me that usually has something to do with my family (especially my kids). Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I have made this game out to be something bigger than it probably is.
I am a 40 something year old over grown child with a lovely wife, a geeky 13 year old son, and a silly 10 year old daughter. One of the things we have in common is that we all love music. My wife and I met at a dance club and my children both play instruments. As a result, Dropmix is perfect for all of us. Although we have only owned it for a few weeks, it has already provided us with many hours of family fun.
There is that little extra. I will use any excuse to spend time with my kids. I now associate this game with family time.
Why is it so perfect for a music loving family?
Dropmix is a game based on mixing music like a real DJ. Each player plays cards that change the mix. Players can add guitars, keyboard, drums, lyrics and effects. Adding a new card may even slow down or speed up the song. There is a competitive game, a cooperative game, and a freestyle "game" where you just drop down different cards to try and make a song you enjoy.
Dropmix is really easy to play. The game does not even include written instructions. Instead, the accompanying app includes three very short videos (less than 90 second each) that explain the incredibly simple rules of three different ways to play. The videos explain things so well that my 10 year old daughter and my wife (the smartest of our clan) started off on completely equal footing.
For example, in the competitive game, two individual players or two teams of two players each alternate playing cards that change the mix. There are really only two rules. First you can only play a card in a spot with a corresponding color. Second, the cards are marked with three levels. You can only play a card that is equal or greater than the level of the card already in that spot. There are also wild cards that can be played on any color (but they still obey the level rule). You score a point every time you are able to play a card. There are cards that add bonus points as well as those that remove points from your opponents. The first team to 21 points wins.
Although that sounds completely mindless, we found out rather quickly that there is quite a bit of strategy in taking advantage of the bonuses available as well as using a special button to try and clear your opponents' cards.
The technology involved is absolutely amazing! If the only part of the tutorial videos you watched was about deciding who goes first, you could play the game with almost no problem at all. The electronic board that links to the app runs the game for you. If you do something "illegal", the app tells you. If it is time to remove a card, the app tells you as well.
In addition, the app is able to automatically mix the instruments, lyrics, and effects as soon as a card is played in one of the slots. If you happen to make a mix that your family loves so much that they don't want it to end, you can hit a button on your device to record that mix.
We played a full game after watching this and had a blast!
There is never a moment when the whole family is not moving to the beat. So far my daughter is the only one who actually gets up and dances, but that is only because my back hurts and my son is too busy thinking about his next move.
As an added bonus, my daughter loves just messing around with the game and making new mixes. I would much rather have her using her brain to try and figure out what combinations will sound cool than her playing some mindless video game or watching TV. The app even lets her adjust the BPM (beats per minute) and the pitch.
Elements of these songs are included with the basic game. You have to purchase more songs separately.
So on to my bias. The big problem with this game is that there are not enough cards. Although the starter games includes 60 cards, it gets repetitive very quickly (I am so sick of "Call Me Maybe"). The saving grace is when I get the Disturbed "Down with the sickness" or Skrillex card so that I can mess with Carley Rae's pixie-like voice. Oh yeah. How about that as a selling point? You can make Carlie Rae Jepsen sing over metal and EDM mixed together.
The good news is that there are many add on packs available. The bad news is that they are $15 each added to a game with an MSRP of $99. I side-stepped this problem by finding the game on sale at Amazon for $50.
Geeky Dad's Game Guide
Ages: 10 - 99
Players: 1 - 5 (1 person can just mix songs. 5 can play the cooperative party game)
Target audience: Music lovers who get a kick out of messing with pop song lyrics
Family arguments incited: 0 (The game's app won't let you "cheat")
Playtime: 15 to 30 minutes
Time needed to teach a new player: 60 seconds
What if you hate pop music?: Buy expansion decks and toss out the cards you hate.
Advice: Don't pay full price. There are always sales. Use the money you saved to buy new decks.
Would I play it without my kids?: Yes. I have a lot of friends who like music. This would be fun for a small party.