Everybody loves a good crossover, right? Whether it’s the way some of your favorite Marvel characters came together in The Avengers or the over-the-top and campy violence of the Alien Vs. Predator franchise, watching these different, albeit likeminded, pieces of cultural join forces and/or clash makes for choice entertainment. That becomes even more true when it occurs in the gaming world, something that the team at Gozer Games no doubt was aware of as they followed up the successful Zombie Ninja Pirates with the addictive Vampire Werewolf Fairies.
This fast-paced game takes the idea of its predecessor—combining different characters to create a new mythical beast—while expanding on Zombie Ninja Pirates and also embracing it like a proud family member. You see, you can actually combine the two games to make Zombie Ninja Pirate Vampire Werewolf Fairies. Doing this allows you to play with up to 10 people at once, which would clearly make for an epic gaming session. But for the purpose of this review, let’s just focus on this latest installment in Gozer’s catalogue.
Where Vampire Werewolf Fairies instantly succeeds is in its (again) pacing and in the way it never takes itself seriously. How many times have you played a game with friends that has featured at least one or two bitter arguments between players? Right, too many, but that simply won’t occur here. This game is simply too lighthearted and silly to make anyone even think about getting angry. Plus, you’ll be throwing down the cards—type, action, and object—so quickly that you’ll be too busy playing the game to worry about anything else.
When it comes to gameplay, it goes a little something like this:
- Type card: This is where you can start as a witch, vampire, werewolf, or fairy and, with time, combine them to become, say, a witch-werewolf or a vampire-fairy or whichever combination you’re into at that moment.
- Action card: This is where the game gets really interesting as these cards allow you to take, well, action against your opponents and move closer to victory.
- Object card: This type of card will allow you to gain or lose points based on how its played, which you can learn more about in the easy-to-read instructions.
One of the biggest appeals of the game, without question, is the pacing. And it’s not just that it’s designed so that you can play multiple rounds in an hour, though that’s definitely a plus, too. It’s the speed that will no doubt appeal to players who also enjoy other rapidly paced games. Like gambling, for example, that you can now do online by playing the exchange games at Betfair. The online casino offers users the chance to whip through rounds of baccarat, blackjack, and poker, among others, with the same adrenaline-laced rush and, of course, upbeat vibes. You might not be interacting with other players directly—as in playing against them in real life—like you would with Vampire Werewolf Fairies, but that sense of social competition remains. Also, you can really make it as lighthearted as you want it to be. After all, where’s the fun in playing a game if it isn’t, you know, actually FUN?
Like other reviewers have stated, Vampire Werewolf Fairies might come with an advisory that it’s for ages 13 and up, but you can definitely play this with younger children so long as they can read the cards. Given the content, it might get a little spooky at times, but it’s difficult to think of a better, more straight-up entertaining way to get into the Halloween spirit than by running through a few sessions of Vampire Werewolf Fairies. It is getting to be that time of the season, after all. Also, bonus points for anyone who is familiar with all the cultural reference Easter eggs hidden within the game cards.