JurassAttack! A Head-to-Head Dinosaur War

T-Rex and velociraptor go head to head in this fifteen minute card game about staying one step ahead of your opponent.

Gameplay

JurassAttack! is a two-player game in which each player has a deck of dinosaur cards. Both decks have the same cards in them. You draw up to five cards and start the game.

The game takes place over multiple rounds until one player runs out of cards from both her hand and deck. Each round has three phases. During the first phase, both players choose one or more dinosaurs to play facedown, with the player who won the last round going first. Each dinosaur has a ferocity level. During the second phase, both players flip over the cards they played and the player with the highest ferocity points wins. The winner places the cards he played into his discard pile (except for egg cards, these go in his score pile) and takes the cards his opponent played and places them into his score pile. You do not reshuffle your deck once you are out of cards.

Besides ferocity level, dinosaur cards also show what type of dinosaur it is, how many of that type is in each deck, and how many points it is worth. Many of them also have unique effects, such as forcing the other player to discard a card if they win the round. In order to play more than one dinosaur card, you must play the dinosaurs as a pack which, for most of them, means playing the same types together. Players also have egg cards which have no ferocity but which can be played with dinosaurs to try and fool the other player into thinking you’re playing a large pack.

At the end of each round, the loser draws up to five cards and the winner does not draw any unless he has no more cards in hand (in which case he draws a single card).

Review

JurassAttack! is simple and plays quite quickly. It’s a light card game that makes for a great filler, is portable, and has a fun theme. The sturdy, oversized cards add to the quality of the game. It has some obvious similarities to the classic card game War but brings strategy and press-your-luck elements to the table, and the fact that the discard pile is not reshuffled means that the game never overstays its welcome.

The eggs give you a fun chance to try to out-bluff your opponent, while knowing exactly how many cards of each type are in both decks means that the farther along you get in the game, the more information you have to try to predict each other’s plays.

Since you only draw a full hand when you lose a round, you also have to take that into account and figure out when the best time to lose is and which dinosaur to throw away on a losing round. That, combined with considering when to bring out the big guns like the T-Rex, means that each round actually has some really interesting decisions to make.

The game is quite simple and is a good fit for families — kids can easily grasp the gameplay, while there’s still enough to the game to interest adults. It’s only a shame that it just plays two given how family-friendly it is.

If you enjoy light card games, or are looking for something quick to play for two players, JurassAttack! is well worth checking out. Besides, it features dinosaurs. It’s hard to beat that.

Pros: Dinosaurs! Great filler game, nice artwork and components

Cons: Some players may find it too simple, it only supports two players despite being a good game for families

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.