What Should I Wear? A Review of Costume Party

Try to stand out in this light deduction game about having the most unique costume…or finding the perfect partner for your horse outfit.

Gameplay

At the start of the round, each player is dealt three cards. You then pass one of these cards to the player on your left and one to the player on your right. From your new hand of cards, you choose a card to play and everyone takes turns revealing their cards.

The card you play is what costume you are wearing. You score three points if you are wearing a costume that no other player is wearing. Each costume also has a unique ability. A zombie costume will score you one point for each zombie costume that is worn in the next round. The mummy can prevent any player who has not yet revealed their costume from counting in the scoring phase this turn. The vampire steals a point from the player currently in the lead. The ghost scores a point for each ghost that was worn in the last round. The robot forces a player who has not yet revealed their card to swap it with another card in their hand. Finally, there are two halves of a horse costume. If you and another player successfully coordinate to both wear the proper halves during the same round, you score six points, otherwise you lose three points.

After the scoring, you draw a new card and a new round begins. The game ends when there are not enough cards for someone to draw and the player with the most points wins.

Review

Costume Party is a simple and straightforward microgame. You pick up the rules quickly and they’re easy to teach. This makes it a great game for small parties. The game is also quite portable and convenient for taking with you on the go. Each game plays pretty fast and rounds move quickly.

The game encourages you to talk, deal, and bluff your way through the game, and this, tied with the fact that you have to try to keep in mind what you’ve passed and what’s been played, leads to a lot of great player interaction. There are interesting deduction elements and also interesting memory elements, which combine nicely.

While the box says the game can be played with three people, it’s definitely a game you want a larger group for as it’s more fun and more challenging.

It’s fun to see how each card’s ability plays out and leads to some interesting choices when deciding what card to play next — each one definitely has its own strengths. Costume Party is light, fun, and a great game if you’re looking for something easy and relaxing.

Pros: Simple and easy to learn gameplay, fun abilities on the cards

Cons: Better with more players

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