Birds of a Feather Flock Together for the Win in What's Up

Line your birds up and collect them in a row, if you can remember where they’re all hiding!

What's Up, a delightful little game from Strawberry Studio, mixes memory with set collection as you flip cards and try to remember where you put them all.

Gameplay

There are 30 double sided cards. On each side is a number of birds (one to three) which come in four different colors (red, yellow, green, and purple). Both sides of a single card will either have the same number of birds or the same colored birds, but never both.

All the cards are placed down on the table in any order you choose, so long as no card is covered.

The goal of the game is to create several sets of birds (two to four depending on how many players are in the game). Each set must be of a different color of bird, and each set must contain a card depicting one of that color of bird, followed by the cards depicting two and three of that bird, in order. You must build your collection in order as well. For example, you cannot start with a three bird card and work backwards.

On your turn, you flip one of the bird cards on the table. If the bird (or birds) on the newly revealed side can be added to your collection, you do so, otherwise you place the card anywhere back on the table (still being careful not to cover another card with it). It is now the next player’s turn.

Players keep flipping cards, and adding birds to their collection until a player has successfully gathered the required number of sets to win, there are only three bird cards left on the table, or no one has been able to add a bird to their collection for the past eight turns. In the last two situations the player with the most birds in their collection wins.

Review

What’s Up is both simple and straightforward. It combines a memory game with set collection as you try to remember which birds are where. Being able to place cards back on the table in any location nicely complicates the memory aspect of the game, making it more challenging.

The artwork for the game is delightful and lends the game a pleasant and cozy feel. The game looks cute and adorable, which fits perfectly with the easy to learn gameplay.

There’s not a whole lot to What’s Up. You’re not going to end up playing it all evening, but it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be anything big. It wants to be simple and it accomplishes that beautifully.

If you’re looking for something as a main event for an upcoming game night, What’s Up may not be ideal — but if you want something both laid back and relaxing, a tasty snack of a game, you should have fun with it. Great for families, it’s a game both adults and children can play, while the memory aspect of the game keeps it from being too easy, and makes it suitable for exclusively adult game nights as well.

Pros: Good for families, lovely artwork, great atmosphere

Cons: Will be too simple for some players

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