Potion Explosion

I think this is a great game for several reasons; and personally like it better than Splendor.I like it because the game is easy to learn and teach. The rules book is short, well written, and has helpful well labeled images. When you get this game you're playing basically within minutes. The most time consuming part is assembling the box that houses the marbles, and that doesn't take very long. This game however, in my opinion is better than the highly popular Splendor. It's better because the replayability of this game will outlast that of Splendor. Outlast it because this game has 8 different types of potions and only 6 are used. So, each game varies slightly with the combination of potions/powers being used. Splendor doesn't have varying powers, it's basically like playing an even-keeled game of checkers, which is bit more interesting because it's an engine building game, were efficiency is the name of the game. The engine building in Splendor feels a bit limited because it's a bit slow. In splendor you have 3 rows of 4 cards, and your basically stuck in the bottom level 1 row for the majority of the game and when you finally built a good engine, it feels like there's only a few turns left were you get to do those awesome combos and then the game is done. Also, in Splendor you need to do a lot of shuffling and shuffle pretty damn good. Otherwise when you refill the rows you'll end up with a lack of variety in gems/options, resulting in a bad turn. In Potion Explosion you have 5 different columns of marbles to choose from as well as help tokens, which allows you to set up some amazing combos from the start of the game. When you trigger the combos it feels very satisfying, and it's fun collecting the marbles and watching them slide down the track refilling the columns. There's always good options in this game and it feels great when you activate a potion and that potion helps you complete another potion. The games I've played of this have been very close, I've played my little brother about 6 or 7 times and in most of our games the point difference lied between 1-3 points. And that's another good point about this game, a kid can play an adult and the kid has a good chance of winning, I don't have to go easy on my opponent. But the same is pretty much true in Splendor, my win to lose ratio in both games have been about the same when playing my kid brother. I guess another good point is that the iconography on the potion cards is intuitive, simple to understand. Both Splendor and Potion Explosion are language independent which is another good selling point. You can decide to get either board game, both are good, but all I'm saying is that Splendor will probably burn you out eventually that was the case for both me and my brother, both of us enjoy Potion Explosion more. And if you end up buying Potion Explosion and not liking it, you can always sell it, I think this game will retain it's value and down the road even increase in value. It's the type of game that's more likely to be found out of print since, this type of game is different for the publisher Coolminiornot, which typically makes miniature games. If this game doesn't sell well it could easily become discontinued and Coolminiornot could just fall back to doing primarily miniature games again. Splendor on the other-hand can be found anywhere, the price on it always fluctuates and it's always on sale, especially on days like Black Friday. There's not many good board games in the puzzly category, it'd be a shame to not own this in your collection.

This is a great game. It falls into the light and easy to learn category, something good to play at the start of a gaming session to get warmed up, at lunchtime at work, or with your kids. It takes less than 10 minutes to set-up and teach (the first time takes longer because it requires punching out and building the game pieces) and 30 minutes to play. It is accessible to younger kids (the box says 14+, but my 10 year old picked it up quickly) and to non-gamers, but still fun for adults and more serious board game fanatics. It is deceptively simple.Like many games, you are really playing against the board, and there isn't a lot of opportunity of 'screw over' your opponents. There is some PvP options (like stealing their reserve marbles or selecting a set they want before they can), but it isn't nearly as cut throat as many other games.What I really like is that the game comes down to optimizing your opportunities. You are trying to chain together different events and powers in the most effective way, It is much like playing a casual mobile game, where a good combination can clear the board. Thankfully, the game has built in limits (you can only complete two potions a turn), so it also stops particularly skillful or lucky players from ending the game too quickly.In all, I think this is an excellent addition to any game collection, one I plan to bring out often for boardgame evenings.

Addicting fun game that's easy to learn and explain. Totally a worthwhile game to buy for the family. And the preview video is the quickest way to explain the game. I read the rules in the book. And explaining the game was 100% faster using the video they give (b/c in person, you have to play with the marbles to give examples and your fingers and hands get in the way, the video also gives visual effects like explosions & highlights.)Quality of game parts: Some reviews say to glue the box together. I agree with this recommendation. But so far, I haven't had the need to glue it together yet. Also about 1-2% of the marbles seem to have shape issues. I.e. I have 1 or 2 marbles out of the 80+ marbles that have a rounded flat side. But they still roll 90% of the time and when they stick, just jostle the box and it'll move. So I don't see this an issue. As they give you an additional 8 marbles to replace an missing / damaged ones. Same goes for the paint jobs. One of my yellows is see through. But again, it doesn't hurt the game, just my OCD lol.

It's a fun game but the marble slot piece feels flimsy. The image print quality is high but even with the thick card stock they used when it's full of marbles it's wiggley and pretty easy to spill. The game is an interesting mix of matching and puzzle solving. Players 'explode' matching sets of colors to then use the colors to match color slots on cards and 'make' potions. It's fun and simple. I just wish the overall quality was better. I guess somethings more plastic may be hoping for too much. Finally- This game needs more colors and more potions. The content is pretty limited and while well balanced feels limited. I do know there is an expansion made but not sure if it's still in print.

This game is a potion for one amazing game night! I enjoy dexterity games and this one is hands down my favorite. It is quick and easy to learn and enjoyable by all gamer levels. We play this with friends and family any chance we can and it is so much fun. The rolling marbles mechanic is such a unique mechanism that everyone enjoys it. It is complex in it's gameplay and strategy which appeals to me but also easy to learn and understand so anyone can enjoy it. Love using the potions and grabbing all the marbles I can. This game is perfect for family game nights and for group gamers as well.