Jungle Race was a 2018 boardgame release – in this family game, five racers vie to cross the finish line first. Each player is dealt a hand of cards corresponding to the racers. On a turn, you can play a card for a racer, showing your support of that racer. That car will overtake the next position in line – moving closer to the front. However, if you support the car which is currently in the lead, it will go all the way back to the back of the line!
Of course, you will have to bluff a bit as your hand is dealt randomly each round, so you have to make do with the cards that you are dealt!
At the end of the race, the car which is in the lead will score three points for each sticker on its car. The second place car scores two points per sticker and the third place car scores one point per sticker. All players tally their points, and you play a set number of rounds (we usually play 3 or 5 rounds). The player with the most points at the end of the appointed number of rounds is the winner!
In this phone app port of the game, everything is automated. You choose how many rounds you want to play and how many AI opponents you want to play against – and within seconds, you’re playing the game.
The sticker icons are a bit small, and it takes a round or two to get used to the fact that they are shaped after the head of the racer and not the car of the racer. Essentially it works the same as the boardgame, though I found the linear arrangement of the cards on the table a bit easier to follow than the staggered layout on the phone screen.
The graphics and animation are nice, and the soundtrack is fine and thematic, though I have found that I pretty much play it on mute now (in part because my neighbors likely don’t need to hear the background song over and over as I play).
The AI seems clever, and most of my games are close – in this example, I only won by one point!
The game is good for starters/kids, and the price point is nice. Currently in the Google Play store, it is listed for $1.99 – and it’s a very good translation of the physical game to your phone. For a short diversion (on your commute, or maybe while you’re waiting at the doctor’s office) – this would be worth a try. Each race lasts only a minute or two, so you can get a whole game completed in a short time frame.
Until your next appointment
The Gaming Doctor
