Combo Game Review

The Basics:

• For ages 10 and up
• For 2 to 6 players
• Approximately 20 minutes to complete

Geek Skills:

• Counting & Math
• Logical & Critical Decision Making
• Memorization & Pattern/Color Matching
• Strategy & Tactics
• Cooperative & Team Play
• Hand/Resource Management

Learning Curve:

• Child – Easy
• Adult – Easy

Theme & Narrative:

• Work with others to create a winning hand that only you can score

Endorsements:

• Child Geek approved!
• Parent Geek approved!
• Gamer Geek rejected!

Overview

Jonathan David Haidt, an American social psychologist and author, said, “The most powerful force ever known on this planet is human cooperation – a force for construction and destruction.” Which I agree with. Spot on. As a group, we can create wonders and destroy them. This duality of man’s nature to create and destroy is best represented in semi-cooperative card games, where players are forced to straddle these two opposite and equally powerful forces to achieve victory over others through cooperation. To win this game, you must collaborate, but victory only goes to the one who dominates.

Combo, designed by Ikhwan Kwon and published by Happy Camper, consists of 84 cards, six Player Guides, and one wooden Pineapple. The components are excellent, with the cards and guides made of standard playing card durability and a shiny wooden Pineapple token. The illustrations are bright and minimal, focusing on depicting different types of fruit with a lot of color.

Note: Combo also goes by the alternative name, Surfosaurus MAX.

Prepping the Fruit

To set up the game, complete the following steps.

First, shuffle all the cards together and then remove a specific number based on the number of players in the game. The removed cards are placed back in the game box and should not be looked at.

Second, deal seven cards face down to each player. Players may look at their cards, but should keep them hidden from their opponents.

Third, place the remaining cards face down in the middle of the playing area and within easy reach of all the players. This is the draw pile for the duration of the game.

Fourth, give each player a Player Guide and determine who will go first. Give the first player the wooden Pineapple.

That’s it for game setup. Time to chase that combo!

Let’s Make Some Slushies!

Combo is played in rounds and turns for a specific number of rounds based on the number of players in the game. A game round is summarized here, starting with the player who has the wooden Pineapple.

Step One: Play a Card

The first thing a player does is select one card from their hand and play it, face up, in front of them. The player should be looking to contribute – and win – one of five combinations of cards. These are as follows:

• Super Slushy: same color run
• Smoothie: same number
• Slushie: same color
• Ripe Run: number sequence
• Sweet Scraps: highest distinctive numbers

Each card will depict a fruit (suit) and a number value (1 – 12). In addition, each card will show the number of points to be earned if the player wins the hand or the number of points earned if they tie.

It is worth noting that table talk in this game is highly encouraged. Players cannot tell their opponents what cards they may have, but they can talk about anything else. The first player will have little information to leverage to determine the best possible play other than the cards in their hand. As the game progresses, more cards will be visible, informing players of the possibilities of obtaining one or more combination types.

Step Two: Draw Cards

The player’s last action on their turn is drawing back up to seven cards.

Ending the Round

The round ends when all the cards have been played, based on the number of players in the game. The strongest combination is then determined using a specified number of cards (also based on the number of players), and the winner is determined.

The winner of the round takes their cards and scores them, placing them in their Player Guide and scoring them for their full points. However, if there is a tie among the players contributing, the tied players take their cards and place them in their Player Guide for half of their point value.

New Round and End of Game

After the points are scored, any cards not scored are collected and placed in a discard pile. Cards are kept in the players’ hands. Gameplay then continues. Once the final round is completed, the player with the most points wins.

Game Variant

There are special rules to play Combo if only two players can enjoy the game. This is done by drawing cards that represent a third non-player.

To learn more about Combo, visit the game’s web page.

Final Word

The Child Geeks enjoyed themselves, finding it entertaining to cooperatively work on creating the best possible hand. However, the concept of being the “top contributor” to the winning hand was lost on most of them. Only after a few games did I see the older Child Geeks start to play their cards to “win” the hand. Either way, the entertainment quality of the game was never in question. According to one Child Geek, “I liked the game. It was fun to work together to create lots of points, but you have to be sure to be the one to play the best cards to win the game.” Another Child Geek reported, “I think the game is best when you play with people who want to win, but I liked playing just to try to get the Super Slushy, too!” When all the fruits were blended, the Child Geeks poured it out and found that the game, much like the fruit it depicts, was pretty sweet.

The Parent Geeks were much more competitive and enjoyed the semi-cooperative nature of the game, finding it challenging and rewarding to work with the other players. As one Parent Geek put it, “When I played the game with my kids, we had fun just creating the best hand possible. When I played it with my friends, wow, what a difference! The game kept me engaged right from the start as I attempted to guess what the other players would add to the hand, while at the same time keeping control of the hand for the most points. Very satisfying!” Another Parent Geek said, “A nice and fast semi-cooperative card game. I read somewhere that it was like playing a cooperative hand of Poker, which I guess it is, but there is so much more to it. A great game!” When the last card was placed and the points scored, the Parent Geek declared Combo a winner.

The Gamer Geeks played the game and found it had merit in its design and gameplay, but were not all that interested in it after a single game. According to one Gamer Geek, “My first game was alright, but this is a game that shows you all it has to offer after playing it once. I think the real charm comes from who you play with, which for me means I am playing with a lot of diehard and sneaky players, which makes the game enjoyable. But the game itself was just kind of meh.” Another Gamer Geek said, “A great game for casual players. Not so much a party game, but one you could easily play at a party with a mixed group. I’d suggest it to those folks, but not for my fellow gaming elitists.” When the final fruit was smooshed, the Gamer Geeks took a vote, and all agreed that Combo didn’t hit as hard as they would have liked.

I think the Gamer Geek nailed it, even if they disapproved of the game, when they said it was “a great game for casual players.” It takes that casual game play, which is very fast, and adds that essential spice that makes each card played worth considering and paying attention to. I felt engaged right from the start, downright pissed off when I was beat out of a hand, and exceptionally pleased when I won the hand I helped create. Lots of moments like that, and because the game is so fast, those moments come at you pretty quickly. A virtual roller coaster of emotion, one could say.

Do try this fun little card game when time allows. It does have a Poker-like element, but only in the sense of making the perfect hand. Which, as a reminder, you cannot make by yourself. You must have the help of others. But they, of course, are looking to help themselves. You must play this game “in the middle” and adjust accordingly to be far enough ahead to win. That is, in and of itself, not an easy task, but goodness, it is fun. Try this game and see if it is full of fruity goodness for you and yours, or sours your mood.

This game was given to Father Geek as a review copy. Father Geek was not paid, bribed, wined, dined, or threatened in vain hopes of influencing this review. Such is the statuesque and legendary integrity of Father Geek.