Marshmallow Fight! Game Review

The Basics:

• For ages 5 and up (publisher suggests 6+)
• For 3 to 6 players
• Approximately 20 minutes to complete

Geek Skills:

• Active Listening & Communication
• Counting & Math
• Logical & Critical Decision Making
• Reading
• Hand/Eye Coordination & Dexterity
• Reflex & Speed

Learning Curve:

• Child – Easy
• Adult – Easy

Theme & Narrative:

• Sometimes it’s OK to play with your food

Endorsements:

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

Overview

The primary ingredient of the modern-day marshmallow comes from the plant Althaea officinalis, which grows – yes you guessed it – near and around marshes. The ancient Egyptians used the mallow from the plant to cure scratchy throats and to make candies as offerings to their gods. Today we mostly roast them. In this game, players will eat, throw, toss, and chuck their marshmallows. The Egyptian gods would be most pleased…

Marshmallow Fight!, designed by DJ Wilde and self-published through the Game Crafter, is comprised of 1 sand timer, 50 plastic tokens, and 36 Stunt cards. Not included with the game, but necessary to play, is a bag of marshmallows for every 3 to 4 players. Preferably the normal sized kind, but smaller Child Geeks might have an easier time with the minis.

Note: I suggest you play this game outside unless you want to find marshmallows behind bookcases and in corners for the next week or so after playing the game.

Sugary Brawl

Before playing, give each player a good number of marshmallows or have them in a big bowl where all the players can easily reach them. Place the tokens and sand timer to one side and shuffle the Stunt cards to form the Stunt draw deck.

When it’s the player’s turn, they draw the top card from the Stunt deck and either decide to attempt the stunt or pass (which automatically ends their turn). Most Stunt cards have the player complete a feat of balance and dexterity. A few even have a time limit. There are also a small number that will start a marshmallow fight, wherein all the players are encourage to participate and throw some marshmallows while parents look on with concern.

Example of just a few of the many stunts in the game

If the player successfully completest the stunt, they are awarded points which are tracked by the tokens. If they fail to complete the stunt successfully or pass, the Stunt card is discarded. Either way, the player’s turn is over and the next player now takes their turn by drawing a Stunt card.

Sweet Victory

The first player to collect 10 tokens wins the game. I suppose everyone wins,  however, since they’ve been eating marshmallows.

To learn more about Marshmallow Fight!, visit the game’s web page on the Game Crafter.

Final Word

Well of course the Child Geeks loved this game. Although, it was hard to tell if they enjoyed the game play or the eating of marshmallows more. According to one Child Geek, “This is the ultimate party game!” This particular Child Geek might have been hocked up on sugar, but his enthusiasm was genuine. The challenges presented by the Stunt cards kept all the Child Geeks on their toes and rolling with laughter. Their favorite stunt was, of course, the marshmallow fights. They always lasted longer than they needed to and resulted in a series of heated exchanges focused on debating who hit who first with their confectionery projectile. Regardless of who won, everyone always felt a winner and celebrated by eating a marshmallow or 10. As one Child Geek put it, “Win, lose, I get to eat sugar. It’s all good.” Indeed it is. The Child Geeks voted to approve Marshmallow Fight!

The Parent Geeks were not fans of the throwing aspect of the game and a few even removed the marshmallow fight cards. This turned out to be a stroke of brilliance as it saved the Parent Geeks from picking up marshmallows and did not harm the game whatsoever. According to one Parent Geek, “The stunts in the game are great, but if you don’t want to do one or more of them, you just need to remove the cards. That’s a great way to tailor the game to your players or playing area.” In this case, a living room. The Parent Geeks even loved playing it, but found they enjoyed the game more as a family than with their peers. As one Parent Geek put it, “A game like this needs to be played with kids. And, boy, is it fun.” So much fun, in fact, that the Parent Geeks all voted to approve Marshmallow Fight!

The Gamer Geeks liked the game’s concept, but couldn’t bring themselves to suggest that Marshmallow Fight! was a game for gaming elitists. They did, however, suggest that all it would take to bring the game up to a more “adult level” would be to introduce alcohol as a “penalty” for missed stunts. According to one Gamer Geek, “This is how it would work. If you fail the stunt, you have to take a drink. If you decide to skip the stunt altogether, you have to take two drinks. If a player successfully completes their stunt then the player’s opponents have to take a drink!” Essentially, lots of drinking. Another Gamer Geek said, “Any game where you have throwing of candy is great for the kids, but not for a diabetic like me. I give the game full marks for being fun for a younger audience, but I cannot endorse this game.” When the votes were in, the Gamer Geeks gave Marshmallow Fight! a pass.

I normally highly encourage my Child Geeks to NOT put the game components in their mouth. I’ve even had to get after a few Parent Geeks, too. Not the case in this game. Since the primary component is edible, the eating of game’s most important game bit is encouraged. As such, have a lot of extra marshmallows on hand. Especially if the players really get into the marshmallow tossing. Unless, of course, you have a super clean house or the player’s don’t mind some dirt besmirching their white sugary goodness. Which reminds me, it’s not a good idea to throw food either, but in this game’s case, it’s essential to victory.

Marshmallow Fight! combines two things that make it irresistible to the Child Geeks: sugar and naughtiness. As the game progresses, so too does the level of ease in which the players eat the marshmallows and compete. The game keeps players on their toes since a random marshmallow fight could breakout at any moment. This was a brilliant bit of game design, in my opinion. By keeping all the players involved, either as entertained spectators or on edge participants, the game plays quickly and keeps everyone engaged. Time (and marshmallows) fly by when you play.

I enjoyed Marshmallow Fight! and think it’s one of those games that introduces just the right amount of controlled rowdiness to make it memorable and excellent fun. Parent Geeks might find the entire experience a bit stressful, but the Child Geeks are sure to have a great time. Do try this sugary game of dexterity and conflict when time permits.

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.