Ever thought about how you would deal with a strangely hypnotic ice cream truck that is luring adults from their houses? or how you might escape from an angry horde of bobbing jellyfish demanding marshmallows?
No?
Me neither. Until I played Wing it!
See, the whole object of the game is to come up with the most plausible (or at least the most humorous/inventive) solution to these crazy Situations. But don’t worry, you won’t have to go it alone, you’ll at least have some tools to help you. 3 absolutely random Items.
Really? And how do you suppose you are going to survive with just a set of golf clubs, a winged horse and some lipstick? Get to telling, because those Polar Bears aren’t going away on their own, not until they eat your sandwich, and probably you. (Okay, so maybe the winged horse is a little overpowered).
So that’s the game. Really, its that simple. One player is the judge and reads out the situation to the other players. They then look through there hand of 5 items and choose 3 to use in their incredibly bizarre tale that they make up right there in the spot.
The judge then decides whose story was “best,” and they are awarded the Situation card. Judging then passes to someone else. Collect 3 Situation cards and you win.
But, like a lot of party games, the aim of the game is not necessarily to win. I can’t tell you who won the games that we played.
What I can do is recount how I used a Love Potion, a Jack-in-the-Box, and a Polaroid Camera to outwit some Falcons who were trying to eat my Chihuahua. (That Potion was sent soaring when propelled by the Jack-in-the-Box and smashed all over the lead bird who then quickly fled the scene chased by his amorous friends. Don’t believe me, I got a picture of the whole thing.) Certainly not my longest or most convoluted explanation, but I still won that card.
Speaking of cards, there are over 400 cards in the game (about 80 or so are Situations, the rest are crazy items). So, you should have plenty of chances to play and replay the game. Especially since you will inevitably have those times when the Items you have in your hand do not really lend themselves to the Situation. But, don’t worry, the next round should be better.
Plus, like any good Party game, this one comes with Blank cards so you can even make up your own Situations/Items as you see fit. After all you wouldn’t want your imagination to be stunted – invent away.
I should also mention that the artwork shown here is not the final art, just preview quality. The actual cards shown on the Kickstarter are much higher quality, but still have that fun penguin.
I have played a lot of this type of party game, and this one does one thing that I am particularly fond of. It adapts itself to its audience. There is really nothing in the cards that makes it inherently for Adults only. After all, the box does say ages 12-112, so totally safe for family game night. But, there is also nothing that inhibits you from taking your story down a dark path. As long as it works for your group, go for it.
I think of Wing It as being more like Snake Oil than say Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity. You’re not just providing the card that you think most cleverly (or evilly) completes the card. You are actually spinning a crazy tale, which takes much more imagination and is a whole lot more fun.
The joy is not in the winning, but in the preposterous tales themselves. You actually find yourself not wanting to end the game, just so you can use the crazy new item you just drew from the deck. So do what we did and throw out the winning conditions and just keep going.
How else will you find out how Elvis and a Circus of Trained Mice use a Flying Carpet to break you out of Alcatraz?
Wing It is a fun little party game whose only limits are your own imagination. The crazier your story, the more fun you’ll have. Ninja Approved.
The designers sent us a preview copy of Wing It in exchange for an honest review, which is what we have provided. The artwork is of course not final.