If you know me, you’ll know my competitive side dictates that I’m always up for a challenge, regardless of the board game, and whenever someone in the group pulls out a wonderfully wacky game, you can usually guarantee it’s published by Ravensburger!
Welcome to the Upside Down Challenge, a party game that takes everyday activities and turns them into wonderfully chaotic challenges. Whether that consists of drawing a simple picture, completing a quick task or figuring out which way your hands move; the odds of it going wrong have never been higher.
In this review I’ll be talking you through everything you need to know about this wacky game and even dropping a few tips along the way to help fight back the nausea.
So let’s get started!
What’s in the box?
Straight off the bat, this game ticks a vital box for any family game, simple components and good quality. The less set up time there is, the sooner you and the family can get stuck into playing; and this is definitely the case with the Upside Down Challenge.
Alongside a pair of goggles, you’ll find 32 challenge cards, a 20 second sand timer, explanation card, instruction booklet, and 36 tokens to keep track of player progress. Although this collection of components may not seem like much, you’ll be amazed how much chaos can be created with them.
Getting stuck into the game is nice and simple! Players take turn putting on the goggles and attempting each of the challenges shown on the cards. Depending on the task shown, you could be drawing a picture for others to guess the theme of, or trying to complete an activity or accomplish something even more wacky before the timer runs out.
Completing challenges earns you tokens and the aim of the game is to collect enough to win, But obviously, that’s much easier said than done…
Seeing is believing!
The challenge cards are split between drawing and action tasks, and the difficulty levels can be changed to suit each player, meaning no one is at a disadvantage with an equal playing field for both children and adults, But that’s not all, if you’re feeling particularly daring, the game also includes some super challenge cards for the overconfident players out there.
The only criticism I have is that the game requires a few additional household objects if players really want to get the most out of the game. Even though it’s mostly paper, pens, cups, teaspoons and water; I’m a strong believer that everything you need to play a game should be provided as components.
Nonetheless, most of these extra items can be found around the house, and can be gathered before you start the game to save time.
A challenge for everyone
Given how beautifully simple this game is, it’s a perfect fit for players of all ages and all occasions. I bought it round for a family dinner and spent most of the night playing using the challenges in the box and custom ones that we thought up as we went along.
The only extra rule I’d recommend is adding a round pass. The upside down vision can be a bit much at times, and if you’re like me, you might find yourself needing to sit down for a bit whilst things return the right way up.
Final thoughts
The Upside Down Challenge is a wonderfully silly party game that turns every day activities on their head; literally! I love how simple the game is, and how easy it is for everyone to get involved from the very start. It’s also a perfect game to play with young children, even if it’s just an excuse to occupy them for a short while.
One thing that really stood out to me was the way that varying challenge levels has been built into the core of the game. It means that no one gets left out, and even gives you a chance to show off if you’re particularly skilled in the upside down universe.
However, I have to warn you that this game can get nauseous pretty quickly, especially if you’re prone to motion sickness. Because of that, it’s best left to younger players to win the challenges whilst you have a glass of water, a sit down, and try to stop your head from spinning.
Nonetheless, I had so much more fun with this game than I expected, and it’s been placed in the bag to take to future dinner parties and christmas lunch.
