Hunger pangs
I did not choose this game, instead, this game chose me. It stared straight at me with its wide, unblinking eyes and whispered, “Feed me.” So naturally, I bought it.
The premise of this Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy for 2-4 players published by Lucky Duck games is very simple: you feed monsters. Except, that it is not that simple. These monsters have delicate digestive systems that can only tolerate items that are similar in colour to the monsters themselves. Get the colour combination wrong and you quickly end up losing the given scenario.
Feed or be eaten
The co-operative aspect of the game means that players work together using various “food” items to create colour combinations that the monsters will accept. Once everyone has played a card, the next monster will have to be fed, until you’ve fed all of them for that level. In the end, you’ll be given a 3-star review for how well you matched overall.
Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy has 3 different levels, from easy to hard mode, allowing you to select your difficulty level. An aspect that I did not like was that the app only kept record of your best score overall and did not keep your best score for each different difficulty level, something that would have kept players more engaged.
In story mode, the game has four different areas to explore. Each area has four different levels that you need to pass to progress through the game. When you reach each different area, the app will instruct you to shuffle in new decks into the cards you are able to choose from. As you progress, new game mechanics are gradually introduced, that ramp up the difficulty. No spoilers here, I’ll let you discover those for yourselves.
What it does do is keep players engaged, and at no stage did we feel like the game became impossible to pass. Although, the random card drawer did at times make it impossible to complete a level during a given game if someone really did not have a food item that even closely matched the required colour. This was mitigated by the fact that you could always see what colour monsters were waiting in line and therefore try to keep a card that might be passable for any future required colour combinations.
The other game mode is party mode which allows players to play freely with any cards already earned in story mode, something which helps to increase the lifespan of the game.
Monstrous [App]etite
For technology averse board gamers, the fact that this Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy is app-driven may be a bit of a downer. The game itself consists of card decks of “food” items that are used to keep the monsters satiated and prevent them from consuming you instead. A unique QR code on the back of each card is then scanned into the app and if the average colour of the card combinations that were scanned is close enough to the colour of the monster, then it is satisfied, and you are safe, for now.
The app does a good job of teaching the basics and the rule book was superfluous when it comes to learning the game. Whenever a new type of monster showed up, a text box would appear, telling players how to appease them. The scanning process I imagine could be frustrating for some players as there were times, especially initially, when it was difficult for us to get the device to read the code. But, once we got the hang of how and where to hold the cards, the scanning process became far easier and did work well. For younger children the game will require an adult or older child to read the instructions of the game but is easily played by children who are able to read the simple instructions given.
Components and artwork
The monsters in Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy are cute. The fact that they would often burp and fart after devouring random items was a great source of mirth to my 4-year-old daughter. The cards are thick and of a decent quality and the box size was small enough to make it readily portable for instant monster-feeding fun. The artwork on the cards themselves is bold, and the publishers have done a great job of making it easy to see the difference in colours between the different items.
What this game does well is to teach children about colours. The app encourages players to talk about different colour combinations and to develop strategies to ensure we were able to satiate these greedy beings. The levels themselves are not overly long which helps with younger children with shorter attention spans and the app makes it easy to jump in and out of the game again at any point.
Final Verdict
My daughter initially loved Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy as a 4.5-year-old, but once we had played through all the scenarios her interest immediately dropped. Since then, I will occasionally suggest to her that we have another go and she will enjoy it for a bit and then move
on to other games. It was the first Lucky Duck game that I had introduced to her and the fact that the game requires an app in no way detracts from its appeal to a younger audience. If you as a parent are not averse to allowing your children limited screen time, then I feel that you cannot go wrong with giving this game a go.
