Think fruit and vegetables meet the mob, and Plant Based Riot is where you end up! A hilariously pun filled game that really doesn’t take itself too seriously. Will you be the top mobster to bring down the Cartel?
A quick rules overview.
A game for 2-5 players, The aim of the game is to overthrow the cartel. Deal a set amount of cartel to the middle and each player takes a sneak peak at one card. A clue to what you need.
Players are dealt 5 cards, then on their turn draw an additional 2 cards. Players are then allowed to play 3 cards on their turn which includes playing a gang card, playing a protection card or playing an action card.
Players need to keep playing until they have at least 2 gangs completed (3 fruit/veg gangs to complete the group). A turf war can then be called. Although, the creators note it should be yelled. You need to knock off 2 of the cartel with your complete gangs to win. If you don’t, you keep going.
Visually stunning.
Even though this is a simple card game. The animated cartoon drawings of your assorted fruit and vegetables really enhance the gaming experience. You cannot take anything too seriously with the fun art work being presented here. It’s a very cool looking game.
Game drawbacks.
Initially, no one really knows what is going on as there is a lot of mystery surrounding the play. You only know one of the middle cartels so there is work to be done in discovering who the rest are. However, after your first turf war, if you are unsuccessful in the war and do not win, you as a player instantly know the objective going forward and the mystery evaporates. It won’t take your opponents that much longer from there to figure it out either. They will see what mobsters you are going for and the game doesn’t have long left.
This is a real disappointment for me and I’m not sure there is really a way around this as you have to check and see if the mobs you have collected are correct. It feels almost a disappointing end to a game that starts off so cleverly.
I actually had to watch a play through to ensure I had understood the rules correctly. Because of the above, I thought I was missing something in the understanding but I had interpreted the rules correctly. It was disappointing that the mystery was revealed in such a way.
What I love.
This game brings laughter because it isn’t serious. The player interaction is great. The puns throughout are also delightful. This is what I love in a game, brilliant comical elements.
The mystery at the start of the game is quite cool. No one knows the full agenda. You can definitely appreciate how this has been created. Not knowing the full story definitely creates intrigue. What are your opponents up to and what do they know?
Simple play and reasonably straightforward game mechanics to pick up on. As noted above I did initially watch a video play through and it cemented the understanding in how to play the game and it is a friendly, straightforward game.
The action cards make the game with the random chance elements that really throw spanners into the game. I’m not spoiling these because they are excellent entertainment.
Final Thoughts
Plant based riot is a highly entertaining game full of plenty of laughs and great plant based puns. It’s not serious, it’s easy to pick up and just a very light hearted card game.
Scores:
Zatu Score – 71%
Artwork – 4 out of 5
Complexity – 2 out of 5
Replayability – 2 out of 5
Player interaction 3 out of 5
Component Quality – 4 out of 5
