Slamming answers
It’s rare for an affordable quiz game to not only tick so many boxes in design and enjoyability and replayability, but also become a viral sensation overnight for those exact reasons.
Nonetheless, the newest sensation from Big Potato Games ‘Tilt and Shout’ has done just that. In this review, I’ll explore all of the mechanics, themes and fun that make this party game one of the best I’ve played to this day. And, as Tilt and Shout is a quiz game, there’s no risk of story spoilers, but I will make sure to avoid giving any of the topics away so you can’t do your homework and revision before playing.
So, let’s get tilting!
Tilt like the best of them
Looks can definitely be deceiving when the contents of the box consists of a marble run and a large number of topic cards; but don’t be fooled. The marble run is brightly coloured and looks fantastic on the table once constructed. The tower blocks may look out of place, but they make up one of the simplest and subtlest difficulty mechanics I’ve seen in a game.
The game also comes with a variety of stickers included. Most of which are placed on the game components to signify the victory zones; but there’s one extra special ‘Big Potato Games’ sticker included that you can place wherever you wish. Mine has gone straight on my laptop, along with all of my other board game related ones.
And then there’s the topic cards. A wide range of double sided prompt cards designed to prompt your brain for knowledge hidden away in its furthest corners. They cover a variety of topics, themes, subjects and challenges that really get the brain juices flowing and the competitive spirit raring to go.
Showing off angles
With all Big Potato Games creations, the design, setup and playing is simplistic and quick to pick up for all ages. In Tilt and Shout, a topic card is revealed, and players take it in turns to shout a related answer and tilt the ball run towards them to start the ball rolling their way. This continues until the ball reaches one of the players victory zones, and the winning player for that round moves their golden tower one place forward. When a player wins enough rounds to move their tower to the end of the run, they are crowned the victor; island if you’re anything like me, you’ll challenge the winning to eight more games to try and redeem yourself.
It’s this simplicity, along with the easy to learn hard to master that makes up the replayability for this game. The cards cover such a wide variety of topics with heaps of answers that each round offers you a real challenge; regardless of whether you know the topic or not.
Having played a range of list based party games, I’m no stranger to the quick thinking memory gymnastics that this style of game requires. But, Tilt and Shout is something entirely different. The surprising topics, suspense of the quickly moving ball in the run, the desperation to think of one more answer before time runs out; it all makes for a party game experience that no other game can seem to match, yet alone beat.
Running out of ideas
Alongside all of the factors that make this game so much fun to play, you also have all the thrills of adding tactics to the way you play. All of which change depending on who you’re playing and what the topic card reveals each round.
I quickly found that shouting out answers that the opponent was more likely to go for was a great way of stumping them. By taking away their go to answers, they quickly run out of steam and it allows you to then fall back on your own pool of answers you have saved.
Another great approach is thinking of groups of answers rather than individual ones. Whether it’s through association or rhyming (if it’s a word based topic), getting into the habit of grouping answers gives you more answers to throw out when the tension is running high.
The fact that such a simplistic game can inspire players to discover tactics and perform mental gymnastics to get the win shows how versatile and well designed Tilt and Shout really is. And the same can be said for most of Big Potato Games’ creations, as each finds a new way of engrossing players in gameplay, tactics and competition; almost always with the simplest of concepts at their heart.
Final thoughts
So, if it’s not obvious enough; it goes without saying that I absolutely adore this game. In fact, there are very few quiz and party games out there that my partner and I will play just the two of us; and not just because of our competitive streaks.
Tilt and Shout has truly managed to lock into a winning combination, with engrossing topics and gameplay full of suspense and tension. Quickly becoming one of the most played games in our house, with a short playtime and rapid fire rounds. I would even go as far as to say that every family should have a copy of this game sitting on their board game shelf, as there’s no situation that wouldn’t benefit from the thrill that a round or two of this game brings. So thanks for reading, keep shouting, and try not to get too tilted!
