I have so much time for an Orchards Toy game as this creator has brought so much joy with an array of their games to my home for my children. Sadly the kids might just be on the cusp of retiring from these delightful games but they are just hanging in there with my youngest child who is 4. Yes, they do have games for children a bit older than this, it is the majority of games in our home that are close to retirement, maybe...
Pizza Pizza is checking all the boxes that you would expect from an Orchard Toys game and it delivers on all the expectations I have for such a game.
Roll the Dough
A game for 2-4 players. The goal is simple as you would expect, be the first player to complete all your pizza toppings.
Each player is given a pizza base divided into 5 sections. These sections are made of a colour and shape. So for example a red start and a blue semi circle. There is the chef card who has the bin and a twin spinner, which is very satisfying to use.
Players take turns spinning both spinners and they have the choice of which they use. When they pick either from the colour spinner or shape spinner they pick a slice from the middle to decorate their pizza with. Play passes. If they are unable to select a slice from the results the spinner has landed on, sadly they pass. There is also the steal a slice option on the spinner where the player who gets this result can take it away from another player to aid completing their own.
Finally, be prepared for a few inedible toppings that have to go “in the bin!”. If you draw these nasty ingredients then you set the tile aside on the chef's bin and the play moves to the next.
Yes Chef!
I love the colours Orchard Toys bring to their games. They are so bright and bold, enticing you to want to play as they always look so fun. Pizza Pizza is no exception here and it is a joy to behold. The components are also very accessible and easy to handle, ideal for young people whose fine motor skills are not fully developed.
"I would say that I love pizza so much that sometimes I eat pizza while I'm eating pizza."
This game is such a joy to play and we love it in our home. My youngest’s face lights up each and every time it comes out as he is so excited to get involved, particularly as he is very keen to steal other people’s slices, I should probably be worried with how much he loves that.
That being said it is a game building in learning those skills at a very young age. My child can also accept having a slice taken from them because that is a part of the game. As well as teaching the gaming basics of turn taking, winning and losing. There is a small element of “stitch up” coming into play here with the ability to steal from others and it is important for young gamers to learn this, because if they enjoy games, some games are a real minefield for this sort of play.
The player engagement is very high in this game because of this element of stealing introduced. The early bartering skills are also coming in as you try and convince someone that has got the opportunity to steal a slice, not to steal one of your slices. It is very funny watching it unfold. That and everyone shouting “In this Bin!” when some spiders on the pizza top have been drawn.
Final Thoughts
If you have young pre school aged children, or even early school age, you really cannot go wrong with this game as there are so many good qualities to it and the younglings have so much fun playing.
Wellbeing Gamer facts - I once as a student, attended a pizza hut buffet lunch back in the day when you could go for this lunch for a cost of £4.99. A bargain. And a real bargain as once I ate 30 slices of pizza in a single sitting (and I do not take the small slices). It was a good day.
