Sure you could look at this as too much of a good thing. But you could also rejoice in two of your favorites being blended to create something that works better together. “You got Cthulhu on my Love Letter!” “No, you got Love Letter on my Cthulhu!” *cue music* (No? Just me? No one else remembers the Reeses Peanut Butter cups ads from way back when?)
The truth is, that I initially balked at both another Love Letter version and the idea of one more obligatory Cthulhu themed edition of a classic game. But look at this beautiful game – Tarot size cards, included sleeves, heavy poker chip style markers. Jump in, bluff, deduce, and go a little insane.
2nd (two player rating) – Like all Love Letter games, this works fine with two people. Fine but not optimal. The deduction becomes mere card counting (especially with some cards face up in original discard) and the chances that you will have a shortened round dramatically increase. But, the theme means there are more cards in the deck, making it harder to count, and that insanity might come into play. While I prefer this game with 3-4, it’s still a favorite at 2. 3/5 🌟🌟🌟
S (setup, take down, instructions) – This game couldn’t be simpler. It’s a small deck card game and set up takes less than a minute. Just remove a few cards from the deck and you’re off. If you’ve played Love Letter before, the instructions are almost unnecessary (aside from the few changes for insanity) and if not you’ll be playing quickly. The reference guide is clear and well organized so no wasted time flipping through to find answers. 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
T (tactile, components, artwork, etc.) – This game is a large spooky step up from ordinary Love Letter. The deluxe, book style box is sturdy and well designed. The cards are perfect Lovecraft – and did I mention the free sleeves?! It is such a pleasure to play that I think it gets to the table just so we can enjoy the feel of the game some nights. 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A (action, mechanics, general gameplay) – If you’ve played Love Letter before then you are familiar with the deduction style of the game. If you’ve played anything Cthulhu before, then you know that your sanity will be at risk. These work together very well to add a bit of push your luck/chance to the base game. If you are playing as “insane” at any point during the round, you will need to make a sanity check before your turn. Luck to choice ratio is pretty well balanced but does lean a little towards luck in a two player game. 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
R (replay factor) – This game is on our 10 games played 10 times list for 2018. I am confident that we will blow past that goal easily. It’s a great warm up game or a quick filler. It’s also a great way to introduce someone to Cthulhu games before diving into the complicated fun that some of the others can be. Removing some cards at the beginning of each round keeps things different every time. 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Final Thoughts – We were bound to like this as we are fans of both Cthulhu and Love Letter. Our concern going in was the over-saturation of both of these on the market. Did we really need another Love Letter? How much Cthulhu is too much? But this small box game is worth taking the chance. The theme makes an already strong starter game even stronger. Plus, who doesn’t need to go a little insane every now and then? 4.6/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Let’s start off the New Year with our first #newboardgametuesday. (I will eventually come up with a snappy hashtag for that but right now all the good ones are leading to places we definitely don’t want to go.)
