Title: Hi Lo Flip
Designed By: Garrett J. Donner and Michael S. Steer
Published By: Gamewright
Released: 2020
Player Count: 2-6
Time to Play: 20 Minutes
Hi Lo Flip is an awesome new game that Gamewright launched this past summer. Designed for 2-6 players, ages 8 and up, Hi Lo Flip packs a lot of fun and friendly competition into a quick 20 minute game. Using a mixture of strategy and luck, Hi Lo Flip is a great game for families or players who prefer games where winning is possible without having to think several turns ahead at all times in order to win.
The object of Hi Lo Flip is simple, be the first person to score 75 points and you win! Points are scored by collecting cards or being the first person to finish a round. To get started shuffle the cards and deal 7 cards to each player and put the rest of the cards in a stack within reach of all players. Flip the Hi/Lo chip and depending on the side it lands on, the oldest or youngest player starts. The first player will lay down a card in their hand and then the next player needs to put down a card that is either higher or lower that the number previously played, depending on the side of the chip that is face up. If a player has no viable cards, they flip the chip hoping to change their fate. If the chip changes from between Hi/Lo, the player chooses a card from their hand and plays it. If it lands on the same side of the chip, then the player flips over a card from the draw pile. If they are able to play it, they do; it not it is added to their hand and the previous player then gets to collect the stack of cards that have been played. These cards are placed in front of the player who collected them. The player who could not go then starts a new stack. This continues until one player runs out of cards in their hand.
Then piles of collected cards in front of each player are scored. Each card ending in a 1-9 is worth 1 point, cards ending in a 0 are worth 10 points. The player who went out gets an additional 10 points too!
Hi Lo Flip is played over multiple rounds. Keep playing until one person breaks 75 points. If multiple players break 75 points in the same round, the player with the highest score is the winner!
A couple of cards have special abilities, to create some fun twists things during gameplay. As mentioned above, cards ending in 0 are worth 10 points instead of the usual 1 point. Cards ending in 1, skip the next player and make them pick a card as well. Cards ending in 2 allow the person playing them to then play a second card. This is both a blessing and a curse! While this is normally a benefit, because it helps you run out of cards quicker, it can also be a challenge when you are low on cards because playing a second card is required, not optional. Sometimes this means you wind up not being able to go and the person who went last still winds up getting all the cards in the stack.
We loved how easy it was to learn Hi Lo Flip and get it to the table. In a matter of minutes you can learn a new game and flip up the level of excitement during game night. One of the great things about Hi Lo Flip is the wide player count. Play with as little as 2 people (if you wanted to get creative you could probably even figure out a solo mode) and up to 6. This is ideal for families who have more than 4 people. A lot of times, it can be challenging to find a game of this weight for a family of 5+, so we love that we can play Hi Lo Flip with more players than most family-friendly games.
We also need to comment on how wonderfully colorful Hi Lo Flip is....seriously ever single card is a different color! If you enjoy going to the hardware store and picking out paint swatches, you are going to love the cards for Hi Lo Flip.
Lastly, we would be remise if we didn't share this feedback from one of our players, "Hi Lo Flip is a game that even people who don't like games will want to play over and over". This particular player often finds it hard to identify games they enjoy that have only a few rules an are simple to learn, play in a relatively short amount of time (under 30 minutes) and are not overly strategic or designed for more children. Hi Lo Flip had her asking to play one game after another!
Hi Lo Flip is a great fit for those who enjoy games such as The Game, Qwixx or Skipbo. It is family friendly, but could also be thoroughly enjoyed with a group of just adults. Hi Lo Flip could be best described as a new classic game. It is one that will be sure to make your family smile for many game nights to come!
Pudgy Cat Games makes no profit off reviews. Should you wish to purchase Hi Lo Flip, you can help support us by purchasing the game through our Amazon Affiliate Link below. It will cost you nothing extra, but will help support our site!
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