Love Letter Game Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Deborah Banasko
We love a game in our house, particularly anything that travels well for the car or on holiday, and the Love Letter Game from Z-Man Games certainly fits the brief. It is not a game that I have heard of before, but it is one that would draw me in had I seen it in a shop; the packaging is wonderful and transports you to a time of Kings, Princesses and Knights.
In the pack are 27 cards, 13 favour tokens, the rules plus a red cloth pouch to keep everything inside. The aim of the game is enlist allies to deliver your love letter to the princess; you must not “die” along the way and end a round with the highest score. Don’t let the name of the game and the theme of “love” put off teenage boys, as this is a really fun card game and requires strategical thinking.
The 21 character cards are shuffled and placed in a deck on the table. One is turned over, face down, and each player is dealt a card. This card represents the person who is currently carrying your love letter to the Princess, but this will change as play continues. During your turn, you draw another card and then choose which card you would like to play by carrying out the effect on the card. For example if you play the Prince card you can choose any player to discard their hand and redraw (useful if they have a card that could affect your place in that round), whilst the Guard allows you to choose a player and name a character; if the player has that named card they are now out of the round.
The played card is laid face upwards so that all players are aware of which cards are left in the deck. A round will end when just one player is left or when the deck runs out. Any players remaining when the deck is empty will compare the cards in their hands, and the player with the highest-value card wins that round and gains a token for a successfully delivered letter. Several rounds are played. You can also play a classic version of the game which simply requires the removal of some of the cards.
Between 2 and 6 people can play, so the game length does vary, but each round is fairly quick so this is something that you can play in a restaurant whilst waiting for the food to arrive. It does take a couple of rounds to really get into the swing of it, but once you learn how many of each card there are in the deck compared to how many have been played, plus what effect these cards have, it allows you to form a strategy to beat your opponents. It is fairly easy to teach to children and quick to play.
My 9 and 12 year-olds’ really loved this game; we did have to give the 9 year old some hints on how to beat his opponents so he wasn’t simply going through the motions of playing any card, but he soon picked it up. The game is about ousting other players as well as using cards to protect yourself when possible, so it does come down to more than just luck as good decisions are crucial to staying in the round. You also need to keep your best poker face!
Whilst a younger child could potentially play this, in order to understand the strategy required I would personally say that from the age of around 9-10 years and above would be ideal. If you are removed from a round early on, you won’t have to wait long to play again on the next round as the game is quick, so there shouldn’t be any sulks or tears either. Personally I would say that 2 players does not make for a fun game and you really need a minimum of 3 to get the full experience.
The character cards are beautifully drawn and I love the red “coin-pouch” and the chunky tokens. It is a gorgeous set and would make a lovely gift particularly for any prince and princess, or history loving older kids. The £14.99 retail price feels perhaps a couple of pounds higher than most similar card games, but it is a good game with the extra quality in its’ design so I would be happy to pay it.
This is a great family game and makes a great gift for Valentines, Mother’s Day or any occasion. I would award Love Letter 4.5 stars out of 5.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £14.99
You can purchase this product from Waterstones here: https://www.waterstones.com/product/love-letter/0841333108359