* This review is based on the Out of the Box edition.
Rules
Cloud 9 is a game for 3-6 players. Players are racing to score 50 points with the winner being the first to reach 50.
To begin the game, each player will select a color, place their scoring cube next to the 1 space and put their pawn in the balloon. The balloon starts out on the 1 Cloud. Shuffle the deck and deal out 6 cards to each player. The deck is made up of 76 cards with 18 each of red, green, yellow, and purple as well as 4 Wild cards.
On a player's turn, the player will roll dice equal to the number shown on the current Cloud. 2 to 4 dice will be rolled, depending on the elevation of the balloon. After rolling, all player's except the acting player will decide wether they want to stay in the balloon or jump out. If they jump out, they score points as shown on the board. If they stay in, they are gambling that the active player will have the cards required to match the die roll. If he has the cards, he MUST play them and the balloon will rise. If he doesn't, but he has a Wild Card, he MAY play the Wild to satisfy all the requirements to keep the balloon rising. If he doesn't have any cards that can make the balloon continue, the balloon crashes and any player still onboard get no points for the round. A player may not jump out on his own turn, until after he has made the balloon rise at least once. At the end of the round, all players receive 1 new card.
Components
Cloud 9 is packed with some really gorgeous components that are both functional and visually pleasing.
To start with, the box is nice and compact and is made of a good sturdy cardboard. The graphic design is great as it shows a hot air baloon rising through the clouds. The color are bright and the design is top notch.
Inside the box is a great plastic insert that hold everything very well. There is a slot for the cards which is perfectly sized to hold the deck and allow it to be placed and removed easily. Next to that is a space for holding the pawns and scoring cubes. This space is perfectly size and again allows easy storage and removal of the pieces. To the far side is the baloon holder. This part holds the balloon basket and the balloon legs perfectly. As far as maximizing space goes, Cloud 9 deserves an award for best insert.
The rulebook is laid out very well with a very clear typeface that makes reading and understanding the rules easy. There's plenty of examples to clarify any confusing points.
The player pawns are simple cylindrical wooden pieces that look a bit like people, with a head and shoulders. The matching scoring pieces are simple wooden cylinders of matching color.
The dice are terrific wooden d6's. Each die has 1 side of each baloon color and 2 blank sides. The corners on the dice are rounded and they have a nice white background. I love wooden dice because of the sound they make when rolled and the way they feel in your hands. These dice are no exception and they are terrific to look at as well.
The board is quite nice as well. The board folds several times to fit into the box, so luckily the publisher has made a high quality board. The stock sections are very thick and the board is bound very well. This is important because it will get folded and unfolded a lot during its life, especially with all the joints. A lesser board would wear very quickly, so its nice to see OotB go the extra mile on the quality. The score track is very easy to see and keep track on, with large numbers every 5 spaces. The scoretrack runs all around the board and up the middle are a series of clouds starting with 1. The value on the cloud is how many points a player gets for jumping out when the baloon is on that cloud. The number of dice shown is how many must be rolled to make the balloon rise.
The most attractive component in the game is the baloon basket. The basket is used to move up the board, carrying the players' pawns in it. The basket is a molded plastic piece with 6 spots for pawns in the top. There are clear plastic legs which hold it up and give it the illusion of flying. This is a nice touch when you consider that they could have used metal legs instead. It probably would have been cheaper, but it wouldn't have looked anywhere as nice.
While all the other components are quite nice, Cloud 9 is a card game above all else. Therefore, the cards are of the utmost importance. The physical size of the cards is slightly narrower than a normal playing card. The length feels about the same, but these cards feel like Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in their width. The stock is a bit thinner than normal playing cards, but not so much so that I'm worried about it. Each color has its own card which features a border of the color and a matching baloon of that color as well. There's no way you can possibly get confused, unless your color blind. The 4 Wild Cards prominantly feature the word "Wild" on the top. Each has a picture of 4 baloons being held by different characters. The presentation of the cards is quite nice and the quality of the stock is adequate although not spectacular. I think this is part of why the price is so low, but I'd gladly pay an extra dollar or two for better cards.
On the whole, the components in Cloud 9 are terrific. They are both functional and visually appealing.
Gameplay
Cloud 9 only has one decision to be made each turn: Stay in or jump out? But the answer to this question depends on a lot of factors.
The biggest factor that will influence most players' decisions is what comes up on the dice. At low altitudes, the active player will only need to roll 2 dice. So at most in the early rounds, a player will only need to be able to play 2 cards to make the baloon rise. But if the dice only show 1 baloon or even 2 blanks, its almost a given that the baloon will rise. Most people stay in on the first space anyway because you only gain 1 point if you jump out. As the rounds increase though, players will have to roll more dice. This requires more cards to make the baloon rise and makes it that much more unlikely the pilot will have the necessary cards. It really depends on what comes up on the dice as to what decision players should make.
Compounded with the dice roll, players need to look at how many cards the pilot is holding. The more cards that the pilot has, the better chance he has of being able to play the cards needed. This is not always a guarantee however due to the 4 different colors on the dice. If the dice show 2 green baloons and the pilot has 8 cards, you'd think the odds would be good. But the pilot may not have any green cards. The best you can do is play the odds of the dice roll combined with the number of cards in the pilots hand.
One of the only times you actually control your own luck is when you choose to jump out just before your turn. If you choose to take your turn, you cannot jump out, regardless of wether you have the cards needed or not. If you roll the dice, you need to stick it out at least once. So if you don't like the cards you have, you should probably jump out. The downside to this is that you signal to all the following players that you're not confident with your hand. This will probably prompt a lot of them to abandon ship as well, so you won't gain a big points advantage.
If you decide to stick it out and take your turn, it would really help to have one of the Wild Cards. There are only 4 in the deck, but the Wilds are the most powerful cards in the game. Instead of taking the place of one of the needed cards, they fulfill the whole obligation, regardless of whether its 1 or 4 cards. This means that you are guaranteed a successful flight regardless of what the dice show. Using the Wild at just the right time can be a big difference between winning and losing, so don't waste them unless its really worth it.
Despite all the things I spoke of above, there's really no way to strategize. You're relying on a lot of luck to get you through the game. In most other games, this would feel like a problem. But Cloud 9 makes it fun. Sometimes you don't need to push your luck and other times, you have no choice. If you get out to a big lead, you probably go there by taking a risk or two, or by making good use of a Wild Card. Once you get out front, you can play it safe and keep jumping out early. But if you're far behind you can catch right up with some help from Lady Luck.
One of the best things about Cloud 9 is that its very easy to learn and play. The awesome visual presentation makes the game really attractive to new players and is sure to draw some interested looks from anyone who walks by. The time frame is pretty short, even with 6 players so you don't have to worry about the game dragging or becoming stale. Anyone who doesn't like it won't have to suffer too long because the game will be over in about 20 minutes. If you have someone you're trying to get interested in gaming, you should definately look at Cloud 9.
Additionally, this is one of the few games that can play 6 people. This makes it great for parties and other gatherings because it can play a lot of players and it doesn't take too long. So anyone wanting to play won't be sitting idly by for too long.
Theme
The theme works pretty well in Cloud 9. Players are supposed to be baloon pilots trying to make the baloon climb higher. But as it gets higher, it becomes more dangerous, thus requiring more dice and cards. I'm not sure why anyone would get rewarded for jumping out of a baloon, but besides that, its a nice mix of form and function.
Compare it to...
Diamant and Incan Gold. I've personally never played either of those, but everyone who I've played Cloud 9 with thats played either of those other 2 says it feels exactly the same.
Overall
My family tends to like short filler games. They like games that look nice, are easy to learn, and are fun to play. Cloud 9 is all of those things wrapped up in a great little package. If you're looking for a filler game that has a strong press-your-luck mechanic, this is definately a strong candidate. The fact that it plays up to 6 people makes it even better.
I rate Cloud 9 an 7/10. Its a good game and its a lot of fun to play. Its a bit too light for my taste, but it works well. I'll play it any time I'm asked and I'll even suggest it from time to time. This game has a chance to be a big hit with my family so I think it will see a lot of play. I can really see this one rising to the top when I'm looking for something fast and fun.
As press-your-luck games go, Cloud 9 is a real winner. Easy to learn, easy to play, and always fun, Cloud 9 is a great diversion for gamers and a terrific gateway for potential gamers. This one definately deserves a spot in everyone's collection. Its very affordable and doesn't take up a lot of space.
Posted Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:04 pm