COLORETTO

2-5 Players
30 Minutes
By Michael Schacht

Background:

My reviews will not focus on the rules of the game. There are better reviewers on that format than I could ever contribute. The purpose behind my reviews are to highlight one, and only one, overriding aspect of any game: fun. That’s it. As a big kid at heart, I play games in order to have a good time. In the end, all I really care about is if I’m going to want to play the thing again, and will anyone else. Hence, I’ve chosen five areas to highlight that are all aspects of the game’s funness. Examined from this paradigm, these are all aspects that I believe should be enjoyed during the whole experience of playing board games.

All right already, enough philosophizing, on with the review…

Out of the Box:

Coloretto is one of the best card games you can introduce to someone who has never played a card game beyond go fish or Uno. The game comes in a very small box and is nothing more than a deck of 90 cards, total. But man, what a game that comes in those cards. The main cards come in seven different colors that have backgrounds of different textures. This makes the game playable for those who have trouble distinguishing colors. I’ve heard this first hand from someone who is partially color blind. That is very considerate on the part of the designer. The game also comes with score summary cards for the end of the game. Bonus points for the reference aids! Overall, the cards are of a good quality and stand up to repeated play.

- Great cards with thoughtful execution

Fun-o-meter: 5/5

Rules:

The rules are nothing more than a small leaflet that folds a couple of times, and half of that is color pictures. The layout of the rules is fantastic. They are very clear. Nothing is confusing. I can teach the game in a couple of minutes. First, I explain the turn option: either flip a card and place it in one of the rows, or go “out” of the round by taking a row of cards. Then I explain the concept of “specializing” in three colors, then show how they score according to the scoring chart aid, and then explain that any other colors count as negative points.

- Easy rules means it’s easy to teach

Fun-o-meter: 5/5

Ease of Play:

One you understand that there are only two options – flip & play a card or go “out” & take a row of cards, it all seems too simple to be true. There is nothing remotely complicated about how game play works. Rounds can be played in a matter of minutes. Even if you go “out” early in a round (in which case, you don’t play anymore in that round and have to wait till everyone has gone “out”) the most you might have to wait is a couple of minutes, maybe. But watching the rest of the players’ choices is still very fun.

- Quick game play makes this game a delight to play

Fun-o-meter: 4.5/5

Weight/Length Ratio:

This game is advertised as taking around 30 minutes. But a full game can be played in as little as 15 minutes. The game is not terribly deep or anything, but it’s not trying to be the next Dominion. There are certain strategies one may pursue, but they may not always work, as they have not for me. Dividing up the colors so that no player can get too ahead; deciding which colors you are trying to give to your opponents in order to hurt their hand, etc. I’ve played this game with all number of players, 2-5, and it’s always fun. There is no down time; there is no analysis paralysis, not really, anyway. The game feels comparable to snacking on some wheat thins in between meals. You know you can’t get “full” on this game, but it’s still very “tasty” and satisfying in its own way, nonetheless.

- It’s just deep enough for the amount of fun you can have with a quick, 15-minute filler

Fun-o-meter: 4/5

The “F” Factor:

Theme? Okay, I guess one can extrapolate the idea that there is a correlation between the fact that you’re collecting sets of colors (and you may have to change the colors which you are trying to collect) and all the cards have a picture of a chameleon on it. That’s about the extent of the theme. For $15, I would only expect theme to be skin deep. I haven’t met a negative experience with this game yet, however. It’s one of the better, if not best, games for its length. The only other game that feels comparable is Bhonanza, except that Coloretto takes one-third the time to play.

- An underrated little gem of a game

Fun-o-meter: 4.5/5

If you don’t have a game that suits the 15 - (maybe) 30 minute, quick, fun, card game category, there are only a few contenders, and this one is high on that short list. There’s always time for a game of Coloretto.

Overall: Recommended