Button Shy Games Review

 As a mom of 3 kids, I'm constantly looking for small box games that I can easily bring to restaurants, waiting rooms, and on trips.  It's great to have a few game options with me, but space can be awfully limited - unless I'm willing to lug around an extra bag.  That's why Button Shy is such a brilliant company!  All of their games are wallet-sized! Literally!  You can slip them in your wallet!  You can't get any more portable than that!  And the fabulous folks at Button Shy were kind enough to send me three of their amazing games for review!

First up: Numbsters!  This game is so cute!  The cards include an adorable Number 8 monster that eats other Numbsters!  

Numbsters is a solo player game that plays in about 5-10 minutes. It only contains 18 cards, making it a perfect game to play anywhere because you don't need much space!

What we loved:

1.) The design! - This game is so cute!  My kids were immediately drawn to it.

2.) The portability! - Being only 18 cards, it's very portable.  But also, you only have 8 cards laying out at any given time, so it's easy to play anywhere that you have a small amount of table or floor space.

3.) The player count! - This is a single player game and its perfect for when you need to pass a little time - waiting for your sister to finish her math work, for example!  

4.) The replay-ability! - Because you're shuffling and dealing the cards out, and because each card has a different ability, this game is different every time you play!

5.) The puzzly gameplay! - During the game, you're trying to get the Number 8 Monster to eat a Numbster on each turn. Your ultimate goal is to end up with one Numbster to the right of the Monster.  Its not as easy as it sounds! (I may have stopped typing this review halfway through so I could give it another shot - and I finally won!  Woohoo!)

Next up is Tussie Mussie! This game was created by Elizabeth Hargrave, the designer of one of my favorite games - Wingspan! 

Tussie Mussie plays 2-4 players and takes about 30 minutes or less.

What we loved:

1.) The design! - This game is beautiful!  Each card is a different flower.  And each flower has its meaning on the bottom.  For example, giving someone a red rose means, "I love you,' while giving someone a gardenia means, "let's keep a secret." 

2.) The portability! - Once again, the game is just 18 simple cards! At the end of the game, each player will have a total of 4 cards in front of them.  That means this game can be played almost anywhere, with very little space needed!

3.) The simplicity of play! - This is a game that's easy to learn, but hard to win. On your turn, you'll offer the person to your left two cards - one face up and one face down.  They must choose which one to take and which one to allow you to keep. It's simple enough for an 8-year-old to play, but strategic enough for an adult to enjoy.

4.) The strategy/luck combo! - Tussie Mussie is strategic, in that you have to decide which card to offer face up and which one to offer face down.  Will you offer the best card face down, in hopes that the other player chooses the face up card? Or will you offer your best card face up in hopes that they think you've hidden your best card face down?  But the game is also very luck based because you only have 2 cards to choose from and you don't know what one of them is.

Last up is Sprawlopolis! Using only 18 cards, cooperate with 1 to 3 other players to build a new city. 

Sprawlopolis is a cooperative game that plays 2 -4 players and takes about 15 minutes to play.

What we loved:

1.) The theme! - Become city planners and build a new metropolis that pleases the city officials!

2.) Portability! - Once again, this game is fantastically portable.  It does require a little more table space (to place the cards) than a game like Tussie Mussie, but it still takes up very little room.

3.) The simplicity of play! - This game is appropriate for adults and for children, ages 8 and up!  That makes it a great family game!

4.)  The cooperation! - Because the game is cooperative, you have to work together to meet the target score.  This means this game is a fabulous way to practice cooperation and teamwork!

5.) The communication! - Because the game is cooperative, you can't show your hand to anyone else, but you're allowed to communicate with everyone at the table as much as you like! This allows for some fantastic practice in communication!

Final thoughts: These games are the perfect travel option!  But they're also perfect at home!  For example, my kids have played Numbsters over and over and over again! The games are also beautifully designed. And they're lots of fun and easy to learn!  Button Shy games are just a well-rounded great game time!

I received these games, free of charge from Button Shy Games, in exchange for my honest review.