Our The Mind Extreme review, what we have to say about the cooperative numbers laying and imperfect information card game. Similar to the original Mind, players are trying to play cards from their hand in order without talking to one another, trying to complete a certain number of levels and win. The higher the level, the more cards you have in hand, giving you more to juggle, but also more information to use during play. This extreme version offers a more complex challenge as now instead of a deck of cards from 1-100, you have two decks each numbered 1-50. Now there are two discard piles in play, one in descending order and one is ascending.
We took a look across fun, replayability, player interaction, quality and art & style to come up with the overall score for our The Mind Extreme review. See the breakdown by category below.
FOR MORE: The Mind Extreme Page | How To Play The Mind Extreme | Games Like The Mind Extreme | Buy The Mind Extreme on Amazon
– CATEGORY BREAKDOWN –
Fun (7 out of 10)
For the fun section of The Mind Extreme review, we award a great 7 out of 10. The Mind (and this extreme version) is something special, there is nothing quite like it. No player is ever technically up, but yet they need to know how to act. Combining sequential number analysis, cooperative gameplay and imperfect communication has created this really fun and challenging game experience. This extreme version adds a new hook and having both an ascending and descending stack, for an interesting and unique stand alone version.
The idea is simple, all players need to empty their hand to complete the round and you need to get through a certain amount of rounds. There are two stacks in the middle that house cards with numbers 1 – 50. Cards on one stack have to be higher than the previous card played there and on the other cards played need to be lower. There are no turns and there is only a touch of talking. Based on what you have, and what you have seen, you need to make your best effort to play in line with the other players. It is a fun experience you are not going to find elsewhere.
Replayability (7 out of 10)
For the replayability section of the The Mind Extreme review, we award a very solid 7 out of 10. This is such a free-flowing and interesting game, that intrigue will continue for game after game. Nothing changes from game to game, but that doesn’t mean the game is not replayable. Just like a classic playing card game, each game has the same rules and cards, but it is a brand new puzzle each time for players to solve.
You go round after round, but the cards you draw from and need to get rid of are always the same. The means, you might have some rounds where everyone is getting lots of low cards and some with lots of high. You never know exactly what everyone has but you work to use the information around you to chip away at it. With two different decks with numbers 1 – 50, the combinations that fall are endless. Round to round, game to game, each hand and challenge you face will be different and certainly keep things fresh.
Player Interaction (8 out of 10)
For the player interaction section of The Mind Extreme review, we award a fantastic 8 out of 10. This is a cooperative game, so the need for this section to be good is high. They, in fact, deliver. There are no turns, everyone just needs to know when to act appropriately based on what others are doing. This is unique and cool. If you are looking for a different angle of cooperative gaming, this is a new angle that is quite satsifying.
If you have a red 23 and a 24 in your hand, for example, you know you need to play those quickly one after another because you know nothing else anyone has can do better than that. If you have a 23 and a 40, you might play the 23, wait a few seconds and then play the 40. It is all about giving off the right body and other creative language to others so you can all work together without talking. Really knowing your fellow players pays off.
Quality (7 out of 10)
For the quality section of The Mind Extreme review, we award a great 7 out of 10. The Mind and The Mind Extreme, as well as their iconic designer Wolfgang Warsch, get big quality points because in a field of thousands of games this is something completely new. Cooperative games have always been whack-a-mole race against the clock (Pandemic, Forbidden Island), dungeon crawling (Gloomhaven), or team party game stuff. The Mind is a game thats part numbers and part communication that broke out of the mold.
Component wise, the game is just cards and nothing else. As a small box game, they do exactly what they should have done, they don’t focus on pizazz, they focus on delivering a great and efficient package for a great price point. That is what they happened, for what this costs, you are getting a ton of gameplay.
Art & Style (6 out of 10)
For the art & style section of The Mind Extreme review, we award a solid 6 out of 10. For artwork, let us just say that this is not where they chose to focus their time and efforts. Cards need to clearly identify a number and a color, which is done well, but it’s just not in the most attractive design.
You do have to give them style points. The Mind Extreme is bold and the branding has this cool psychedelic space rabbit (our words) backdrop. Everything is large and in your face just as the title implies it should be.
– IN CLOSING –
The Mind Extreme Review | Board Game Halv
The Mind Extreme is a unique cooperative card game that is refreshing and intriguing enough to get you to want to play over and over. The free-flowing numbers laying and imperfect information card game is simple to play but very layered and quite an entertaining challenge. A very good co-op option. If you are trying to look at this from a The Mind vs The Mind Extreme perspective, the latter is slightly more difficult because you need to split your focus, but you can do no wrong with either. This has been our The Mind Extreme review, we hope you enjoyed it!
Product In-Stock: InStock
7
See the full explanation of the judging criteria here.
