Who would've thought Russian roulette with exploding kittens would be such a smash hit?
What originally started off as one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever, the card-based game turned app has now taken over the iOS gaming charts.
In fact, it only took Exploding Kittens just one day to take over the number one spot on the App Store's paid apps chart. Besides the hilariously fun gameplay of the original that many users were expecting to transfer over to the digital divide, all in-app purchases are free for a limited time as well.
That means more cards, packs, and fun avatars players can use during the game, plus all the more OK to have one's smartphone out at the table because everyone will be playing Exploding Kittens anyway.
Because Exploding Kittens is a multiplayer party game, the developers used a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to simulate the same card-based gameplay. Those familiar with a similar game called Space Team know how this concept works - cooperation and competition is the key to winning.
Playing Exploding Kittens isn't difficult at all. It's a game that can be easily picked up after just one round (if not during a player's first round of play already). Exactly like Russian roulette, the whole point is survival.
To survive, a player must definitely avoid drawing the exploding kitten "card" from the virtual deck in the app. It's inevitable for the card to turn up more than once, but thankfully there is a bunch of ways to avoid or pass it on to someone else.
When that dreaded exploding kitten does pop up on a player's screen, they can either use a "defuse" card that can neutralize the killer feline's with catnip sandwiches, kitty therapy, and other crazy options that are quite hilarious.
Every card that gets drawn throughout multiple rounds of gameplay does increase the odds of an exploding kitten rearing its ugly head. Thankfully, there are more than just "defuse" cards - players can launch a tacocat, an Abracrab Lincoln, skip a turn by putting on a portable cheetah butt, and best of all, pass the exploding kitten to other players.
Exploding Kittens, as fun as it seems, deep down is actually a game of strategy. Players need to skillfully decide which cards to play, when to play them, and which of the other players they should target or make an alliance with.
Ultimately, that is the best part of the game - the use of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth requires players to actually be together in the same room and feed off of each other's reactions when they get screwed over by friends. It literally is a blast.
Photo: Jorge Sanz | Flickr
