Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a Kiwi!

Flying Kiwis (2015) Review

Designer : Frank Bebenroth,
              Marco Teubner
Artist : Frank Bebenroth
​Publisher : HUCH!

2-4 players
10 minutes
Ages 5 and up

Written by Guilou

Do you know the Kiwi? No, I'm not talking about the fruit, but about the animal. This chicken-sized, New Zealand bird that has feathers on its body and tiny wings (some kind of stumps). Because of this peculiarity, they are unable to fly. And the Kiwis don’t take that very well.

On seeing other birds travel the world and tell of their adventures on their return, envy has become an obsession. The mockery of others has become too strong. The Kiwis had to react. They began to build many plans. One day, a Kiwi had an idea that was adopted by all the others. Kiwis they are, kiwis they will become. So they decided to physically turn into a kiwi, of the fruit kind, follow a little please. Thus, they could sneak into transportation crates to travel the world. Though there remains to find the method to infiltrate said creates. And why not catapult yourself into crates? A crazy Idea or ​​genius? The choice was be validated by all.

So here are our Kiwis friends, ready to embark on this adventure worthy of a cartoon, in this game by Frank Bebenroth and Marco Teubner.. Their fame will then expand and their name will be famous in the world of birds as: Flying Kiwis. Flying Kiwis is published by HUCH! and distributed by Atalia.

When you first open the box, you will be asked to do some manual work. You will make the crate and the catapults to start the operation. Don’t worry, it's not difficult. In two clicks, you will be finish. Just follow the instructions and place the rubber bands for the catapults. Everything is pretty well thought out. The illustrations of Frank Bebenroth are very colorful and quite cartoonesque. They quickly put you in the mood. The box will serve as a support to become a crate of fruit with compartments to better receive the kiwis. Once done, you are ready to play.

But even among kiwis, cohesion is not ubiquitous. Soon, four families propose to lead them all. Everyone decides to choose the side by wearing their colors. Then, dividing into a group of ten, they equip themself with a catapult to be able to propel themself better. Each player will take possession of one of these families. The goal of the game is to win against the others by projecting your kiwis in the different compartments of the box. If you get to make a square with your kiwis, you win automatically. Otherwise, you will proceed to a final count. Each stack will count one point per kiwi in it, points that will go to the owner of the stack. The owner will be the one whose kiwi is on top.

It is clearly in the game of address intended for a family audience. The game is very simple at the rules level. Available from the age of five years, the game is explained very quickly and is played very quickly. For a complete game, it takes about ten minutes. Matching time perfectly to keep the attention of the youngest.

Catapults bring a real fun side to this crazy game of skill. The fact that everyone plays at the same time brings pressure and frenzy at every moment. As you can imagine, it is possible during the game to cover others with a good shot. This possibility counterbalances the fact that everyone plays at the same time. It is true that in this style of gameplay, generally, you tend to follow more what you are doing and even play in your little corner. But here, because at any time we can be covered and one of the conditions of victory and to make a square to your color, you are constantly looking at the progress of others and our own evolution.

The laughter and the cries of nervousness, especially when nothing goes where you want, arrive quickly. The advantage of the short game allows the younger ones not to be frustrated. It is also easy to chain games. Once the rules are known, the youngest can play with each other without worries and will have a tendency to ask for more. The gameplay is at its own pace. You could hurry to lance all your discs to make a square first or take his time to aim well. In this case, you can then cover more easily but in the second there is the risk of seeing the other win immediately. It's up to you to adapt.

The adaptation is also very important in this game. Although the game offers very simple rules and a almost immediate gameplay, to win during the game is hard. If you want to make squares, you will have to be patient. For a game obviously aimed for the young, this can be a bit of a shame. Learning to control your catapult is not easy. Even for expert players. According to the rules, you are free to choose the position of your launching ramp as well as its distance from the box. This is clearly not luxury and at the same time, not so easy to choose. You will often play quickly at random hoping that it works. Aiming effectively reveals talent or hours of training. Sometimes even, if like me, you have two left hands (I am right handed), you will spend your first games learning to throw without your disc slipping under the elastic. Yes, to miss a throw in this way, it's quite an art ... well I think ... This difficulty of aiming right can sometimes cause some frustration (which can be counterbalanced by the reduced playing time). In case of large differences in player levels, frustration can further spoil the fun. If really the difficulty is too important for children (see for adults), it is easy to adapt the game without reducing the pleasure.

For adults, the game works too. Of course, you're not going to chain dozens of games. On the other hand, it is not rare that between two big games or simply to determine who will do the dishes or even at the time of the aperitif, we can quickly play. It is so jubilant to tease your opponents, when you see them struggling to launch their kiwis or you recover in turn their fruity birds.

Thematic level, you’ll forget it quickly. However, the cute and colorful illustrations make it all attractive, especially for the younger ones. The purely address side of the game can often balance the odds. If you're not talented like me, you'll lose with a smile even if you have to fight with your launching pad all through the game. Although not the best in its category, this party game works well. Simple, with a small price, easy to take out, it can offer good moments of fun but can also bring its share of frustrations. However, who has not dreamed of flying a kiwi?

---

Technical score 7/10
The game installs quickly. The storage is effective. The illustrations correspond well to the age and bring a cute and thematic side to the whole. Catapults are clearly the big play point of the game but can also discourage the less adroit.

My BGG score 6/10
(Ok game)
A simple game of skill, quick to play and explain. Playing at the same time is a big plus. Some good moments of fun in perspective that can however be reduced because of a difficulty to aim is important. Recommend to be played between children or family (with adaptations if necessary).

Combined score 6,5/10
And now it’s over to you...