Game nights are something to be cherished – gathering friends and family around the game table for some quality fun, laughter, conversation and gaming. So when there are a few players, a good party game is essential, one where every family can get involved. And when it comes to fun party games, Exploding Kittens have a real knack for creating party games that turn simple ideas into loud, chaotic fun. Fast Friends is another brilliant example of their wacky games, ramping up a simple idea and game play into fun at full power. Fast Friends is a speed jinx guessing, mind‑matching game built around one core challenge: can you and another player say the same phrase at the same time before the timer buzzes? On paper it sounds easy, but in practice, well it’s anything but. The result is a frantic, funny, high‑energy experience that is plenty of fun.
In the box:
- 180 Cards
- 24 Life Tokens
- 1 Card Holder
- 1 Timer (requires 2xAAA batteries, not supplied)
- Instructions / Rules Booklet
So how close are you to your family and friends? Do you really know them? Can you read their minds and talk in sync? In Fast Friends you are going to find out. Fast Friends is a party card for 2-8 players, aged 7 upwards and has a playing time of around 10 minutes (unless you want to play more than one round). The aim of game is to say the same word as another player at exactly the same time – JINX! Whether that’s down to a deep connection and great minds thinking alike, synchronicity or, if you are a Star Trek fan, a telepathic mind meld, it’s quite a feat. This game puts it to the test. This is a game all about syncing up with whoever you’re paired with for that round. Players draw a card, look at the prompt, count down and both shout their answer. If both players match, brilliant, you pass the timer on. If not, you try again, and again, until you either nail it or the timer buzzes and you both lose a Life Token. And before you start thinking that it’s too easy, it has a twist just to add in some tension – the timer is completely unpredictable, buzzing anywhere between roughly 20 and 75 seconds, which keeps every round tense and hilarious.
As always, the best way to learn how to play Fast Friends, is to watch the fun video on the Exploding Kittens website or scan the handy QR code on the front of the rules leaflet in the box. You can also read the rules leaflet included in the box – personally, I do both. The rules are quick and simple to digest whichever option you choose.
To setup Fast Friends, install 2x AAA batteries into the electronic timer (not everything is USB rechargeable and you will need a small Phillips / cross head screwdriver). The game is best played with 3 or more players but can be played with 2 so push the switch on the base of the timer to 2 or 3+ players (2 player mode is always a 75 second timer while the 3+ mode is random). Give each player 3 Life Tokens. Shuffle the entire deck of cards and put some in the card holder – they won’t all fit, and choose a colour you want to play with visible in the card holder – the cards are double-sided and have green, white, black and grey options. Now get ready for some fast-talking fun.
To play, pick a player to start and the player to their left becomes their partner for that round. Press down the timer and a take a card from the card holder so that you and your partner can see it – it might say “Ready for _____” or “_____ Shark”. You and you partner need to fill in the blank at the same time before the timer goes off, so you could both say something like “Ready for DINNER” or “TIGER Shark” – there is no right or wrong answer as long as they match! Countdown 3, 2, 1 and start guessing – if you get it wrong, try again with a different card until the timer goes. If you say the same thing as your partner, take that card out of the card holder and pop it in the discard pile and pass the card holder to your partner who then partners with the player to their left. If the timer goes off before you make a successful match, you and your partner both lose a Life Token. The winner is the only player who has any Life Tokens left.
Overall, we think that Fast Friends is a fantastic game. It’s a simple idea and a simple game to play but it creates plenty of laughter – it’s a game that forces you think not about what you would say, but what your partner is most likely to say and that mental gymnastics leads to some wonderfully ridiculous word and phrase filled moments. And it not all about shouting out random phrases, there is plenty of brain freeze, overthinking, sheer panic and blurting out something completely unexpected or, at times, completely inappropriate (depending on the players). The loud ticking of the timer and unpredictability of when it goes off add in a lot of tension. And by the end of the game players often discover they’re far less in sync with their friends or family than they assumed and that realisation is half the fun.
We also love the rotating partner system that the game employs, with players having 2 goes each round, but with a different partner each time. Without having fixed teams the game is kept fresh and stops any one team pairing from dominating the game. It also means the social element is elevated as players are constantly interacting with others, trying to adapt to a different thought pattern each time and trying to predict what they will say based on what you know about them (there is no point using your extensive shark knowledge and shouting out Broadnose Sevengill Shark if you know your partner doesn’t no much about sharks and is only going to shout out Great White Shark! This makes Fast Friends especially good for parties or game nights where you want everyone to be involved rather than sitting on the sidelines.
Plus it is very replayable, as different games and players are always going to come up with something new. No two rounds ever feel the same.
While it can be played with 2 players, and works ok, it is definitely so much better with a larger group. You don’t get the rotating players or unpredictability of the timer with 2 players and it takes away some of the fun. With more people, the energy really ramps up and the laughter gets louder.
Exploding Kittens: Fast Friends is a loud and lively, clever and wonderfully silly party game. With it’s high-energy and fast-paced game play, everybody will love it. It’s easy to play and is packed with moments that will have everyone shouting, laughing and accusing each other of thinking “the wrong thing”.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £19
For more information, visit www.explodingkittens.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.