How good is your short-term memory? Are you any good at bluffing? Welcome to That’s Not a Hat 2 (Pop Culture) from Ravensburger, an unassuming card game that is going to put both those questions to the test.
That’s Not a Hat 2 (Pop Culture) is a party game for 3-8 players, age 8+ where all you must do is remember who has what card. A card game that is a memory minefield, a ballet of bluffs and a barrel of belly laughs. It has a playing time of 15-20 minutes and is lots of fun with gameplay suitable for children, adults, families and friends.
In the box:
- 110 Cards
- Instruction Booklet
The premise of “That’s Not a Hat” is simple yet engaging. It is a game of card passing deception and memory. When a player passes, or gifts, you a card and tells you what it is, are they actually telling you the truth? Can you remember who has what card? Get it wrong and you get penalty points. So is what is on the card really a hat?
That’s Not a Hat features 110 cards. These cards have no numbers, just hand drawn pictures of simple objects on a white background. On the reverse of the cards, 80 of them have an arrow that will point left or right, with the remaining 30, the special cards, having arrows that point in any direction.
This is a simple game to play, as is the setup. Shuffle all the cards (unless you want to play without the special cards). Deal each player 1 card, which they place face up in front of them. The rest of the deck goes in the middle of the table as the draw pile, also face up – this is called the Gift Shop.
The player who last received a gift gets to start. This player draws a card from the draw pile, a new gift, and shows it to everyone before placing it face down in front of them where a arrow will be displayed. So for example, the player picked a gift with a picture of a guitar on it and when placed face down the arrow points to the right, the player then must gift that card to the player to the right saying “I have a nice _________ for you.” So they could say “I have a nice guitar for you” or something else like “I have a nice drum for you”. The player receiving the gift has two options; accept the gift or refuse it.
- Accepting a Gift: If the player receiving the gift believes that what they have been told is correct, they can accept the gift and place it face down above their original card. Now that player has two gifts, they must gift one to someone else. As it is rude to regift something that you have just been given that player gifts the card that they have face up. As so on.
- Refusing a gift: If the player receiving the gift doesn’t believe what that have been told is on the card, they can refuse it by saying “That’s Not a _________.” The card is then flipped over and whoever is wrong receives the card as a penalty point.
Play continues in this fashion, with play dictated by the arrows on the cards; left, right or in the case of the special cards in any direction that you choose. The game ends when one player receives three penalty points. The other players count their own penalty points and the player with the lowest penalty score is the winner.
Overall, That’s Not a Hat 2 is a very simple card to play. A fun game that can be learned in minutes. And if it all sounds far too easy, essentially boring, it isn’t. The first few rounds will be easy to remember who has what card but once those cards start moving left, right and in various directions it becomes more difficult to remember who has what card and then you need to put your trust in your other players and decide if they are bluffing or not.
An excellent game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s what makes it so great. That’s Not a Hat is sure to bring a smile to your face whilst challenging your memory and putting your ability to spot if someone is bluffing or not to the test.
The card is a fun collection of scribbled, hand-drawn pictures, everything drawn in black on a white background, which adds to its simplistic charm. The pictures are so simplistic that there is nothing outstanding, unique or colourful that will stick in your mind to help you remember.
A light-hearted, bluffing memory game that’s easy to teach, learn and play. It is fantastic for quick game play when you only have a few minutes to kill or as a warm up game to get everyone in the mood for bigger, longer and more serious competitive games on your game nights.
An inclusive game where all ages can play together.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £7.99
For more information or to buy direct, visit www.ravensburger.co.uk. Also available to buy from Amazon here.
