In this quick card game, Hideous Abomination: Second Edition, you take part in the annual terrifying competition hosted by the mysterious Global Abomination Association to create the most horrible monstrosity you can! This game was kindly sent to us to review by Tettix Games and is currently live on Kickstarter here.
In two sentences, what do you do in the game: You start with a torso and add cards to it, trying to coordinate colors to get a lot of the same color for maximum points. Along the way, the game will throw curveballs to scoring like also having the most eyeballs, head or fingers which do not need to follow the same color scheme to net you points.
Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: No. Tettix Games is a one man team comprised of Judson Cowan. He designed, devised, and drew Hideous Abomination (as is cleverly advertised in the instruction manual). He is also working on a game called Fright House, which looks amazing but is not a part of this review (sadly).
What was surprising about this title: The artwork is doodled, gross, and outright funny at times. The game is simple in premise and gameplay but the score cards (that change every playthrough) keep the game refreshing every time. A unique mechanic to this game is the use of bolt pieces. If someone steals a card from you, they’re obligated to give you bolt pieces, which must be used immediately (or as soon as possible if you can’t) to bolt down pieces so they become theft proof. This makes it so that the game is not stuck in a stale-mate of constant stealing or the dreaded “unending game.”
How likely is this to return to the game table?: This is a game that will hit the table 2 to 3 times in a row in a single night. It’s short and competitive. You can sabotage someone’s monster and leave unfinished gaps that as the rule book says is “not your problem.” This will leave players chuckling angrily as the game ends and they say “let’s play again.”
Game length: The game can play out as quickly as 5 minutes or can take about 15-20 minutes depending on player count and how aggressively people play. The game becomes a balance of “do I give myself more points, or sacrifice a turn to make other player’s monsters more difficult to finish and prolong the game.
Language Barrier Playability: Easy. The game has easily identifiable symbols, colors and textures that can be used to avoid language. The rules are simple enough that quick reminders on rules take less than a few seconds to clear up. The game has cards that state a specific goal but these goal cards can be easily explained with short phrases like “most noses, 2 points” followed by pointing at the symbols for noses and the number.
Artwork: It is definitely hideous, but in a good way. The colors are vibrant, the die fits the theme, the monsters look gross, funny, lumpy, bumpy, spikey, squishy and there’s a human crotch with a pair of underwear for good measure.
Quality: The quality is excellent, however, we tested the 2nd edition materials which have not been finalized quite yet. The cards are sturdy and stick to each other every so slightly during shuffling. But it is not detrimental or bothersome.
Strategy: Light. The strategy is light as you are unable to really form long term goals but you can play the game aggressively or keep more to yourself. You can take someone’s card away just because or you can play cards on someone just to give them less opportunities to score.
Instruction Manual: Concise and very well made. It’s hard to find any qualms with this manual. It has examples in picture form, it tells you the rules while keeping to the bare minimum, and it keeps the tone light-hearted and funny. This is how rulebooks should be: short, exact, easy to read and small.
Organization: Everything fits neatly in the box and keeps the box size to a minimum. The box is comfortably big for all of the cards and tokens but not so big that it would take up a disproportionate amount of precious shelf space.
Final thoughts: The game does a great job of making you feel like you’re adding to a monster and keeps the game competitive. It’s a fun game to play a few times or to introduce newer players to the world of tabletop gaming. Just make sure they’re okay with looking at a few gross feet and nasty tails.
Sushiball Games 