Squids and Showdowns coming from Mattel

Mattel has announced two new light, family board games coming this summer.

Uno Showdown is another variant on this much maligned, but secretly loved card game. In Uno Showdown, 2-10 players center around an electronic see-saw like, two paddle device. At random times, the device will play a lightning sound, then whoever hits their button first will send a shower of cards at their opponent. Players still are playing cards in the usual way, striving to be the first to play all of their cards.

Inky’s Fortune is a dexterity game featuring the large sleeping cephalopod Inky (I can’t tell if it’s an octopus or a squid, but it’s cute) guarding a field of 16 gems. 2-4 players take turns stealing gems, but need to be careful not to wake Inky. The gems thread into the structure and need to be gently twisted as they are removed; If a player is too ham-fisted, pulling willy-nilly, Inky will snap his eyes open and shoot out an ink blob. Don’t worry, it’s not really a wet staining blod of ink, but is a black plastic piece. The player who successfully sneaks away with the most gems wins.

Both Uno Showdown and Inky’s Fortune are due to hit stores in July 2020.