Picture Perfect: Review
Information:
Mechanics: Puzzle, Deduction, Memory
Player Age: 10+ Player Count: 2 - 4 PlayersTime to Play: 50 - 90 Minutes
Game Designer: Anthony Nouveau
Player Age: 10+
Game Designer: Anthony Nouveau
Introduction:
We all know that every great party presents a perfect photo opportunity. Throughout this game you are trying to set up the perfect photo while keeping all the needs of the guests in mind. The guests will come with requests hidden inside an envelope that the player must try to fulfil and remember as the game progresses. These guest envelopes are exchanged between players over the multiple rounds but it is probable that you won’t see the envelope of every guest. For this reason you will either guess where to place them in the picture or leave them out completely.
Game Anatomy:
Player Area:
Players will have three parts that create the picture scenery; a player screen, the floor and the table. The player screen hides your placement from other players while also adding a backdrop for your photo. The floor shows where you can place the guests and the table will sit in the forefront as designated on the floor section.
Preference Cards:
The preference cards will denote how the guest wants to be placed in the picture. This can include a row or column to be placed in, guests they want to be next to, whether or not they want their face to appear in the photo, and other special requirements.
Guest Envelopes:
As part of game setup, each guest has an envelope that will hold three randomly assigned preference cards. At the end of the game players will score -3/1/3/6 points for the amount of preferences 0/1/2/3 they can fulfil.
VIP Card:
There's always some guests who are more important at a party, for example the person who’s birthday it is. In this game it's the VIP's at the end of the game. For every VIP card added into a guest envelope, they will score one more time for every VIP card they have. This is for every player. This scoring action can even duplicate the negative score. The VIP’s aren't determined in setup, instead, each player has one VIP card and can attach this card to one of the guest envelopes in their possession. It is best to capitalise on a guest where you have fufilled all three preferences or one that no other player has information on.
Guests:
Each player will receive standees of all the guests. That includes fourteen male and female guests, one dog, and the real standout guest, a tall plant.
Decorations:
Each player will have ten decorations. These are great at creating a photo with real atmosphere. I personally like to use them to hide faces. The decorations add another function; if players are using auction exchange cards then these decorations will be used as the currency. At the end of the game every player will score one point per two decorations.
Exchange Cards:
There are two kinds of exchange cards; standard cards and auctions. Additionally, there’s is a seperate pile of exchange cards intended for playing with just two players. Exchange cards determine how guest envelopes will be changed each round. This may include swapping with another player or the middle, randomly being dealt a new envelope or peeking at the content while another player or the middle keeps the envelope.
Auction exchange cards allow players to bid on an opponent’s envelope by using the decorations as currency.
Setup:
- Place three of the preference cards into each envelope.
- Give each player several envelopes matching the image below.
- The remaining envelopes will go into the middle of the table.
- Give each player a player shield, floor mat, point marker, VIP card, one of each 14 guests, 10 decorations, and a cardboard table.
- Find the exchange cards for the player count that you are playing at.
- Decide if you are going to include the auction exchange cards. Shuffle and create a draw deck of either three of each type of exchange card or simply six of the standard exchange cards.
- Set up the player shield, put the floor mat within this shield and place the cardboard table over the large rectangle space on the floor mat.
- The last player to have taken a selfie will be the first player.
How to Play:
The gameplay is broken down into four steps; open envelopes and place guests, draw exchange card, perform exchange, and end of round.
Open Envelopes and Place Guests:
Players will simultaneously look at one envelope at a time and try to arrange their guests in a way that fulfils the requirement. If you are excited to fulfil this guest‘s requirement you can use your VIP card by sliding it into the envelope. This will increase their point value during end-of-game scoring. You won't always be able to fulfil every guest requirement so you want to choose how you place your guest wisely.
Draw Exchange Card:
Drawing the exchange card will inform the players how the guest envelopes will move around.
Perform Exchange:
Starting with the first player and going clockwise, players will begin to resolve the exchange card.
End of Round:
Once everyone has resolved the exchanges, the exchange card is discarded and the first player marker is passed to the next player.
Final Scoring:
After six rounds, players will score by taking an actual photo with their phone. Players can angle their photo in any way they like as long as the photo remains valid by having the included guests visible in the photo and not having anything visible past the shield backdrop. I definitely enjoy the way this game incorporates an app. Then one by one each guest will score based on how many guest preferences the players have fulfilled. This scoring can be kept track on one side of the player screen or through a calculator app on the phone.
Final Thoughts:
- The auction game mode gives the decorations more use than simply hiding faces and also makes the game more interactive.
- Extremely unique theme.
- Challenging and fun to navigate the guest’s likes and dislikes.
- Exciting guests, such as a plant!
Picture Perfect is a game I have never heard of or seen before I received a review copy and that surprises me quite a lot. I am always on the lookout for unique themes with interesting gameplay and Picture Perfect delivers just that. This is a unique twist of deduction, memory and puzzle optimisation, all wrapped up in a lighthearted theme. At first, you think it will be tough but achievable to meet all the guest’s preferences. However, as you play you realise getting the information for some guests is enough of a challenge, then some guests want opposing things as each other. Do you run the risk of placing them only to lose negative points? I really enjoyed this game and am giving it a Silver Seal of Approval.
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