Power Hungry Pets: Review

Information:
Mechanics: Player Elimination, Card Game
Player Age: 7+
Player Count: 2 - 6 Players
Time to Play: 15 Minutes
Game Designer: Zwierzaki żądne władzy
Game Artist: Seiji Kanai
Publisher: Exploding Kittens
Year Published: 2024
Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the VR Distribution.

Introduction:

There have been many variations to the classic microgame Love Letter, and Power Hungry Pets is Exploding Kitten's twist on this classic. In the game, you are aiming to win multiple rounds by having the highest-valued card at the end of the game or by eliminating all the other players.

Game Anatomy:

Each card will display a value from 0 to 10. This value determines the card’s strength when comparing against opposition. The deck is made up of 21 cards, the lower cards populate more in the deck such as value 1 has five copies, values 2 and 3 have three copies, values 4 and 5 have two copies, while everything else only has the one card in the deck.

Each card also contains an ability that will activate when played. The only exception to this is the Royal Robovac (value 0) that has an effect that occurs at the end of the game.

Setup:

- Place all tokens into the centre of the table.
- Shuffle the deck and deal each player one card.
- Place aside the top card from the deck face-down.
- In a two-player game also remove two more cards from the deck, face-up.
- The rest of the deck will stay in the middle of the play area.

How to Play:

Turns are very easy, all you are doing is drawing one card from the deck then choosing one to play from the two cards in your hand.

Except the zero valued card, the effect occurs immediately. Your goal is to eliminate the other players through these actions or by holding the highest value at the end of the game. Win enough rounds and you will win the game. The win conditions are; three tokens in 2-3 player games and two tokens in the higher player count games.

Alteration from classic Love Letter:

Love Letter is a franchise that changes some of the rules with every variation that releases. Power Hungry Pets has small variations to common cards such as an increased quantity of Battle Bunny's (value 3 card), or the Mouse Trapper (value 2 card) is focused on the deck instead of a player's hand.

The core changes, however, are the increased player count (six players instead of the original four) and a higher focus on beating the King Cat (highest value at 10).

Final Thoughts:

- Great player range.
- Fun art.
- Better at higher player counts.
- With the name change I expected more difference from the original love letter.

To anyone who has played any of the Love Letter versions, you know what you're in for with Power Hungry Pets. It is a quick and fun opening/filler option for your game night and some players may get annoyed at the player elimination aspect but the rounds go by so fast it is barely noticeable. This is a game that excels at a higher player count which is why it fits into the Exploding Kitten’s catalogue so well. If you are a fan of the fun party atmosphere Exploding Kittens brings out then Power Hungry Pets is a simple addition to your collection.