Tiki Topple game review

Last year my boys got a new game for their birthday. Not super surprising, they got several, but they got this game and I thought, “That looks silly, I’m not sure how much we’ll enjoy it.” Some of the sillier games have been a big bomb in our house. Tiki Topple, an incredibly silly and short game was a HUGE hit in our house. It’s a quick game, 30 minutes or less perfect for gameschooling. So let’s do a quick Tiki Topple review.

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Goal of Tiki Topple

Your goal in Tiki Topple is to correctly move your three totems to the correct position on the totem pole. Over the course of the game you’ll play several rounds, and you can choose how you want to end it. We usually play until someone gets to the end of the score board, but we could just as easily say we’ll play for a set number of rounds.

 

How to play Tiki Topple

On the back of each totem is a symbol: star, shell, or fish skeleton. You choose a symbol and put all of the figures from that symbol at the top, and head down by each figure. This is done before anyone gets any cards.

Then everyone gets their goal card that I showed further up, and everyone groans and complains about how Tiki Topple is secretly setting out to make sure they lose.

Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s a requirement because it did seem to happen every single time we played.

Or you secretly think, “Yes my number one totem is near the top! I can totally get the most points.”

Everyone has the exact same hand each turn. You have one card that moves a totem from the very top to the bottom. A few cards that move totems up from 1 to 3 spaces, and two Tiki Toast cards.

Those Tiki Toast cards are fun to play. When you play that card, the totem on the very bottom is removed from the board. It’s Tiki Toast.

This is usually done quite gleefully with lots of evil laughter, and maybe a cry of chagrin from their opponents.

Or that’s just what happens at my house.

The round is done when either everyone has played all of their cards, OR there are just three totems left. That three totems left can happen pretty quick if you’re playing with four players and people are aggressively using their Tiki Toast card.

 

Tiki Topple is a strategy game where strategy is not the last word

You can have the perfect strategy, but someone happens to topple your totem at just the wrong moment and the next player toasts it, and your plan may change.

That being said, have multiple plans. Don’t just count on your number one choice, it’s often easier to get points for your second or third place, because it just has to be in that place or higher.

Your most powerful cards are the Tiki Topple, Tiki Toast, and Move up 3. The timing of when you use these cards can mean a big difference to your final place in that round. Don’t use them on a whim.

Final call in this Tiki Topple Review

If you’re looking for a low stakes light strategy game, this is the game for you. It can be completed in 30 minutes or less, and it’s a fun way to change up your game day or a bit of gameschooling.

It’s also a great way to introduce kids or adults new to strategy games to some amount of strategy without making them feel the world will end if they make the wrong decision.

Besides, it’s just fun to yell “Tiki Topple!”

 

More fun games to play in 30 minutes or less

• Labyrinth tile laying game
• Oregon Trail card game
• Minecraft card game
• Cardline Globetrotters
• Five Crowns

And find more board game ideas over on my Games Pinterest Board.