WBG Score: 7/10
Player Count: 1
Published by: Button Shy
Designed by: Manon Mergnat
This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.
Button Shy make tiny pocket games. They call them wallet games as they look like little credit card holders that fit in your pocket, like a wallet! They are 18-card games, and they release them at alarming intervals. The things they can do with 18 cards is quite incredible, but more on that as we review more of their games. We have not covered any here yet on What Board Game, and I thought it was high time we rectified that, starting with Rove Jr. A child-friendly implementation of a previous release, Rove. A game all about spatial awareness, pattern recognition, and hand management. Rove Jr does the same, just in a simplified manner. So, with all that said, let's get it to the table and see how it plays.
How To Set Up Rove Jr
Take out the 18 cards from the wallet. Separate the four Module cards and place them in a two-by-two grid on the table. Don't worry about where each card goes. Now shuffle the 14 remaining Mission cards, deal five to your hand, and place the rest face down on the table. They are double sided and you want to be looking at the Move side in your hand, and the mission side on the table. Draw the top card from the deck on the table and place it away from the other cards face up. You will need space for seven more cards to be placed on top of this first one during the game, each one building from the right of this card so you will need some space. This first card will be your first mission. You are now ready to play.
How To Play Rove Jr
On the mission card, there will be a pattern shown in a three-by-three grid. You need to manipulate the four Module cards, currently laid out in a two-by-two grid, to match this pattern. You can do this by playing the cards in your hand to manipulate the Module cards' position. Remember, the cards are double-sided, so you will not be looking at the mission side on the cards in your hand; you will be looking at the side that shows the movement options. Cards will let you move specific cards based on their icons. Playing one card lets you move one Module. Module cards can be moved orthogonally, as far as you like, over other cards if need be, but they must come to rest on an empty space and touch another card. Touching corners is fine.
Once you have manipulated the Module cards to come to rest in the same pattern as the one shown on the current Mission card, you can now take the top card from the deck and place it on top of the recently completed Mission card to show your next mission. Now with a new configuration that needs to be met. Draw back to five cards from the deck and go again. If the deck runs out, use the cards in the discard pile. The discard pile is the cards you had previously played from your hand to move the Module cards. Keep playing until you complete seven Missions, or you fail to complete a mission with the five cards you had in your hand. That's it!
There is a variation where you can choose to have just three or four cards in your hand instead. And also, you can flip over the Module cards to show their one time powers as shown below. Then, during the game, at any point you can activate each power one time. Flip the Module over when you do this to show it has been used. These powers help you move the cards about a bit more, and one even lets you refresh your hand. You can play solo or cooperatively, discussing each move as you play.
Is It Fun? Rove Jr Card Game Review
This, like all Button Shy games, is a delightful little production. This game is aimed at younger players, from six and up, so you need to bear this in mind when playing. If you want something a little more strategic, then check out the original Rove. But for younger gamers, this is a great way to understand games like this. It encourages a learning of spatial awareness, pattern recognition, and sets younger gamers on a path of understanding the importance of managing their resources, in this case, their hand of cards.
The process of playing the game is quite relaxing. This is a lovely little solo session. A mindful moment. Having played this game myself with a few children at the age of 9 and 11, I found this to be the case with them too. Surprisingly! They went from their usual excitable (loud) and energetic (annoying) selves, to sitting calmly for 15 minutes, trying to work out this little puzzle. The game is about being as efficient with your movements and resources as possible. Not something you would normally associate with children, but they seem to love the challenge!
The cute art, simple iconography, and low-stakes situation mean that even in failure, the game is relaxing. Figuring out the best card to play, and how to achieve each mission with as few cards as possible is a genuinely relaxing and satisfying experience. Perfectly suited to any mind, young or old. Well worth checking out if you have children aged six to 12 who are interested in games like these. Perfect to carry with you wherever you go, but you do need a table with a bit of space to play. But you can always stack the mission cards on top of each other as you complete them rather than lay them in a row to give yourself more room.
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