Having spent the past eighteen months or more living through a series of lockdowns, I’m pretty confident in assuming that like us, almost every family around the UK will have at some point taken part in a card or board game to while away the time.
We have piles of board games and card games stacked and stored in my son’s cupboard and we often select one or two to bring to the table following a family meal. Games aren’t’ just entertaining and fun to play, they are often educational and can be a catalyst for building bonds, and ultimately a great way in which to make some marvelous memories.
Like A Kid In A Toy Shop…
Following a rather grueling orthodontics appointment, I took my twelve-year-old son J to the local toy store to offer him a treat for his bravery. To be honest, I had half expected for him to select something of a digital nature so was taken aback somewhat when the boy who is usually so quiet and seemingly unbothered came haring towards me excitedly gripping a brightly coloured box labeled ‘Muffin Time’.
J hurriedly explained that he’d seen the game advertised online a few months ago by one of the many YouTubers, which he spends hours watching, and that it was something he’d really wanted. However, at the time he’d seen it advertised it was merely a Kickstarter project thus too difficult to get hold of but more importantly THIS was apparently THE LAST COPY in the shop and he just HAD TO HAVE IT
I hadn’t seen my son so animated nor excited over a board game before thus was somewhat suspicious. I was convinced it must be either far too adult or far too expensive through was completely wrong as it was very fairly priced at only £15.99 which was precisely the amount that was immediately taken from my credit card as J practically jumped to the till with joy.
All the pain from having had braces fitted earlier that day seemed to have been forgotten as J clutched onto his new game with glee. Those of you with kids that have ever bought them a treat whilst out and about will know exactly what I mean by the “it’s so good I’m not letting go of it the whole journey home” level of excitement that I’m referring to when I explain that J clutched the box tightly for the thirty-minute journey home.
Seconds after walking through the door, J placed his prized new present on the table and invited nay insisted that we should all join him in unboxing and playing Muffin Time.
Game Play
Having had a quick read through the rules, J handed each player three cards and we slowly set about taking turns to pick up, put down, and play various action, counter, and trap cards with the aim of reaching the magical “ten cards” in order to announce “muffin time” in the hope that we may make it to our next turn in order to win the game.
Hilarity ensued from the moment that play began as J, my Mum, Paul, and even my eight-year-old daughter E (who’d teamed up with her Dad) were laughing and screeching at one and other as various actions and traps took place.
Having moved into my Mothers house whilst our kitchen was being refitted over what was one of the wettest summers known we often found ourselves in need of entertainment thus Muffin Time very quickly became a firm family favourite.
Edition Issues
Though J adored his new game, he was slightly disappointed to find that his copy of Muffin Time was missing two expansion packs that were apparently to be purchased separately.
I quickly set about searching for the “rainbow” and “pie flavour” expansion packs but was slightly disgruntled to find that the expansion decks would cost me almost the same amount if not more (dependent upon where I ordered the packs from) than the original game to purchase.
The Bigger, Better Box
Having done a bit of digging I discovered that the copy of Muffin Time that J had picked out in the toy store was actually an earlier version of the game and it had since been rereleased including all the cards (and the two expansion packs) for a slightly higher price of £22
I contacted Big Potato Games to let them know our dilemma and to enquire as to how I might either get hold of the expansion packs for a fair price or possibly exchange our copy for the newer version. To my surprise, they very kindly offered to send us the latest edition of the game, and not only that, but they also sent the kids a goody bag filled with Big Potato plushies, badges, and even a copy of their mini Colour Brain game that I will review, feature and share with you in the near future.
As you can imagine J was elated to have the full set of Muffin Time cards to hand, and he couldn’t wait to get back to his Nana’s for another round of his beloved Muffin Time.
Having quite the collection of board games, we were already big fans of Big Potato Games. However, Muffin Time takes this to a new level as it has to be one of the best board/ card games that we have ever played.
Purchasing & Pricing Information
Retailing from only £22, the newest version of Muffin Time is now available to purchase online directly from Big Potato Games.
To Summarise
Designed and created by TomSka and Big Potato Games, Muffin Time was based upon the hugely popular asdfmovie series on YouTube. Originally funded by Kickstarter in August 2019, Muffin Time was eventually released in July 2020 following several delays and has since been re-released to include the expansion packs. Featuring two hundred cards (including the expansion packs), Muffin Time is suited for 2-8 players aged thirteen and over though my younger daughter has taken part whilst playing on my husband’s team and also rather enjoyed the game…
Muffin Time is like a cross between the hugely popular Exploding Kittens and Cards Against Humanity for its sheer level of entertainment and hilarity. It has been a sell-out and seems to be a game that is massively appealing to the YouTube generation.
The fact that my tech-obsessed son will happily ditch his digital devices and vacate his bedroom in order to spend time with his family playing this game speaks volumes. So put down your console, turn off your tablet and get yourself into a real game for some real fun – it’s MUFFIN TIME!
For further information on Muffin Time or alternative Big Potato games visit www.bigpotato.co.uk
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Product Rating
Disclosure: We were sent the above products for the purpose of this post however all opinions are our own.