The answer was on the tip of my tongue!
Let’s start out by saying this is probably my favorite party game I own. I don’t quite recall where I got Anomia, but I know it was a hit everywhere I brought it. It’s simple enough to explain in a few sentences and immediately start playing, making Anomia a sure win for any level of gaming expertise.
Anomic aphasia (aka Anomia) is a language disorder where people feel like words are always at the tip of their tongue. In this game, players must think of and shout out a word that falls into a particular category before another player. Often this leaves players rapidly speaking “ums” and “uhs” while trying to think quickly. Pretty fitting, right?
** Note: Moving forward, I will not be including all scoring sections in my reviews. For great games like Anomia, many of my categories will score low which may be misleading to viewers. For example, a game without any art will score low, when the game doesn't deserve a low rating. It is just not an applicable category. I will still note any concerns where I feel it is necessary.
Mechanics & Categories: Party, Card, Family, Humor, Speed, Pattern, Trivia
ART: 2/10
More like graphic design than art, if you even want to call it that. There are colored symbols and words on each card. The game is so simple that these are the only elements required, so I wouldn’t consider it artwork. Each symbol is unique and not your average circle or square, which I suppose is interesting. It is also accessible since each color also has a corresponding symbol to match.
STORYTELLING: 0/10
There is no story. Think Scattergories. All players have to do is provide an example of something, such as a dog breed. Maybe the next one has to be a toothpaste brand. No story in that.
COMPONENTS: 4/10
The game contains just cards, and they are printed well. They are only handled during shuffling before the beginning of the game, so there is less opportunity to ruin them. I will note that this is a speed-based game, so if you flip a card too fast, I suppose you could bend it.
The small box is divided to fit the two decks of cards nicely. The party edition also has slots for all the different decklists. Each card set has a different backing color to easily distinguish each set, though I don’t see what matters since there is no theme amongst each deck.
COMPLEXITY: 1/10
Does this even warrant a score of one? If you can read, you can play this game. The only reason it is receiving a one is because you need to know some general pop culture to name something that matches a category. (Read: better catch up on your rock opera knowledge or Olympic athletes).
One other note is that there are wild cards that temporarily bend the rules to have a different set of symbols match. For example, the red symbols will always match, but a wild card may say that now red and blue symbols ALSO match. Players will need to be able to keep that in mind while playing quickly.
TRAVEL-FRIENDLY: 9/10
This is my go-to game to bring with me for any large gathering. Super easy to teach, play and doesn’t require that much space if you don’t want it to. With the base game and party edition, you have a whole bunch of decklists to choose from, so you can mix and match and just bring the small box of two with you or just bring a single deck.
Depending on the number of players, all of the cards need to be able to be seen by all players. Naturally, this makes the real estate somewhat smaller because putting a single card right in front of each player may become too difficult to read from afar. Keeping the player’s cards close to the center will make it easier for all players to read them.
UNIQUENESS: 1/10
I find the uniqueness to be challenging to achieve for simple games. Anomia doesn’t even have clever word associations or clue-giving. It is just naming something that belongs to a category. The only aspect that might be unique is racing several other players to achieve an answer. But even then, that is kind of like Jeopardy.
Innovation:
It is pretty neat to take a medical term and find a game out of it. Most games revolve around a genre like outer space, dinosaurs, the forest, etc. But somehow, Anomia took something precise and managed to create a game that truly captures the essence of the “tip of the tongue.”
Final Comments
Though a straightforward game, my friend group, family, and I love this game. Those who struggle with speed games do not. I don’t mind that it is not a unique game; I just like seeing what other people come up with and hearing the silly things people say to come in first.
Sometimes people will just read the card in front of them instead of naming something in the category they are supposed to play with. Some will just shout out something completely incorrect. It is quite a riot. I will always remember someone losing out on a match because the players ruled his answer incorrect, and he just left the game. Not five minutes later, that player came running back into the room screaming that he was correct and stealing the card from the player he lost to. The memories made with this game can be quite fun.
I also like this game because they have multiple variants for adults and kids. I had the chance to speak with the owner at PAX East this year, and it was fascinating to hear his story and the making of this game. I would love to see custom options available someday, but in the meantime, I have made a couple of themed versions myself for the interests of my friend group, such as video games and Magic the Gathering!
Similar To: Scattergories, Family Feud, Set
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Publisher: Anomia Press
Game(s) Pictured: Anomia
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