I wish I watched this before buying the game. I was excited to play this after playing unstable unicorns and loving it. Happy Little Dinosaurs wasn’t nearly as fun. And there were too many times where we didn’t know what to do. Like if there’s a tie between the winner or loser when you turn your cards over. Couldn’t agree more.
Loved the video. And I agree, the game feels slightly rushed in development. I played this with my girlfriend, and for 2 players, it works really well. We did think of some additional rules to make the game a bit more organized, but we're still very much enjoying it. 1. Point card effects are activated on the card with the highest points first. So first an effect on 9, then 8, then 7 etc. 2. When a point card effect is activated, it activates for the player it is in front of. So when a card that hasn't been activated yet is swapped to another player, it will activate for the player it is now in front of. I have yet to play it with more friends, but I'm interested in how it will go :)
It somehow arrived at our door - I guess because my wife backed Unicorns - but totally agreed with your assessment - seemed so unpolished and rushed to production. Disappointed that we had to house rule stuff from the get go. I felt like a play tester.
Agreed. It felt like even more of a let down for us because we enjoy the other Unstable Games. It’s already making us question their future non-unicorn releases.
We recently got this game and played it with our 9 & 10 year olds. The instant cards and special abilities cards were maddening to interpret. Does the star fruit card count for only the player who used it or does it count for everyone during that round? How the heck does the score inversion card work? We googled and read a whole bunch of house rules suggestions but it makes me pretty sad that they haven't released clarifying directions. My kids really love it enough to want to play again, but as an gameboard aficionado this rules are filled with ambiguity. Tag me if they ever update them!
Bought this for my nieces for Christmas due to the cute artwork. But I’m confused how this game even made it through development because the current rules make it nearly unplayable. And even with house rules EVERY round was confusing and annoying. This might be the first 0/10 game I’ve ever played.
We definitely agree. There are some updated rules on their website (depending on which printing you picked up) but they still aren’t great and definitely should have been reworked before releasing the game.
My 11 year old loves unicorns and begged for this one. We got it today and my kids had set it up within minutes. There were some random things that bothered me right away (eg, the start box was smaller than it should've been) but then when we got into gameplay we ran into the same issues you mentioned. My 9 year old immediately wanted to play again but I need some time before I'm willing to succulent myself to this again. I wouldn't call it a 0 but it would rate around a 4/5 for me out of the box. 6 if they made some changes for clarification
Exactly. It feels unfinished. Unstable Games have supposedly uploaded updated rules on their website, but we haven’t tried them yet to see if they are any clearer.
I preordered this game but after this, should I cancel or keep it? I’m very new to the whole card game thing but I’m enjoying here to slay and unstable unicorns a lot.
That’s a tough call and up to you. We didn’t enjoy it, as you can tell. We’re big fans of Unstable Unicorns and Here to Slay and play those a lot and recommend them to new gamers. We wouldn’t recommend Happy Little Dinosaurs and probably won’t play it again.
@@PartyTails thank you guys. That all I need to know. I just started playing and started off with those two games. I’ve been getting more and more invested in card games and have been looking to get more so HLD seemed like the next thing for me. Guess I’ll trust the pros on this one. Thank you. Y’all gained a sub
Only 300 subs!? Absolutely crazy. So happy to be one of the first few hundred to sub! It's unfortunate because the artwork is so cute and it looks like a good production overall. Not looking forward to the next Unstable Unicorns game - sounds like their games are the only things that are unstable.
Thanks for subbing! We appreciate it! Yeah, we’ve been holding off on getting their new game Wrong Party because of the let down from Happy Little Dinos.
I got it at goodwill with the 5-6 player expansion brand new all for 6 Dollars US. Id say its a fun little 2 player game 6 bucks was worth it. I cant imagine playing with more
I played this with my girlfriend and as someone who usually is easily excited about games this just doesn't work. It's so simple with 2 players it feels pointless and brainless to play but also not entirely clear regarding rules. I wonder if this gets better with expansions, anyone tried them? Want to give it another chance because my girlfriend loves dinosaurs and I love the art aswell but as it is now it's just pointless to play. Thanks for the honest review!
I really want to get this game for the artwork and premise... but... damn... you guys convinced me not to. I hate ambiguous rulesets for these type of "pick up and play" games.
Played this game the other night along with the shinning. I would rate both these games as a one and done. We too were left having to come to a consensus on who won a round. I’ve played worse but like I said one and done.
They must have updated the rules because I just started playing and it is a pretty simple, low mental effort game if you have a little bit of game experience. Instants aren't confusing and difficult. They add interaction into the game. You can just play war with playing cards if interaction is complicated and annyoing for you. 🤷🏽♂️
I love this game we have alot of fun but it turns out we were playing wrong lol. Maybe the rules change after a year cuz the game I bought has only 4 dinosaur.
@Lucy Lumi At the end of each round, everyone would move the numbers they played, plus their modifiers, instead of only the winner of the round. We thought that is how it's play, but it turns out we just misunderstood.
The box says ages 8+. This game is far too complicated for younger kids. Also, the instructions have a couple typos, repeated parts, and things left out. We had to watch videos on how to play to even get started. It’s too bad because we were really hoping this would be a fun game.
The game is actually better for younger kids. I played with a 5 and 7 yr old and they loved it. I had to be the referee/DM to get around those instant card conflicts, but with older players this would get annoying
I agree. The rules are incomplete and hard to get your head around. We had to play several times to work out the rules and had many situations that weren't covered by the rules.
They have come out with an updated rulebook on their website which helps a little with understanding how to play. So we would recommend for kids 9-10 if they are fans of more luck driven games like the card game War, Exploding Kittens, or Taco vs Burrito. However, it wouldn’t be the first game we’d recommend if they haven’t played those others.
Thanks - I wasn’t sure whether to get this game or not, having enjoyed the other games of this brand, but your review has helped me decide not to! Thanks 🙂
I actually enjoyed the game! I agree with the house rules definitely need to implement some for the sake of fairness. But this game seems to be great for a social gathering w/drinks.
We like to add house rules to games and mix things up, however if it requires house rules to even be playable or fair, that tells us they didn’t play test the game enough and work out the bugs before they launched it.
@@moondust3526 It’s been a while since we played it, so we can’t recall every house rule we ended up using. However, the main one that helped move the game along was setting up a sort of FIFO rule for the Instant Cards. Whichever card hit the table first was played first and no matter what other cards were played, you still had to play your instant card in order. No take backs.
I wish I watched this before buying the game. I was excited to play this after playing unstable unicorns and loving it. Happy Little Dinosaurs wasn’t nearly as fun. And there were too many times where we didn’t know what to do. Like if there’s a tie between the winner or loser when you turn your cards over. Couldn’t agree more.
Loved the video. And I agree, the game feels slightly rushed in development. I played this with my girlfriend, and for 2 players, it works really well. We did think of some additional rules to make the game a bit more organized, but we're still very much enjoying it.
1. Point card effects are activated on the card with the highest points first. So first an effect on 9, then 8, then 7 etc.
2. When a point card effect is activated, it activates for the player it is in front of. So when a card that hasn't been activated yet is swapped to another player, it will activate for the player it is now in front of.
I have yet to play it with more friends, but I'm interested in how it will go :)
Good additional rules! Glad that you’re finding a way to enjoy it!
The rules actually already dictate the opposite for the 1st pint you mentioned
It somehow arrived at our door - I guess because my wife backed Unicorns - but totally agreed with your assessment - seemed so unpolished and rushed to production. Disappointed that we had to house rule stuff from the get go. I felt like a play tester.
Agreed. It felt like even more of a let down for us because we enjoy the other Unstable Games. It’s already making us question their future non-unicorn releases.
We recently got this game and played it with our 9 & 10 year olds. The instant cards and special abilities cards were maddening to interpret. Does the star fruit card count for only the player who used it or does it count for everyone during that round? How the heck does the score inversion card work? We googled and read a whole bunch of house rules suggestions but it makes me pretty sad that they haven't released clarifying directions. My kids really love it enough to want to play again, but as an gameboard aficionado this rules are filled with ambiguity. Tag me if they ever update them!
Played this once but I liked this game more then any of the exploding kittens ones.
Couldnt agree more with this video. The game could definitely be improved if they released a rule set that is easy to interpret
Bought this for my nieces for Christmas due to the cute artwork. But I’m confused how this game even made it through development because the current rules make it nearly unplayable. And even with house rules EVERY round was confusing and annoying. This might be the first 0/10 game I’ve ever played.
We definitely agree. There are some updated rules on their website (depending on which printing you picked up) but they still aren’t great and definitely should have been reworked before releasing the game.
My 11 year old loves unicorns and begged for this one. We got it today and my kids had set it up within minutes. There were some random things that bothered me right away (eg, the start box was smaller than it should've been) but then when we got into gameplay we ran into the same issues you mentioned. My 9 year old immediately wanted to play again but I need some time before I'm willing to succulent myself to this again. I wouldn't call it a 0 but it would rate around a 4/5 for me out of the box. 6 if they made some changes for clarification
Exactly. It feels unfinished. Unstable Games have supposedly uploaded updated rules on their website, but we haven’t tried them yet to see if they are any clearer.
I preordered this game but after this, should I cancel or keep it? I’m very new to the whole card game thing but I’m enjoying here to slay and unstable unicorns a lot.
That’s a tough call and up to you. We didn’t enjoy it, as you can tell. We’re big fans of Unstable Unicorns and Here to Slay and play those a lot and recommend them to new gamers. We wouldn’t recommend Happy Little Dinosaurs and probably won’t play it again.
@@PartyTails thank you guys. That all I need to know. I just started playing and started off with those two games. I’ve been getting more and more invested in card games and have been looking to get more so HLD seemed like the next thing for me. Guess I’ll trust the pros on this one. Thank you. Y’all gained a sub
If you like Unstable Unicorns, we’d also recommend Exploding Kittens, Organ Attack, and Doomlings.
Only 300 subs!? Absolutely crazy. So happy to be one of the first few hundred to sub!
It's unfortunate because the artwork is so cute and it looks like a good production overall. Not looking forward to the next Unstable Unicorns game - sounds like their games are the only things that are unstable.
Thanks for subbing! We appreciate it!
Yeah, we’ve been holding off on getting their new game Wrong Party because of the let down from Happy Little Dinos.
OMG I FEEL THR SAME WAY! I TRIED TO GOOGLE AND WATCHED MANY VIDEOS AND FAQS IM STILL LOST. I EMAILED THE COMPANY. THE GAME DOESN'T FLOW TOGETHER
Did they respond to you?
I got it at goodwill with the 5-6 player expansion brand new all for 6 Dollars US. Id say its a fun little 2 player game 6 bucks was worth it. I cant imagine playing with more
I played this with my girlfriend and as someone who usually is easily excited about games this just doesn't work. It's so simple with 2 players it feels pointless and brainless to play but also not entirely clear regarding rules.
I wonder if this gets better with expansions, anyone tried them? Want to give it another chance because my girlfriend loves dinosaurs and I love the art aswell but as it is now it's just pointless to play.
Thanks for the honest review!
Big fan of TeeTurtle games and merch!
What’s your favorite game of theirs?
I really want to get this game for the artwork and premise... but... damn... you guys convinced me not to. I hate ambiguous rulesets for these type of "pick up and play" games.
Played this game the other night along with the shinning. I would rate both these games as a one and done. We too were left having to come to a consensus on who won a round. I’ve played worse but like I said one and done.
Thank you for doing this review! I’m glad I saw it!
They must have updated the rules because I just started playing and it is a pretty simple, low mental effort game if you have a little bit of game experience. Instants aren't confusing and difficult. They add interaction into the game. You can just play war with playing cards if interaction is complicated and annyoing for you. 🤷🏽♂️
Fantastic review guys🙂 I was looking at this game today, but how you describe the flow would really drain on me. I’ll stick to exploding kittens😂
Yeah, it was definitely a mood killer. Lots of better games to play for a fun game night.
Thank God I found this video. I was thinking to get this game first instead Unstable Unicorns.
We’d definitely recommend Unstable Unicorns, but not this game.
It's actually a nightmare play this game. I must confessed that TikTok made me do it. :(
At the end, we implemented house rules for the game. 🤷🏽♂️❤️
That’s what we had to do too.
I love this game we have alot of fun but it turns out we were playing wrong lol. Maybe the rules change after a year cuz the game I bought has only 4 dinosaur.
How were you playing? :) Maybe it could be a good way to play
They were showing the game with expansion pack.
@Lucy Lumi At the end of each round, everyone would move the numbers they played, plus their modifiers, instead of only the winner of the round. We thought that is how it's play, but it turns out we just misunderstood.
Awesome guys!
Where did you buy it? It doesn't seem to be on their website.
We ordered it a few months ago when they ran ads on Facebook.
The box says ages 8+. This game is far too complicated for younger kids. Also, the instructions have a couple typos, repeated parts, and things left out. We had to watch videos on how to play to even get started.
It’s too bad because we were really hoping this would be a fun game.
Agreed. We had to use several house rules to get through a full game.
The game is actually better for younger kids. I played with a 5 and 7 yr old and they loved it. I had to be the referee/DM to get around those instant card conflicts, but with older players this would get annoying
I agree. The rules are incomplete and hard to get your head around. We had to play several times to work out the rules and had many situations that weren't covered by the rules.
Were you able to enjoy it at some point?
They should make booster packs you can buy
Love Here to Slay. This game fell flat for me. Like a new version of Munchkin. Not terrible. But ok.
We’re big fans of Here to Slay as well. And Unstable Unicorns. Which added to our disappoint with this game.
would you recommend it to kids between 9-10 years?
They have come out with an updated rulebook on their website which helps a little with understanding how to play. So we would recommend for kids 9-10 if they are fans of more luck driven games like the card game War, Exploding Kittens, or Taco vs Burrito. However, it wouldn’t be the first game we’d recommend if they haven’t played those others.
Thanks - I wasn’t sure whether to get this game or not, having enjoyed the other games of this brand, but your review has helped me decide not to! Thanks 🙂
Lmao I guess that’s a compliment
@@immortalsun -yes it was meant as a good thing
It's so cute 😍
I actually enjoyed the game! I agree with the house rules definitely need to implement some for the sake of fairness. But this game seems to be great for a social gathering w/drinks.
We like to add house rules to games and mix things up, however if it requires house rules to even be playable or fair, that tells us they didn’t play test the game enough and work out the bugs before they launched it.
@@PartyTails I agree with you! Hopefully they come out with some amendments!
Hopefully!
@@PartyTails @Ravi Desai What are some of the house rules you implemented?
@@moondust3526 It’s been a while since we played it, so we can’t recall every house rule we ended up using. However, the main one that helped move the game along was setting up a sort of FIFO rule for the Instant Cards. Whichever card hit the table first was played first and no matter what other cards were played, you still had to play your instant card in order. No take backs.
This game sucks…. I played it with my two kids.