Game Review: Snowball Fight and The Great Snowball Battle

Snowball Fight

GreatSnowballBattle

The Great Snowball Battle
Sninkthinkink/Game Salute 2014

Snowball Fight
S&S Innovations 2002

Ready for winter? If the snow isn’t flying yet, and you’re itching to get out in the snow, here are a couple fun and easy games that will scratch that snowball itch, and you don’t have to get wet and cold in the process.

Both games are card games. Snowball fight has round cards which is fun and thematic, but can be harder to hold and you have to adjust your card orientation quite a lot because a round card doesn’t have an easy “up” side. On the plus side, both the snowballs and cover are on the same cards (sometimes both on a single card), which gives an element of strategy to using your cards as you may have to choose between using them for cover or attack. The Great Snowball Battle has more types of cards, cards for cover, the snowballs, events, a kid card which gives you an ongoing or one time power and gear.

In Snowball Fight, the person with the least hits wins, you can take 30 points of damage before you are out of the game. In The Great Snowball Battle, you have 3 pieces of gear which get taken out any time you take a hit. Once you lose your last piece of gear, you have to “go inside” and are out of the game.  You can choose to either attack, or “clear out” on your turn. When you clear out, you get rid of all your “damage” as well as your cover and any items you have, and start over with new cover and a new item.

Snowball Fight is a quicker, simpler game, and has a little more fun with the cards, naming each snowball (Avalanche, Dipsy Doodle, Boulder, Lucky Shot, etc.) while The Great Snowball Battle has more options, and the snowballs are simply numbered.

Both games are card games, with approximately the same number of cards. The Great Snowball Battle however comes in a HUGE 10”x10” box. Very oversized for what is in the box. Snowball Fight comes in a much smaller box, so is a little more portable if you are wanting to throw in a game to take along on that long car ride or to Grandma’s house for the weekend. Both games can be played by kids and adults, bothbare recommended for ages 8+.

Overall, Both are good games. If you are looking for a fast-paced lightweight snow themed game, you won’t go wrong with either one. Because The Great Snowball Battle has more options, there is a little more re-playability, but also is a little clunkier in its mechanics and isn’t as good for 2 players. Snowball Fight has quicker, simpler and more elegant play, but can get a little stale after a while, and some people have difficulty with the round cards. Both recommended.