Family fun and cattle mutilation collide in the new card game UFO

https://ift.tt/21kFo0N Master Blaster

The perfect game to teach kids about numbers and Ummoism.

The “shedding” genre of card games, such as Crazy Eights, has long been enjoyed by people of all ages for its simple gameplay and flexible rules. And it was half a century ago that the most marketable variation of these games emerged in the form of UNO, which itself has undergone several makeovers, with Mario Kart and McDonald’s versions.

But now, an entirely new game has been created that goes beyond the world as we know it, and explores the mysterious realms of the extraterrestrial paranormal. UFO — pronounced “Oofoh” — is a shedding card game created by Cyberdyne, a retro sci-fi art dealer who’s also responsible for the annual Tokyo International Shark Film Festival.

This is not an official version of UNO, but since only the design and name “UNO” is under copyright, UFO is free to adopt the exact same gameplay for their own use. So, UFO uses appropriately saucer-shaped cards while retaining most of the same rules and patterns of the famous game, making it easy to pick up and play.

First, there are 76 number cards that have pictures of alien life forms or associated people and places on them. All the classics are there, such as little green men, reptilians, Flatwoods monsters, and even the Kofu alien of Japanese lore.

▼ A video explaining the Kofu UFO incident

Then, there are three types of special cards, each based on a U.F.O. from the past. A George Adamski U.F.O. will reverse the order of play, a Billy Meyer U.F.O. skips the next player’s turn, and a cigar-shaped U.F.O. will cause the next player to abduct two cards from the pile.

Finally, four wild cards are also in play. An Area 51 or Bermuda Triangle card will allow the player to change the color however they like, as will a cattle mutilation or abduction card with the additional effect of the next player picking up four cards.

And of course, it wouldn’t be an alien-themed game without a few hidden secrets along the way. Some promotional images for UFO include a mysterious Flying Shark card with a question mark value. Cyberdyne also said that they are developing  different games that can be played with this card, such as Alien 51 and MIBJ (Men In Black Jack), both of which are variations of the counting game Black Jack.

In the end, however, you can always fall back on the class rules of UNO when playing UFO, except that once a player is on their last card, they must shout “Oofo!” That rule is simply non-negotiable.

UFO is scheduled to go on sale for the first time at the spring iteration of Game Market 2022 at Big Sight on 23 and 24 April. For those who can’t make it to the event, Cyberdyne has also launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Japanese site Campfire until early May.

Standard UFO decks can be purchased for 1,800 yen (U$15), but for 2,500 yen ($20) decks will come in a special Top Secret film can for added protection and plausible deniability. In addition, those who believe in the project enough to pledge 4,500 yen ($36) will receive the game in a film can as well as an adorable plastic figure of a cow being abducted by a U.F.O., which would make the perfect centerpiece for any formal dinner engagement.

You may, however, choose not to play UFO, and write it off as some kooky theory or people’s imaginations run wild. If so, remember that it doesn’t matter, because no matter where you are and what you do, the game is out there…

Source: Campfire, Cyberdyne via Sorae
Images: Cyberdyne
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