A game for all who truly believe. 2 to 4 players aged 8 and up
My husband loves trains so it’s no surprise that one of his favorite Christmas movie is The Polar Express. One of our girls also loves this movie, so when I found the Polar Express Game I knew we had to try it.
Confession: this is not one of my favorite movies. I find it hard to follow, dark and well, not very Christmassy. But that’s just me. (I prefer Christmas Hallmark movies–so much I made Hallmark Bingo.) Let’s see how this game stands up against over holiday favorite games like Grinch Dice, Santa’s Sleigh or Christmas Shenanigans.
Object of The Polar Express Game
Players move along the train track trying to get from the home space to the North Pole.
Setting Up The Polar Express Game
As one might expect, the game comes with a metal bell. The first time you play you have to put the bell on a string. Next, the game comes with some Christmas wishes that you put in a velvet bag for the end of the game.
To start a game, players place the bell near the end of the game board. Next, the dealer hands out four cards to all players.
Moving Along the Track
There are three ways for a player to move forward on the track in the Polar Express Game.
First, you can play a numbered card. This allows you to move the number on the card.
Second, if you play three of the same number (it doesn’t matter what the number is) you can move to the next station. You must announce your arrival at the station by saying something like “choo choo” and the name of the station you are moving to.
Third is by playing a specialty card.
The Polar Express Cards
First, there are the numbered cards. These range from 1 to 7.
Next, there are six specialty cards.
Glacier Gulch – this card has the player moving forward 8 spaces and sends the leader of the game back to the last station that he or she was at.
Express – this card also has the player moving forward 8 spaces. It also makes the next player lose his turn.
Caribou Crossing – this card is played during someone else’s turn. When a player tries to move forward to the next station by playing three of a kind, a player who hold a Caribou Crossing card can stop the advance. The player who played the three of a kind stays where they are and the gameplay then moves to the player who played the Caribou Crossing card.
Santa – this card moves a player to the next station.
Hobo – this card will give you protection from another specialty card. A player who has a specialty card played on them can play the Hobo card and not have to take the penalty.
The Game Board
The board is a train track with stations from the movie. It also has two special spots.
First is the Bridge. When a player lands on the bridge, she gets to cross it, advancing on the track. However, if there is another player at the end of the bridge, she does not get to cross the bridge.
Second is the Slippery Slope spot. When a player lands on this spot, he is sent back down the track.
The North Pole is the finish line. A player can get to the North Pole in a couple of ways. First, he can play a card and move his token to the North Pole. He does not have to have the exact number to land on the pole. Next, he can play three of a kind to get to the North Pole. Also, he can play the Santa card to get there as well.
Playing Polar Express Game
On a players turn, she draws as many cards as needed to have five cards in her hand. She then can play any card on her hand or play three of a kind to move forward to the next station.
When a player lands on a station, she gets to take another turn.
When a player lands on the same square as another player, the player who was on the space is sent back to the square where the second player started, effectively switching places.
Specialty cards can be played out of turn.
Winning Polar Express
The first player to get to the North Pole is the winner. The player then grabs the bell and gives it a ring. He then gets to hand out a Christmas wish from the velvet bag to all the other players.
What We Like
First, the quality of this game is great. The bell is heavy duty and will last for a very long time. The card and board are also of good quality.
Next, the game stays with the Polar Express theme fairly well, although the goal of the game and the movie seem to be different.
Next, is that we like the back and forth of game. There is no clear winner until someone gets to the North Pole. You can have a far and away lead and then end up in last place. This keeps it interesting.
What We Don’t Like
First, this is a rather cutthroat game. It seems the only way to get ahead is to block others and send them backwards. Although we enjoy this type of game, it is not what we expected out of a Christmas game. It really isn`t in the Christmas spirit. Also, the handing out of the Christmas wishes seems a little…pointless. It was a nice try on the maker`s part to try to bring some Christmas spirit back in but I think it`s a little too late. All of this can make for some very sore losers and possibly some hurt feelings.
Next, the game does get a little bit repetitive, especially if you`re the player who is constantly being sent backwards.
Is the Polar Express Game Worth Adding to you Family Game Shelf?
There’s nothing like the warm, cozy feelings of Christmas—unless you’re a ultra-completive family. Then there’s nothing like the feeling of winning and the Polar Express Game will give you that feeling. If you’re a fan of the movie and don’t have either young kids or ones that will have hurt feelings by constantly being sent back, then the Polar Express Game makes a decent addition to your Family Game Shelf.
Unfortunately, The Polar Express game is out of print, but you could luck out and find it for sale like I did. However, if you love the movie, you’re in luck. There are playing cards, Checkers, Train-opoly and a host of other fun things like a fleece throw and a wooden train set that is just like the one in the movie. Shop The Polar Express here. Canadians can shop Polar Express here.
Rating:
4 CA 4, J
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