Think Fast before the blast…but don’t let the pressure get to you. 3 plus players ages 14 and up
Pop Under Pressure is the latest word game that we’ve tested out. We love word games—games like Scattergories, Like Minds, our Daily News games and Listography—so we were excited to try a new one.
This game is the most similar to Scattergories. In this post, we’ll cover how to play, winning and what we liked and didn’t like.
This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.
Setting up Pop Under Pressure
To start, everyone gets a copy of the category list. Next, you have to attach a small balloon to the base of the game.
Playing Pop Under Pressure
Once the balloon is ready, someone spins the spinner to see what letter will be played for this round.
Once everyone is ready, the button is pressed on the base and the balloon will start filling. Now, players will try to fill their sheets with an answer for each category on the that starts with the chosen letter.
For example if the letter is R and the card asks for countries, you could fill in Russia. If it asks for things found in a refrigerator could be radish and a job could be race car driver.
You have as much time as the balloon allows you to have.
That is, time is up when the balloon pops.
When that happens, it`s time to score. You score one point for each answer that fits the category and no one else has. If two or more players have the same answer, they cancel each other out.
If you can come up with something that has two of the letter, then you can score extra points. For example, if you`re looking for a cartoon character and you answer Busy Bunny, then you would get two points.
When the points are tallied, then a new balloon is loaded, new category cards are passed out and a new letter is spun.
Winning Pop Under Pressure
After three rounds have been played, the player with the most points wins.
What We Like
First, we like that it`s a word game. Second, we like that there is a spinner to pick the letter. (The dice in Scattergories is heavy and a little hard to roll.) The spinner is smooth and clear, a great way to pick the letter. Next, we liked the new category lists. There are 20 in total so there is lots to choose from.
What We Didn`t Like
We really didn`t like the balloon aspect of the game. First, it was hard to get it set up correctly. Next, we were more worried about the pop that we knew was coming than worried about playing. And when it did pop, bits of balloon ended up everywhere, making it hard to clean up. Overall, it took away from the game instead of adding an element to the game.
Should You Make Room for Pop Under Pressure to your Family Game Shelf?
The answer really depends on how much you like word games. Personally, we like adding the new category cards to our Scattergories game. If you’re looking for new category cards, then it could be worth it. But overall, I wouldn’t recommend adding it to you Family Game Shelf as the balloon element was just too difficult, distracting and messy.
If you want to add it to your shelf, you can shop here. Canadians can shop here.
If you’re looking for a game like this, we suggest checking out Like Minds, Word Hunter or Last Word. Also check out our Family Game Shelf Shop where you can find Word Hunter, the Explosion line of games and our Daily News line of games and many more.
Be the first to reply