Since its first release in 1981, Trivial Pursuit has become the most popular trivia board game around the world. The game has sold more than 100 million copies and has spawned numerous versions involving specific concepts and promotional tie-ins such as the Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings film series, multiple television shows and online versions where you can compete with others around the world. With the fall season just around the corner that could only mean one thing and that is we’re getting closer to the Halloween season. What better way for horror fans to get together to watch their favorite scary movies and perhaps play a board game.
Hasbro has released Trivial Pursuit: Horror Ultimate Edition which comes complete with 300 cards that include 1800 questions from across the horror genres for fans to test their mastery of the macabre. Up to six players can play choosing one of the various movers available (Monster Hand, Doll Head, Straight Jacket, Goat Head, Cleaver) across a custom designed game board. There are six categories of horror which are Gore & Disturbing, Psychological, Killer, Monster, Paranormal and Comedy. Like all the other Trivial Pursuit games, you compete to earn wedges for each category. The player who earns six wedges wins the game. There are 36 wedges included in the box, six for each player.
So how does Trivial Pursuit: Horror Ultimate Edition stack up with the rest of the versions? After cutting off the shrink wrap, I slowly lifted the box cover with gentle and care while the bottom simultaneously slid off. The first thing you will see inside is a sheet which the front side lists the contents and the back lists the gameplay instructions and rules. The sheet presentation reminds me of a map or a summoning spell. It is nice not to have a booklet of instructions since our attention spans are noticeably short in this world where technology is right at our fingertips.
After removing the sheet, you see the folded up gameboard. When I first picked it up, it felt smooth and leathery. The gameboard is easy to unfold and places perfectly at a table or floor. The various colors and symbols of the categories that are stamped on each moving space make you think of the perks that you can purchase through the bloodweb in the video game, Dead by Daylight. Kudos to Hasbro for putting in the effort into creating a gameboard that is durable and made with fine material.
After placing the gameboard, I looked at the remaining contents inside. The wedges are carefully sealed in a Ziplock bag and there is a dice that is placed in its own cubby. To the left in a medium sized bag were the movers, which was the next thing I opened. Each mover is equally sized and is presented with a dirty gritty look to give it that horror quality. They are placed on their own round stand which is durable to keep your mover in place without it falling off. However, the stand is a little too big as it can overlap the next space on the gameboard that it is standing on. It’s not a big issue, but if you’re the type of person who notices tiny details, it may be bothersome.
Finally, we get to the trivia cards. There are two stacks of cards containing the 1800 questions with one question for each category in a single card. Each card feels crisp like a brand-new dollar bill. I only looked through five to six cards to get a sense of the questions. The questions will challenge your knowledge of movies, television and books that span all the way up to 2019, so you may want to brush up on watching horror movies from this past decade if you haven’t. There are loads of questions and answers that would make Joe Bob Briggs look like a novice. I could tell you that out of the cards I looked at, I only managed to answer two questions correctly. These questions will truly challenge your knowledge of all things horror.
While the price tag of $49.99 may be steep to some buyers, Trivial Pursuit: Ultimate Horror Edition gives you so much bang for your buck. It is the perfect game to grab five of your friends and have hours of competitive fun as you battle each other to determine whom is the Horror Trivia Master. This is a game that is not just for Halloween season. It’s a game that you can play year-round and with plenty of questions to go through, you could be playing it until the Grim Reaper comes and takes you away.
Pros
- Quality Material
- Loads of Trivia Questions
- Detailed Presentation
Cons
- Movers overlap the game space.