Review: Gulo Gulo Family Boardgame

Gulo Gulo is a fun and extremely well balanced game for families with children.  The mechanics of the game itself, not luck, is what makes Gulo Gulo balanced when playing a game with kids and adults.  The fact that luck is only a tiny part of this game goes a long way in my book.

I was blown away when I opened the Gulo Gulo box.  The components of this game are of the highest quality.  The octagonal “yard tiles” as they are called, are made of very thick, solid cardboard with high quality textured graphics printing.  The Gulo pieces are molded, multi-colored plastic (my son loves them).  And the eggs, bowl, and “alarm device” are all made of solid, stained wood.

The idea of the game is to race to the end of the path in order to rescue Gulo Junior who has been captured by Lady Swamp Vulture for stealing her eggs.  The other Gulos can’t help but also try and steal eggs as they make their way down the path.  Ultimately, Gulo Gulo is a dexterity game that rewards kids for their smaller fingers, while also rewarding adults for their more refined dexterity.

Gulo Gulo is expertly balanced in two distinct ways:

1) The mechanics of grabbing differently sized eggs from the “nest” balances the game for kids and adults.  You will be AMAZED at how those little fingers can get in there to snatch eggs that an adult could never reach.

2) The result of triggering the alarm can appear devastating if you have to go all the way back to the beginning.  However!  The fact that you were sent all the way back to the beginning also means that on your next turn you have the opportunity to return to exactly where you were previously!

The “alarm mechanism” is elegantly simple.  It consists of a stick with an orange egg on the end of it that is placed amongst the eggs within the nest.  As eggs are removed, the stick will unbalance and fall to the side until finally it will fall from the nest, triggering the alarm.  It is possible to remove more than half of the eggs before triggering the alarm.

I can’t stress enough at how utterly amazed I was at my 4-year old son’s ability to snatch eggs from the nest.  Before I could even say, “Logan, you need to grab a yellow egg” I would turn to him and he would be holding up a yellow egg.  Sometimes, he could even reach into the bottom of the nest to grab an egg without setting off the alarm.

I have read previous reviews about how kids rule at this game, but I didn’t believe it until I saw it for myself.  Adults can try their hardest and the kids can still emerge victorious.  That’s what makes Gulo Gulo fun for everyone.

Shop around for this game as prices appear to vary by as much as $10.  I technically “overpaid” for the game, but it was money well spent.  I can already tell that Gulo Gulo is a hit that will be enjoyed for many years.

Highly recommended!