Cards Vs Gravity Pro Game Review

Written by Charlie Pettit

Big Potato Games are practically the specialists in creating and/or publishing quick to learn, fun to play games for non-gamers and gamers alike. Cards Vs Gravity is absolutely no exception. An absolutely perfect game to keep in your pocket and draw out at a social gathering (the pub especially), I expected to find it having little longevity, but pleasingly, I was wrong.

Related article: The Best Big Potato Games

Play Cards Vs Gravity

To play, you’re just balancing cards. That’s it. 

Well, that’s not entirely it. Inside the box you get a bottle stopper (a rubber wotsit that fits into a bottle top, squishing to fit most of them) that means you can play impulsively while out having a drink, a flat disc to place on top of it with holes in, and a stack of plastic cards with notches cut out, mostly of the same weight but with one especially heavy, and one especially thin. We had the Pro version, which contains more cards and includes a carry bag. To play, you divide the cards between the number of players, pop the bottle stopper in and the disc on top, and then start balancing cards out of it by colour (pink must balance on pink, green on green, etc). All of which fits into a tiny zip bag they give you with a carabiner clip, so it really is handy. 

The concept is easy, but the execution is unsurprisingly less so. Sure, the first few placements are relatively straight forward, but the game starts to sprawl out like a strange spider web, every wobble from your hands could be catastrophic, and no one wants to be the one to make the collaborative tower fall. With plastic cards though, even when they do, you’re not going to damage them – even if, like we did, you end up with a few in your drinks!

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How to Win Cards Vs Gravity

I think typical of Big Potato Games, the win conditions are a little fuzzy – the fun of the game is more about playing it, and the loser is clearly the one who lets everything fall, but clearing your cards doesn’t declare you the winner, and you might end up doing a bit more. Ultimately that’s fine though, because they’re right – balancing is the fun part, and by the time you’ve cleared your cards, you’re eagerly watching what your fellow players are doing for which of them is going to cause the catastrophe. Whether you won or not is less fun than seeing who lost. 

@tabletopmag This is the game that whenever I take it out, I will ALWAYS be asked what it is. It’s so perfect for a cheerful pub gathering, and always ends in a bit of a giggle! It’s a @Big Potato Games one called Cards vs Gravity Pro (yes i did call it Cards AGAINST Gravity, oops), well worth checking out! #boardgames #pubgames ♬ luv <3 - фрози

Cards Vs Gravity Review

The game is also incredibly eye catching. It has accompanied me to many a social outing now, as it fits perfectly in my coat pocket, and I haven’t played a game of it in public where someone hasn’t come up and asked what we’re playing. That’s invited a few lovely game conversations, and nicely, quite a few discussions of other Big Potato games they’re familiar with. It’s a real sign of how the gaming market has moved into more mass market mentality, Big Potato especially, and though I wouldn’t say Cards Vs Gravity is a gateway game, it might be the gateway into other Big Potato games, which could well be. 

Look, ultimately it’s not reinventing the wheel. It’s a balancing game. But it’s cleverly known its audience, made it ultra-convenient to play, is bright and inviting, and at the end of the day, it’s a lot of fun. 

You should try this game if you liked Chicken Vs Hotdog, another Big Potato dexterity game –  though this one sees the gamification of the bottle flipping challenge that was popular a few years ago, but needs just as little an explanation to play, and invites just as much discussion. 

Buy Cards Vs Gravity on Amazon

The Box

Designer: Steve Howe

Publisher: Big Potato Games

Time: 10 minutes

Players: 2 players

Ages: 6+

Price: £20

What’s in the box?

• 30 Waterproof cards
• Magnetic disc
• Bottle stopper
• Instruction sheet
• Carry bag
• Sticker

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