“Do you guys want to play the Ghost Game?”
“Yes!!!”
Proceeds to get knocked over by two six-year-olds running to the gaming table.
I wish my kids were as excited about doing their chores as they were about playing games, but let’s be real. I’m not either. Today, we are going to look at Go Go Ghost, a new family game from publisher Lukilab. Can you be the first to capture a picture of the ghost and make it out of the haunted mansion? Let’s find out.
Gameplay Overview:
In Go Go Ghost, you are trying to be the first to escape the haunted mansion with a photo of the elusive ghost. On a player’s turn, they can move their ghost hunter two spaces. If they land on a photo space, they draw a card. If it has a ghost on it, then they can try and make their way to the exit on a future turn. If not, they must keep hunting. Then the next player goes.
Sounds simple enough, right? Well not so fast, traveling randomly around the board is a ghost miniature. If it knocks over your ghost hunter, you must go back to the start space (you can keep any cards you’ve drawn though).
The first player to make it out of the mansion with a picture of the ghost wins.
Game Experience:
It’s amazing how one component in a game can make all the difference. If it wasn’t for this silly moving ghost in the game, Go Go Ghost would be eminently forgettable. Yet, thanks to a little bit of technology, my kids were addicted to this game. The ghost travels by vibrating on its two brush “feet”. Think of the vintage vibrating football games back in 60s, it has that kind of a feeling.
But while the ghost moves randomly around the board, it’s clearly set up to provide maximum carnage. The board isn’t that big, has rounded edges, and there are blocking tiles around the map. What’s interesting is that the ghost has outstretched hands, so if it hits one of these blocking tiles, it will turn the ghost, sending him off in another direction.
I feel like Go Go Ghost was primed to be a terrible game, due to its repetitive gameplay and luck factor. But to be honest, it was actually pretty entertaining. Even if you draw a ghost card on turn 2, getting out of the mansion is no easy task. In more than one game, the ghost has repeatedly knocked down a player trying to make their way out, sending them back to the start area. This acts as a nice equalizer while other players hunt the ghosts.
The downside of this is that sometimes the game can drag on. Everyone has their ghost card and is just trying to make it to the exit in one piece. This can be doubly hard with little kids like mine who can be absent-minded and forget to take their turns. When you are trying to go as rapid-fire as possible so you minimize your risk of getting knocked over, having a player not paying attention can lead to lots of being sent back to the start. But that kind of comes with the territory for a game you play with your little ones.
Final Thoughts:
While Go Go Ghost was certainly entertaining, even for this older reviewer, it also isn’t going to be a crossover game like Rhino Hero. It’s fun to play with your kids, but not without them. That being said, the game is simple enough that your kids can play without you, so that’s a win. Plus, the ghost figure has an excellent toy factor and has captured the imagination of my son. So, both its great production values and its entertaining gameplay has made this one a win in our household. My kids still constantly ask to play the “ghost game”.
