Cranium Kabookii

Cranium Kabookii has to be the strangest game I have ever played. It is part team game, part mini game compilation, part charades, and part educational. The game is composed of two teams, and some secret glasses. One player on the team has to draw an object that they know what it is (via the secret glasses), and the other player(s) on their team must guess what the object is. This can really bring families together, but four people are really needed for the best possible enjoyment. There are other mini games like finding specific countries on the globe by flag, or land mark.

There is a real quirky art style used in Cranium Kabookii. There is an occasional act of cartoon violence as one character may kick another one off screen, or something else meant to be humorous (think Loony Tunes but at a lesser degree). I personally did not find any of it offensive, and it is a very small degree. There are plenty of colors used, although they are not always of the brightest persuasion.

Cranium Kabookii has some upbeat music that I found myself enjoying. The special effects sounds really fit the theme of this game, and best description I can come up with is a mix between a circus and a television game show. There were no offensive sounds found while playing Cranium Kabookii on the Nintendo Wii by me, or anyone else I played with.

Cranium Kabookii is meant to be played by more than one person. A match takes less time than Mario Party 8, but has enough in it to keep families coming back for more. The coolest part is you may even learn something like the flags of countries. If you are looking for a family game that is a little bit different, then your hard earned dollars would be well spent on this one.

The controls of Cranium Kabookii show a definite intelligent design. Everything controls well, including the special glasses. Make sure that your team mates do not cheat while you are drawing hints for them. Cranium Kabookii really brings people together in a fun activity that equates to fellowship time. The only adjustment I would like to see in a sequel is some assistance near the end. For example, if none of us were familiar with a flag then having the game highlight the continent would have been helpful.

I really can find nothing morally, or ethically wrong with Cranium Kabookii. The quirky humor is the only possible thing I can fathom, but it is very light. I would like to see some sequels to this Wii game in the near future, and love the coming together theme. I am recommending this game to pastors, friends, and family members.
- Yolanda