Matthew BaileyWonderful Set Collection with beautiful “Studio Ghibli” inspired artwork.
Just so you know, the game I am talking about today is an early prototype, not a finished version. As part of my time with it, I’ve provided the designer with feedback, which may or may not be incorporated into the final game. Anything I say here could be outdated by the time the game is officially released and this is very much a preview and not a review.
“Grunling: Fantastic Fruits” is a set-collection game featuring stunning artwork by Johanna Forster, inspired by Studio Ghibli’s style.
The premise is simple: players aim to build a hand of 10 cards, made up of Grunlings, to score the most points by the end of the game. At the start, each player receives a basket, four face-down cards, and three face-up cards, giving opponents a glimpse of what might be in their hand. There are one or two discard piles, depending on the player count, along with a draw pile.
Your hand contains two types of cards: actions and Grunlings. Actions are played at the start of your turn to produce various effects. Grunlings, on the other hand, are adorable fruit characters that primarily score points based on the type of fruit they represent. There are four core sets of fruit in the game: the base set (used in every game) and three additional sets—Apple, Berry, and Beach—which tend to synergise with one another. Often, you’ll find yourself specialising in one of these sets.
In addition to Grunlings, there are Darklings, which usually deduct points. However, with the right combinations, you can turn them into valuable scoring opportunities.
On your turn, you can:
- Play any relevant action cards.
- Store up to two cards in your basket. that can be saved for later.
- Draw two new cards—one from the draw pile (revealed to all players) and one from either the face-down draw pile or a face-up discard pile.
- Discard down to 10 cards in your hand.
The open information in “Fantastic Fruits” is a key feature. Unlike games where players’ hands are largely a mystery, here, you can piece together a fairly good idea of what others are aiming for, adding an extra layer of strategy. This transparency makes your decisions about which cards to take—and which to leave behind—all the more tactical.
Occasionally, you’ll draw effect cards that change the game in unique ways. These might introduce mini-games, turn specific fruits into Darklings, or force scoring adjustments. Only four effect cards are included in each game, and drawing the fourth one triggers the endgame.
At the end of the game, you’ll score only the cards in your hand. Each fruit set offers different scoring mechanics:
- Base Set: Works well alone or with small synergies. Examples include: Bitter Lemon: Scores based on its position in your hand.
Grapes: Reward the player with the most grapes.
Star Fruit: Copies another card’s effect.
Watermelon and Honeydew: Worth -10 if solo but a whopping 25 points together. - Apple Set: Points increase exponentially with the number of apples in your hand but beware of the Bad Apple card, which can spoil your plans.
- Beach Set: (I suggested renaming it the “Tropical Set.”) Focuses on combinations of five unique fruits for big points.
- Berry Set: Rewards you if the combined point value of your berries exceeds a certain threshold. This set was the least appealing to us, but it still worked well.
All three of us thoroughly enjoyed “Fantastic Fruits.” Set collection games are always a hit in our house, and this one stood out. The open-hand element adds a level of strategy and interaction not often found in this genre, giving it an engaging dynamic reminiscent of “Fantasy Realms” by WizKids. There’s plenty of potential for expansions, too, with new fruit sets introducing fresh scoring mechanics.
The artwork is where “Fantastic Fruits” truly shines. It’s absolutely gorgeous, perfectly complementing the whimsical theme. I’d love to see more from this artist—maybe even some lore to expand on the Grunlings’ world!
This game is slated to launch on Kickstarter early next year, and I’ll be sure to post a reminder when it does. It’s a delightful game that I wholeheartedly recommend keeping an eye on.
Disclaimer: an early prototype copy of the game “Grunling Fantastic Fruits” was kindly provided by the designer for the purpose of producing a preview that you have read today.
The next review will mark the beginning of our Christmas content and while we are not going to be doing a daily marathon I have a decent amount of games I want to talk to you about over the Christmas period equally over this time I am hoping to make a decent amount of headway over the upcoming website for better browsing of review content that I am hoping to get live before the end of January.
