Matthew BaileyMost of the games I play are more serious, and generally speaking, we don’t play that many party games with the kids. But every now and then, we come across something that is just pure fun, and if it has a good dexterity element to it, all the better.
Today we’re talking about It’s Bananas!, a fun dexterity game from McMiller. The concept of the game is simple. You put a strap around your waist and inflate the inflatable monkey tail, which goes through a holder on the strap and hangs down from behind you, either backward’s like a tail or forwards, like a… erm… tail.
You take the spinner and five banana tokens and you’re ready to go. You’re not allowed to touch your tail during the challenge unless it’s specifically stated, and if a monkey hoop (which are the things you have to pick up) gets knocked over, you’re allowed to use your hands to stand it back up.
Spin the spinner, and whatever it lands on is the challenge you have to complete. This might be picking things up with your tail poking between your legs, or picking things up with your tail facing backwards. Sometimes you’ll need to collect things in a certain order, or take them back to your leaf. Either way, the person who completes the challenge the quickest gets a banana. First to three bananas wins.
Games are quick, silly, and this works really well with a large group. Even if it’s just 8 to 12 players, because the games are so fast, you can easily sit around, laugh and have fun while others take their turn, then swap over.
The boys had an absolute hoot playing It’s Bananas!. It’s a really fun, silly dexterity game with a unique and interesting twist. The box it all comes in is a decent size, and as is typical of McMiller’s games, the graphic design is outstanding.
My only small criticism is that the pink and orange banana tokens are quite close in colour. If you’re playing in a living room with yellowish lighting late at night, it might be a bit tricky to tell them apart. But honestly, that doesn’t detract from the fun at all.
It’s Bananas! is wonderfully good fun. If you’re looking for a party game for a kid’s birthday or a family get-together, I’d definitely recommend it. The box says 8+, but everything is adjustable, and even Henry, who’s just turned four and is still wearing age 2–3 clothes, managed to join in without any trouble.
A big party game dexterity win.
Disclaimer: A copy of It’s Bananas! was kindly provided by McMiller for the purposes of review. All of the thoughts and opinions about the game are my own, and those of my boys.
