Number of Players: 2-4 (You could play by yourself to enhance the madness)
Time: 10-15 Minutes
Age: 8 and up
Game Type: Outside fun
Gamer Type: Anyone
Complexity: 3
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the oddest game I have reviewed to date. In the latest offering from Starlux, Eyeballs of Madness, you throw a flexible carrot at eyeball (not real ones, but ones like ping pong balls) to score points. Super odd game, yet when you play it, it is super fun. Lets take a look at how it stacks up as we enter the madness.
Story
So, here is the rub. Starlux has us throwing carrots at eyeballs, and they do not give us a story. There is so much we want to know here. “What are the free floating eyes?” “Why are we battling?” “Why is the weapon of choice a carrot?” None of these questions are answered, which means that we have to give EOM a score of 2 for the story (the reason they receive 2 out of 10, rather than 0 out of 10 is because the game is odd enough that they almost force you to create your own story).
Artwork
Rebounding from the two they received for story, EOM earns a 7 for artwork because of the sheer oddity of the game, and the fact that the artwork is done quite well. The carrot is flexy, which makes it interesting to throw. This adds to the interest of the game. The eyeballs (with the scoring numbers one the back) are well made and neat to look at. The “stalks” are multi-colored, giving the game a fun feel. The artwork on the box is people playing the game which looks really cool; I wish there was more detail on the box to make people pick it up at stores, because it is a fun game. The box is a little bigger than a standard flat box, so it can be tricky on the shelf.
Mechanics
The mechanics of this game are simple, which is necessary for an outdoor game. You throw the carrot and knock of the eye ball with a called shot. This means anyone can play. The called shot element adds to the game (the first time we played we missed that rule), so there is an added level of complexity. This is a good hand-eye coordination game. 8 of 10.
Strategy
Throwing a carrot at an eyeball, how much strategy can there be? More than horseshoes or cornhole. In EOM, you call your shot. If you miss or hit another eyeball, you get no points. However, if you hit another eyeball, you get to see the value of the target. This means you need to balance going for all the balls (offensive/rush) and playing defensively, looking for the 2x and the nil ball to know where they are (defensive). If you take the time to find all the balls, you can build quite an engine for building a score. 8 of 10. (compared to other outdoor games)
Novelty Weird Factor
So for this review, we are going with weird factor rather than novelty. Mechanically, throwing a flexible unit at variable targets is novel enough on its own. When you make it “throwing a carrot at eyeballs” you go to a whole new level of novelty. So we are throwing a 10 out there for this element. It is novel, it is weird, and it is a game that you should have at parties.
Overall
EOM is one of those games that is fun to play, regardless of who you are playing with. Kids can play and have a blast as the carrot is light enough to toss for kids and you can move the targets closer. Adults can play and have a blast calling their shots with a skillset they may have never imagined that they had. Overall, we are seeing a score of 35, which is a monster score for an outdoor game. Couple that with the anemic 2 for story, and you have a really great little game. You should check it out on Starlux’s website.
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