Number of Players: 4-12 Players
Ages: 12+
Time: 30-90 Minutes (About the Time of a Good Horror Plot)
Game Type: Role Playing
Gamer Type: Causal
Complexity: 4
Physical Movement is Required
As we close in on All Hallows Eve, people are looking for something fun to do with their friends and neighbors. Reenacting your favorite slasher movie in a role-playing game can be one of the best ways to get people together. Let’s face it, we have all had those “Why did they do that?” moments while watching a movie – there is no reason not to see how you would react in a similar (albeit safer) situation. Starlux, one of our favorite active game makers brings an amazing offering to the field with “Lets Spit Up.“
Story
This game is an RPG, so you are going to create your own story. However, Let’s Split Up builds a great game for players and the “killer” through a series of objective cards. Rather than just have the killer try to tag people with the glowing weapon (which would just be a game of tag), each person in the game has a specific set of objectives to complete. This gives you detailed goals of what you can and cannot do in game play. So when you say “I would not have done that…” – there may be a reason the character did it – now you may have the same reason, too. 9 of 10.
Artwork
One of the best things about Starlux is that their games are active. The second best thing is that they have glowing items to use within most of their games. This makes the game seem cooler for some reason. In this game, it is the glowing weapon. The other supporting materials, the cards, and the objectives are well done. There are even suggestions to have the ghosts (yep, we have ghosts too) write on mirrors rather than the included cards (but then you need 2-7 mirrors to write on). The box is wide as a medium box and long as a large box, so it can be a little difficult to store. However, it looks really good, so that is not much of a drawback. 7 of 10.
Mechanics
So, slashers and suburbanites each have a set of goals. The one who achieves the most goals before the suburbanites all die will have the most points in the game and their team wins (it is a slasher game, so most of the people die). However, even as players join the ranks of the grave, they still can play the game. They can float ethereally around the house, whispering (or creepier still, writing on mirrors), to the living players to try to get them to safety. This keeps everything moving a little more smoothly (for an expansion, I can see some ghosts helping the killers).
Now, there are some restrictions. When you are given your goal cards (which you need to complete), the killer needs to complete three before he or she can start killing. This is a slasher movie, not a massacre. Likewise, if the players cannot complete something because it is psychologically or physically limiting, then they can trade the card in (it should be fun for all). Also, you should not do anything that violates another persons’ personal space (the homeowner) or anything physical to attack anyone (other than the killer with the glowing weapon); remember, people in slasher movies do not fight back. By the way, you also need to split up. 7 of 10.
Strategy
Depending on who you are and what your goals are, your strategy will change. The methods of the killer will also change. This creates a fun environment for the situation. You have to think on your feet, so you may find yourself doing the things that slasher characters do in the movies. 5 of 10.
Novelty
Most party games like “How to host a murder” have a static environment. Everyone has dinner, then they try to solve a set of puzzles that come with the box. These are one-off games and have no replay value. Let’s Split Up can be replayed over and over, which makes it one of the better games in the genre. Like I said above, I can see an expansion where there are more cards and more ways to play, but the base game is a masterwork of making people move around with their friends. 8 of 10.
Overall
One of the cool things about this game is that each time you play in a different house, the game is different. Small apartments make this difficult, and as the rules suggest, let your neighbors know that you are playing; playing with cop friends can be fun – but not if actual cops show up, they may be a little edgy. With an overall score of 36, this is a high scoring active game that is fun for the whole family- well except for the jaded member who has a bone to pick to be the killer. Bwahahahahaha.
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