Designer(s) | Thomas Vuarchex and Pierric Yakovenko |
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Publisher(s) | Asmodee Editions |
Publication date | since 1991 |
Players | 2 or more |
Age range | 6+ |
Skill(s) required | Patience, speed, judgement, reflexes |
Website | junglespeed |
Developer(s) |
Playful Entertainment Next Level Games |
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Platform(s) | Wii (WiiWare) |
Release date(s) | |
Genre(s) | Card games |
Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
Jungle Speed is a card game created by Thomas Vuarchex and Pierric Yakovenko in 1991. First self-published and now published by Asmodee Editions, it is played with non-standard playing cards. An expansion and all-in set have been published, making the game even more challenging.
The game revolves around matching cards with identical symbols, and it has some similarities to the game Snap. The similarities between some of the symbols, as well as some of the extra rules, make the game rather challenging.
Cards are shuffled and dealt to each player face down, ensuring that all players have an equal number of cards in their stacks. A wooden cylinder called a Totem is placed in the center of the table, equidistant from all players. Any remaining cards that cannot be distributed equitably are placed under the totem in an area known as the Pot. Players take turns playing the top card from their stacks in a clockwise rotation. Each player does this by flipping their card over in the direction of their opponents, so that their opponents get the first glance at their card to avoid unfair advantage. The card is then quickly placed in front of the player's pile. Thus players form discard piles in front of their piles of cards as the game progresses. When a player plays a card that matches the symbol of another player's top card, the two players must duel to grab the totem in the center as quickly as possible. The loser of the duel takes both players' played cards (their discard pile plus the card currently in play), as well as any cards in the pot, and places them at the bottom of his deck. The loser of the round plays the next card.
There are also three special effect cards that come into play.
If a player commits one of the following errors, or Fouls, he/she must take all the cards currently in play (the discard piles of all the other players plus all the cards in the pot) and place them at the bottom of their deck.
Note that biting is permitted in the rules of Jungle Speed.
The winner is the first player to get rid of all their cards and have them passed onto other players or the pot.
Asmodee released a new edition in 2011 with an updated design for the cards and, in some markets, a plastic totem for added safety. The expansions are made to be used with this edition of the game.
The expanded version adds several new symbol variations, as well as new effect cards:
A special version of the game released in France, based on Ubisoft's Raving Rabbids (The Lapin Cretins) series of video games. The game features designs based on the game and comes in a Rabbid shaped sack, which also includes a bonus figurine that is implemented into the game. The key difference is that, after the totem has been grabbed, any player may then grab the Rabbid and give one of the cards in their discard pile to the other player.