Board Game Review: Coconuts | I'm cuckoo for Coconuts!

As I begin covering board games more and more, I thought it was about time I reviewed one because, well, that's why I'm here, right? And I could think of no better game to review first than Coconuts, a ridiculous Korean dexterity game full of monkeys, coconuts, and lots of flinging, published in the States by Mayday Games, a company I've grown quite fond of thanks to their abundance of card sleeves--I've got a bit of sleeving obsession. Anyway, I should probably stop monkeying around and get to the review.

The object of Coconuts is simple: you have a player board with three spaces for cups and want to be the first person to build a pyramid out of cups--three cups on the bottom, two in the middle, and one on top--and you do so by flinging rubbery coconuts into said cups in order to claim them as your own; that is essentially everything you need to know; though, of course, there are additional rules--there's a red line on each player board and you always have to be behind that when flinging coconuts; you can steal other player's cups by flinging a coconut into one of their cups; and, when you land a coconut into one of four red cups, you immediately get an extra turn--as well as magic cards--which let you, in most cases, inhibit another player by forcing them to hit a specific cup, shoot with their eyes closed, or other such handicaps. At face value, Coconuts looks like a dumb game that kids would enjoy and adults would grow tired of within minutes, but that is, somewhat surprisingly, not the case.

"All you do is flick coconuts into cups...how is that fun?" This question was asked the second I brought out my copy of Coconuts; I replied with three words: "Just trust me." Why was I so confident that my friend, a fellow man in his late twenties, would enjoy Coconuts? It's because the bounciness of the coconuts adds a degree of randomness and craziness that makes every flick exciting; coconuts will land in a cup and immediately bounce out, or miss every single cup only to bounce into one before all is said and done. The reason the bounciness works is because it adds a bit of variability to what is otherwise a heavily skill-based game and does so without being so random that skill is thrown out the window. When a coconut is flicked, you never know what might happen.

Adding onto the fun brought by the bounciness of the coconuts are the previously mentioned magic cards--which add an extra degree of silliness; though, I had just as much fun when choosing not to use them--the quality of the components--the monkey launchers, while incredibly cute and charming, are very well made, allowing for a lot of subtlety when it comes to flinging coconuts as hard (or soft) as you want--and the game is very house-rule friendly; for one game, me and a few friends decided to place cups all over the room and laughed the entire time while rarely ever hitting an actual cup.

Coconuts looks like a simple kids game and it can be that, but, despite the cute looks and simple mechanic, it is something anyone can enjoy; I played the game with many different people--from preteens to twenty-somethings to senior citizens--and every single person who played the game left with a smile on their face, myself included. If you like skill-based games, Coconuts, with its quality components and charming aesthetic, is a great addition to any home and perfect for that occasion when you just want to monkey around (sorry; I can't help myself).

• Coconuts  (Mayday Games)

Final word: Coconuts is a very fun game that anyone can enjoy, but it's only good in small doses; after all, it is just a game about flinging coconuts into cups... (And, if you want to make your kids laugh even more when playing this game, tell them the coconuts are little bits of poop instead of coconuts. Who doesn't love a good poop joke?)

staying behind a red line on your board every single time