Some of the major forms of media and pop culture became popular in the 1990s, including board games. While most millennials spent their time on a nintendo 64or the newest Play station at a friend’s house, board games remained the backup as unplugged entertainment. Popular games like twister and monopoly were the go-to, but they didn’t encapsulate the 90s like other games.
The 90s favored 3D pop-ups, scary scenarios, and thought-provoking guides to set the game. They were not “throw the dice and move the pawn to the finish” games. From kid-friendly setups to strategic trading cards, the 90s brought exciting and memorable games.
10 Jumanji brought audience to the movies
The ability to create a board game based on the 1995 movie, jumanji, turned out to be too good an opportunity to pass up. Milton Bradley created and released a smaller version of the same game from the movie. For the audience, the chance to play the adventure-based board game was almost as exciting as the movie.
While the board game doesn’t bring animals into the real world or throw players into another dimension, Jumanjic follows many of the same rules. The instructions are relatively simple, with players trying to reach the center before ‘the jungle takes over’.
9 Mr Bucket was physically demanding
Even Mr Bucket had no sign to cross or cards to draw, it got kids on their feet as fast as possible. The concept was simple enough. Players would choose a small colored shovel and toss their corresponding colored balls into an anthropomorphic bucket that periodically shot them back out.
The first player to get all their colored balls into the bucket at once is the winner. While Mr Bucket wasn’t particularly complex or thought-provoking, it remained a hit among young players.
8 Crocodile dentist is intense for kids
A child’s game without board or pawns, Crocodile Dentist became popular for its simple concept, but also caused anxiety in anyone under the age of 7. The medium-sized plastic crocodile head had hinged jaws and removable teeth — or pushable teeth in later years — and encouraged young players to risk a job in dentistry.
Players would pick a tooth and hope it wasn’t the “painful tooth”. If players chose wrong, the jaws would clamp the player and they would lose the game. Like Jengait was all a matter of chance.
7 splat! Was simple but fun
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Like many games aimed at younger players, splat! gave users an excuse to use “play-doh”. The concept had players assembling the game, grasping the tools that would “crush” the dough bug, and moving pesky insects across a board to get to the box of cookies.
While the ultimate goal was to make it to the finish line with cookies, most players found using the tool to “splat” other players’ bugs was the best part of the experience. However, the downside to using play-doh as a game piece came from how quickly the substance could dry out.
6 Skull is perfect for trivia buffs
Skull marketed itself as a party game because it required a minimum of four players. It was almost an activity-based version of Trivia Chase. Like most board games, a board was set up, colored for various activities to be done for that area. Players would roll dice and draw cards to have their teammates guess the answer.
The difference between Skull and other trivial games were the mini activities that each part of the board would ask players to participate in. From sketching, sculpting and humming songs to solving puzzles, players had to don their best creative hat to win the game.
5 13 Dead End Drive Is A Lighter Version Of Clue
Although it remained an underrated game, 13 Dead End Drive gave younger players a chance to play a less serious version of Note. Among its unique features, the murder mystery board game supported a three-dimensional mansion.
Instead of solving a murder and playing detective, the only goal of the players was to win the estate of the deceased landlord by placing their character portrait in the pop-up frame. Players received character cards that gave them access to multiple pawns and trap cards, allowing them to knock other players out of the race.
4 Magic: The Gathering still brings players together
Magic: The Gathering came almost from the same spirit as Dungeons and Dragons, but only in terms of the fantasy role-playing format. The game consisted of varied decks of cards that gave players “magic” to use in duels against other players.
The cards were split horizontally in the middle, with the top half showing illustrations and the bottom half showing type. While Magic: The Gathering only two players needed, fans formed gatherings of larger groups to play weekly or in tournaments, something players still do today.
3 Atmosfear included a terrifying VHS tape
For horror fans, Atmospheric was the best board game to jump into. Advertised as a “video board game,” the box contained a board, pieces, and a VHS tape to follow along. The goal was to collect the six keystones and defeat the gatekeeper.
However, on a nearby TV, the gatekeeper would provide instructions on how to play and discard random jump scares to allow the game to continue. While the game wasn’t overly complicated, the added use of the videotape and horror elements made it fun.
2 The settlers of Catan encouraged players to expand
Released in 1995, The settlers of Catania is still available to play, and for good reason. The originally German game used a hexagonal board, cards, dice and more for its setup. The overarching goal for winning was to build settlements and roads across the board by collecting or trading resource cards.
A robber token would also be placed on a hexagon, preventing a player from building unless the robber is moved. Once a player has gained ten “victory points” by building settlements or roads, he won the game. The game can be time consuming, but the strategic gameplay kept players engaged.
1 Pokemon trading cards didn’t require a board
The collectible strategy card game from the pokemon franchise encouraged players to “pokemon trainers” and use their pokemon relief cards to fight each other. Both players would lay down a card and deal damage to each other. Whoever took the most damage during the attack was eliminated and the winner would receive a prize card.
The winner was the first person to get six prize cards or completely wipe out the other player’s cards. While simplistic in its setup, the best part was that players could participate in pokemon battles like those from the franchise and collect or trade valuable cards.
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