Exploding Kittens VR Hands-On: A Clever Spin On A Classic Card Game

For those who have never heard of it, Exploding Kittens is a fast-paced strategic card game with an off-beat sense of humor.

Played by two to five people, the aim is to avoid drawing the dreaded 'Exploding Kitten' and be the last person standing. Players take turns drawing cards, each of which can then be played to impact the game, either through craftily evasive tactics or by heaping misfortune directly upon your opponents.

It’s remarkably straightforward, thoroughly engaging, and incredibly popular. Thanks to Saber Interactive, this phenomenon is about to land in VR.

I recently tried an early build of the VR adaptation, joined by Henry Stockdale and several developers. I was impressed with the clever design choices made to bring a traditional card game to life in the virtual world. Saber Interactive has transformed the card battler into something uniquely suited to VR while staying completely faithful to the source material.

In Exploding Kittens VR, the traditional deck of cards has been replaced by a mystery box that contains a series of simple red balls, not unlike those filled with tacky toys dispensed from gumball-style machines. Rather than drawing a card each turn, press a button on the box, and one of these spherical treasures will dispense. Each ball contains an item that cleverly substitutes the effects of the cards in the original game. Not making sense? Let me explain.

For example, rather than drawing a card that lets you look at the top three cards of the deck, you will instead open a ball and receive a pair of X-ray specs. Simply reach out, pop these onto your face, and you can see the contents of the following three balls as if by magic. Or, instead of playing a card that negates your opponent's last turn, you can grab your judge’s gavel and slam it down on the table, effectively blocking the action. It's a thoughtful way to translate each card effect into an action that takes advantage of VR's physicality.

The main game can be played against real opponents, bots, or any combination in between, giving you plenty of choice. Other tables are available that allow you to try slight variations, like a one-on-one duel mode or a fast-paced, higher-stakes `blitz’ mode.

To round things off, Saber Interactive has created a vibrant social hub for players to spend time together. With a few whacky mini-games on offer and an environment jam-packed with the franchise’s hallmark zaniness, players can relax and socialize between the tension of dodging those pesky kitties.

While the social hub adds a nice touch, you need to earn currency by playing at one of the main tables to try these mini-games. That seems counterproductive, and the fact that you can’t just spend time enjoying the mini-games without being forced to play the main game feels like it may castrate the whole purpose of the social hub. The mini-games are cute but not fleshed out enough to warrant a grind to enjoy them, and without them, the hub falls a little flat.

If you enjoyed the original card game, there looks to be plenty to get excited about. For those new to the franchise, Exploding Kittens VR has the potential to capture the energy that made the card game so popular and introduce it to a whole new audience.

Exploding Kittens VR launches on Quest on October 3.