** Short version at end, for those in a hurry ** My introduction to The Game of Life was a “fully working” keychain of a miniature board & spinner. The spinner is *the* iconic image people remember best when they recall The Game of Life (or, just Life), right up there with the pegs, plastic cars, and looping track of yellow spaces. People my age & older will also remember all the white, plastic buildings & green road segments we had to attach to the board every game (the longest players of Life will remember the heavy-duty, almost hinged board which consumed the entirety of the game’s box & held all decorations permanently attached). The 2010s haven’t been kind to Life. Hasbro, being a global toys & games manufacturer, hurriedly redesigned all of their classic games to be both cheaper to produce (smaller, lighter pieces, sometimes even smaller boxes), and easier to translate into X number of languages (if it’s mostly images, it’s practically effortless). For many classic titles, Life especially, the the gameplay was stripped back to the barest of essentials. In short: The Game of Life has been, for years now, more like a LaCroix than a glass of juice. It’s vaguely familiar, and it might even look as appealing as you remember it being, yet somehow it feels empty, pointless. I’m happy to say this new edition has *finally* restored Life back to a genuinely satisfying game. Gameplay wise: players choose a car, pp in a peg, and embark upon a journey of Life all the way from choosing to start a career or go to college, to choosing to retire early, or ride out your bucket list just a bit longer! The key word here is *choice.* Almost every aspect of the game asks each player to choose between one of two possibilities. Action cards no longer list inane events & forced player interactions — rather, most cards now present a scenario, and two options for how to proceed. Both options are usually positive, but force players to consider more than just making the most money as their philosophy for victory. The classic Stop spaces have been updated to offer another level of choice: for example, will I go this way to get married & maybe land on more family opportunities, or will I go this way to focus on my career for now? It’s refreshing to see a game like this acknowledge the variety of ways a person may live a rewarding life, while still being the kind of escapism we all need once in a while (players seeking a “real” Life game should seek out the parody edition “The Game of Life: Quarter Life Crisis Edition” for some pitch-perfect millennial dark humor). Most evident from a glance at the product images is how *COLORFUL* this new edition is! The board is bright & busy without quite feeling like too much, though some of the intersections can be vague at first glance. And notice the long, colorful strip of numbers along one end of the board: this edition has revived the original edition’s Number Board as an Investment mechanic. Points to Hasbro here: they’ve successfully integrated an otherwise long-gone element of the original game, but in a way that makes sense in the game’s new form & feels familiar for anyone who has played a pre-2000s copy of Life. The biggest gimmick here (also readily apparent from the box art) is also this edition’s biggest achievement: without any fuss, Hasbro has supplemented the usual smattering of pink & blue “people” pegs (traditionally, and in most older editions, used to denote male & female players & their spouse/child pegs) with a selection of 6 different peg colors. In this game, the pegs can represent anyone in the player’s life: a spouse/partner, friend, pet, child, relative, as dictated by the card/space which adds the peg to the car. It’s a tasteful update to what was (potentially) quickly becoming the most dated aspect of The Game of Life in light of today’s shifting social norms. READ: the game itself makes no grand mention of what motivated the change to multicolored pegs. My opinion of its implementation in the final product is favorable. At the end of the day, it doesn’t change anything about the gameplay itself. Players attracted to the bold visuals of this new edition, but on the fence about the implications of the new pegs, should bear in mind most children playing the game will give absolutely no thought to the pegs: they will go in the car when they’re meant to, and perhaps a small cry will need attention if a favorite color runs out. If children aren’t a factor & one is still hesitant, buy an older edition. They’re very easy to come by. ** tl;dr ** Final Thoughts: Hasbro has been slowly repairing the reputations of its classics catalogue since about 2015. I’m glad they chose to give The Game of Life the serious boost of actual gameplay the brand was sorely missing the best part of a decade. Bold visuals, easy rules & mechanics — new players & old fans will catch on to the updated rules very easily (best to just start playing with the guide & reference it as needed). Major props to Hasbro, from me, for the welcome dose of variety & choice — they have successfully turned a stubborn museum piece into a fresh experience for today’s players. I hope this edition becomes the standard form for the foreseeable future, and any further updates continue to build upon the excellent foundation established here. My one qualm: the dedicated cat & dog pegs from other recent Life refreshes are *really* cute, and for me they’re missed in this new game. I understand why they’re gone, but I hope the next edition figures out how to fluidly reincorporate them. And Hasbro, if you’re reading this: please give us an animated web series about all these fabulously coiffed & dressed Peg People, and the Technicolor world in which they live & play. That’s the kind of cheesy marketing campaign I would eat up like a Netflix series. NOTE: I noticed one review took issue with the game’s packaging. Hasbro has not shrink wrapped Life for quite some time. Rest assured, your brand new game is supposed to be unwrapped & held secure by 4 circular pieces of tape. Unfortunately that does make the box more susceptible to damage in transit — mine came packed with another game & enough bubble paper to keep both boxes secure. In my experience these stickers are very easy to remove, though I usually just cut them & fold over the ends. Players with younger gamers in the house should know the box does feature a hole in the lid to display the spinner, and the included storage is as nonexistent as Hasbro ever provides. A ziplock bag is included to contain the plastic bits, but I would suggest a small sealed container (like a small, flat Tupperware thing) stored beneath the decorative box insert to ensure no small, overly eager hands can deal any real losses.
