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Cytosis is available on Amazon HERE.
Or, you can go here to get it directly from Genius Games.
And use code TheWolfePack to save 20%!
{This game was provided to me free of charge, however all opinions are my own!}
Read on for a detailed REVIEW.
We have recently discovered the amazing educational gems from Genius Games and have already shared with you reviews of Ecosystem and Periodic, both of which we loved, loved, loved! So, we gave another game, Cytosis, a try. Cytosis is all about the biology of human cells and, boy, did it get my brain cells flowing!
In addition to reviewing the
FUN FACTOR
and the
EDUCATIONAL VALUE,
I will also include info on the
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT,
SKILLS EXPOSED TO & USED,
CLARITY LEVEL
and an
OVERALL SCORE.
NAME: Cytosis: A Cell Biology Game
PUBLISHER: Genius Games
TIME COMMITMENT: Moderate+ {60-90 minutes is what the box says but we took longer for sure! I suspect once you know how to play, 90 minutes is a good estimate.}
PLAYERS: 2-5
AGES: 10+
CATEGORY: Science
SUB CATEGORY: Biology
SKILLS EXPOSED TO:
- cell biology including nucleus, free ribosomes, smooth ER, rough ER, golgi apparatus, plasma membrane, mitochondria, enzymes, hormones, receptors, cell detoxification, antibodies and viruses
SKILLS PRACTICED:
- reading
- strategy
- addition
- multiplication
HOW TO WIN: Accumulate the most health points by using resources to build enzymes, hormones and/or receptors.
CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥_ Okay, I won’t sugarcoat this. I thought Periodic came with an overwhelming set of instructions, but Cytosis definitely trumps that. It’s not that the rulebook is not clearly written, neatly organized and colorfully-illustrated. It’s just that the game is very involved. so any attempt at explaining how to play is going to get very complicated. The folks over at Genius Games must truly be geniuses because the clever ways they create for players to experience science concepts is impressive! But that level of genius cleverness does not always translate easily to the general population, like me. Don’t get me wrong. I was able to play the game. I enjoyed playing the game. I learned from the game. But my brain needed a giant nap after playing the game! And, if you have a hard time with uber-involved rulebooks too, don’t worry! They have a video tutorial that helped me tremendously {posted below.} CLARITY LEVEL SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_
FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥♥ About a fourth of the way through listening to my teenager read the rulebook aloud, I was positive that I would not enjoy this game at all. And that feeling persisted until we were maybe on the third or fourth round. As soon as I started to get the hang of the order of play, I found myself having a wee bit of fun! And then by the time I understood how to plan ahead and plot to win, I was having loads of fun! And when the game ended, I found that I was sad…mostly because I lost, but also because I had truly been enjoying myself! And my science-loving, strategy-skilled teenager loved it every step of the way! FUN FACTOR SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
EDUCATIONAL LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ Though I rate the educational value of this game very high, I need to preface that by saying that the more you discuss and try to make connections as you play, the more you will learn and/or review about human cells. We had already played several rounds when I got frustrated over a move I could not make. And my son quietly muttered something about “that’s not how it works, Mom.” He then proceeded to show me what the game board very clearly displayed: some of the key cellular processes that keep our bodies working. Maybe it was obvious to him because he had read the rulebook aloud. Or perhaps it was because he had Biology this past school year. Or maybe the game board really did show it plain as day. But whatever the case, he was right. While I had just been going through the motions of placing my flask in a specific spot, collecting colored cubes and completing cards, he had been plotting and planning ways to use his resources to build his cell parts. So, yes, it’s highly educational; just make sure your kids are making the necessary connections, unlike me! In addition to the rulebook, there is also a second booklet, The Science Behind, that is an awesome way to fortify the educational value of the game. EDUCATIONAL LEVEL SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥♥ The brilliant minds over at Genius Games seem to highly value quality and neatness. Both Periodic and Ecosystem were not only nicely packaged with high-quality components, they were downright beautiful. And Cytosis is no different. From the double-sided fold-out game board with its detailed artwork to the color-coordinated sturdy game pieces, everything just oozes quality. When new, some of the game pieces need to be punched out of a cardboard sheet. But unlike many other games, these pieces popped out perfectly and without any difficulty! The game consists of the rulebook, a gameboard, 61 cards, 45 player pieces, 66 colorful cubes and the extra educational booklet all packaged neatly in a box that is as artistic as it is sturdy! ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥♥ Though Cytosis and I had a rough start together, things turned around for the better! Cytosis is both fun AND educational, which is not always the case when it comes to science games. And it was a enjoyed by both a science-minded teenager who lives for strategy games AND his easily-perlexed mom! OVERALL SCORE: 95% ♥♥♥♥♥
If you are ready to offer your kids the opportunity to experience the science of cells while they aim to “use their resources to build Enzymes, Hormones, and Hormone Receptors and also to help detoxify the cell,” go here to grab it on Amazon or here to get it directly from the publisher {use code TheWolfePack to score 20% off!}
If you would like to see how to play, watch this video!
