A Lotta Axolotls Board Game Review

🦎 A Lotta Axolotls by Eric Olsen | 🏢 Published by Messy Table Games

👥 2-6 players | ⏳ ~15 minutes | ⚙️ Matching, set collection, simultaneous play

⚠️ Disclosure: I was gifted a copy of A Lotta Axolotls and helped with the rules for the new version. As always, this is my honest review. We do not accept compensation for our opinions or recommendations

I recently gifted a copy of A Lotta Axolotls to a friend's 8 year old. I had no idea she liked axolotls. We sat down to play, and somewhere along the way she started telling me facts about axolotls. I thought I was going to be the one teaching her something, but apparently she had plenty to teach me too. That is one of my favorite things about playing board games with my niece, my family, and the younger kids in my life. They see games differently. You never know if they are interested in winning, or in making their own game within a game. From time to time, you get the gift of teaching them something new

A Lotta Axolotls is a simple game, and I've played it with toddlers, first graders, adults, and groups of parents and kids, and it has been a little different every time

How to Play

A Lotta Axolotls is a light card game all about matching and collecting sets. The rules are simple and can be taught in under a minute. There is also no reading required, which makes it easy for younger kids to jump right in. The new version has two ways to play. Wild Way has everyone playing at the same time, making it a race to find the matches and collect your axolotls. Chill Way slows things down and gives players a more controlled way to play. That's a small change, but I think it makes a big difference. The game can feel completely different depending on which version you use and who you're playing with

How to Win

Collect axolotls by matching the cards and completing your sets. When the game ends, whoever has collected the most axolotls wins 🏆

Pros

🦎 Adorable art

⏱️ Plays quickly

🔤 No reading required

🌎 Language independent

👧 Works with different ages

📖 Rules take less than a minute to teach

Considerations

I'm not really the intended audience for A Lotta Axolotls. I'm not looking for strategic depth when I sit down to play a game with a child. I want something they can understand, enjoy, and get excited about. That's where this game works for me. It doesn't feel like I'm playing a game for them. It feels like I'm playing a game with them. And I think that's an important difference

Bottom Line

It's kind of crazy how a good children's game can be improved without losing what made it good in the first place. I've had a lot of opportunities to play A Lotta Axolotls with kids of different ages, and I keep coming back to how well it scales

A toddler can focus on the colors. A first grader can turn it into a race. Older kids can start thinking more about what they're collecting. And adults can just enjoy playing with them. That's one of the things I love about board games. Different games give us different experiences, and sometimes the experience isn't about challenging yourself. Sometimes it's about seeing a game through someone else's eyes. Eric's games are really good at being approachable without feeling like they're only for people who are new to board games

A Lotta Axolotls is a children's game. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But I've played it with enough different people to know that being a children's game doesn't mean adults can't have fun with it too

Recommendations

I don't have kids, but for years, friends have called me when they're looking for a board game for the young ones in their lives, or even just the young at heart. I think that's one of the best compliments I can get. They trust me enough to pick something I think will work at their family table. And hearing back about how so and so enjoyed it always warms my heart. So, here are a few games that have worked really well for the kids in my life:

• Introducing dexterity to the young ones: Kittin

  • Stack cats without knocking them over. It's simple, silly, and it has both a cooperative and competitive mode

• Similar but louder? Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

  • Flip cards, say the words, and slap the pile when they match. Chaotic in the best way

• Play together: Bandido

  • Work together to block Bandido's escape

• Want something more? Star Catcher

  • Collect stars and try to score the most points. It's still easy to get into, it gives older kids a little more to think about