Monday , March 18 2024

Family Game Review: ‘Hide ‘N Cheek’ from Big G Creative

Hide ‘N Cheek from Big G Creative updates the classic “shell game” to a new and fun take on memory and visual coordination. The original mechanic of hiding an item under several identical cups is hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. Rather than repeating the same old game over, however, Hide ‘N Cheek adds further elements with multiple hidden items, even one players will not want to find.

Like all of Big G Creative’s games, the production quality on Hide ‘N Cheek is top-notch. The pieces are very durable and large enough that little hands will have no problem using them. The chipmunk masks are adorable with their stretchy compartments for acorn-storage. Just wearing the masks alone is enough for the giggles to start even before the game begins.

Game-play in Hide ‘N Cheek takes only moments to learn. Players take turns as the hider, pulling three Acorns from the pot and hiding them under the four Log cups without looking. After shuffling the cups around the table, every player takes turns lifting one up and collecting whatever is underneath. Once all three Acorns are collected, the next player repeats with three more from the pot. Play continues until the pot is gone, leaving the player with the most Acorns the winner!

There are ample opportunities for strategy in Hide ‘N Cheek. Players will foremost have to keep their memories sharp to note how many Acorns have already been collected and where. The Logs go back after being checked, so a player may waste a turn checking a Log that has already had Acorns collected. For the hider, they may put one Acorn alone under three different Logs or try to hide multiples in a single Log. If they are lucky, play will come back around to them, and they can grab the bonanza they have set up.

Hide ‘N Cheek adds a twist with Bad Acorns. The hider may announce a Bad Acorn round and hide only one green acorn under a Log. The player who finds it must give three Acorns from their own collection to the hider. Playing the Bad Acorn may be a gamble, however. If play comes back around to the hider with only one cup left with the Bad Acorn inside, the hider is going to have to give up three Acorns back to the pot.

Hide ‘N Cheek is a family game for two to four players aged six and up. Games move very quickly, usually lasting fifteen or twenty minutes depending upon how long players spend choosing which log to look under. With the straightforward mechanics and fun ways to change things up, it has high replay-ability. In fact, the winners might be challenged to a rematch starting as soon as the game ends.

About Jeff Provine

Jeff Provine is a Composition professor, novelist, cartoonist, and traveler of three continents. His latest book is a collection of local ghost legends, Campus Ghosts of Norman, Oklahoma.

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