Unstable Unicorns Diamond Edition Review – Prime Time Game

A little while ago, I was able to play and review Happy Little Dinosaurs by Unstable Games. Thanks to that experience, I wanted to give the namesake of the company’s name a try, Unstable Unicorns.

Name: Unstable Unicorns
Developed by: Unstable Games
Game Type: Board Game
Price: $20
Players: 2-8
Play Time: 30-60 Minutes

You can play Unstable Unicorns with up to eight players. Your goal in this game is to get your stable filled before any other player in the game does. You do this by playing unicorns from your hand or using cards that allow you to steal unicorns from other players’ stables. Each turn has four phases: the draw phase, where you draw a card from the deck, the diamond dice phase, where you roll the special four-sided dice, the play phase, where you can play a card, and the end phase, where effects can activate from unicorns in your stable.

The setup is a lot more like a card game than Happy Little Dinosaurs, since there isn’t any board to place the cards on, you have to create a space for your stables, so you can keep track of what unicorns you are housing. There are a variety of types of cards in the game.

Unstable Unicorns has its card designs with a charming art style. The unicorns are pretty cute, and they went above and beyond to have different ones you can use. You have instant cards you can use in response to any other player’s card. There is a lot of strategy for a game that lets you only use one card per turn. There is also a chaotic element that can hinder a strategy, thanks to the diamond dice.

I played the Diamond edition of Unstable Unicorns, which adds a diamond dice phase to the game. The roll makes the choice. You can get one of four special diamond unicorns that bounce around the field. They can go to the vault or a player’s stable, depending on the number rolled. When they land in a player’s stable, they can activate a special effect that can change the trajectory of the game. One of the effects lets you discard a card to draw three more cards from the deck, one lets you grab a card from the discard pile to add to your hand, another can let you steal a card from another player’s hand, and the last one forces another player to discard two cards from their hand.

I enjoyed the diamond unicorns’ effects and how they added more chaos but also more strategy to the game. The roll of the dice sometimes lets you take a diamond unicorn from another player, or it might be a bad roll, and you lose a diamond unicorn to the vault.

I think Unstable Unicorns is an entertaining game to play with people. Especially when you can start piling on someone as they are almost about to get the last unicorn in their stable to win the game. Everyone decides to hold their annoying cards for the moment someone is about to win.

One big thing that would help this game in particular is a board cut out for individual stables as well as for the vault. I love having places to put cards rather than a vague location noted in the rules. It also helps things stay organized.

The Verdict

Overall, Unstable Unicorns: Diamond Edition is the structure that should be followed to create an engaging game. It has a basic premise, rules that are easy to follow, a small chaotic element that adds a wrench into any strategy that makes a game crazy yet fun, and it can be played by up to eight people at once.

Unstable Unicorns Diamond Edition is available today to buy!