Review: Zombie Ninja Pirates Card Game

Andy & Sara Ross

Zombie Ninja Pirates is a card game for 2 – 6 players ages 13 and up released by Gozer Games. The objective of the game is to accrue more points than your opponents by taking on different roles (zombie, ninja, pirate and mad scientist) and collecting objects. It is quick to pick up and learn and the games do not take long to complete.

Each round has a limited number of phases in which a player can play action cards to help themselves or hinder an opponent as well as collect objects that increase (or decrease) their points, depending on which roles they currently have. A player can be all of the roles at once, so the points can fluctuate as roles are added (or removed by opponents). Well-timed card plays can allow a player to swing the points in their direction, but the game has a way of keeping everyone in until the very end.

The games we played only involved 2 players, but I can imagine that games played with a full 6 players would be just as fun. Additionally, the game can be combined with Vampire Werewolf Faeries to increase the maximum number of players to 10.

The quality of the cards is quite high with vibrant artwork and witty quotes. The cards feel like they would last a long time and the game’s box is just big enough to fit the cards, so it is small enough to toss in a backpack or purse when heading out to a game night with friends.

The game lists the appropriate age for play at 13+, but I would think that children closer to the age of 10 could most likely play the game without issue. The mechanics of the game are easy to understand and there is nothing graphically scary in the artwork, so families with younger children shouldn’t necessarily shy away from this one.

Special thank you to Matthew Duhan for providing a review copy of this game! Pick it up, give it a try and have fun becoming zombies, ninjas, pirates and mad scientists!